Merchaw Michja (Lebensraum)

Merchaw Michja is a homage to the path taken by Jewish artists in Germany over the last 80 years. At the starting point - the dehumanization of the Jewish body, the degeneration of Jewish artists and the merciless exploitation of their artistic skills for the operation of the murder machine. At the end point - today's generous German philanthropy, which attracts Jewish artists to this country and enables them to flourish. Using references from Jewish artistic creation from the time of the Holocaust and our present day, the performance raises the question of the future of German-Jewish relations and encourages hope for harmonious coexistence. 

The performance aims to trace the lines of development from the understanding of art at that time to today's multiculturalism and art consumption in the Federal Republic of Germany from a Jewish perspective, highlighting both continuity and ruptures. The inherent duality of this progression will be discussed: How did Germany become an enthusiastic patron of international arts so quickly after the Second World War? What does this mean for us as a society and for the German-Jewish narrative? 

Concept and direction: Shai Ottolenghi 

Choreography and dance: Shai Ottolenghi and Sara Escribano 

Live music: Klezmer Ensemble Noisten (Reinald Noisten, Claus Schmidt, Andreas Kneip and Shan Devakuruparan) 

Recorded sound: Omri Abram, Netanel Olhoeft 

Photography and videography: Benyamin Reich 

Director: Melina Hylla 

Premiere:

17.06.2023 at Comedia Theater, Köln 

Further performances:

18.06.2023 Comedia Theater, Köln 

29.06.2023 Synagogen Gemeinde Köln