Books

Meena Kandasamy: A Wise One, a Warrior

Meena Kandasamy: A Wise One, a Warrior

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Objects talk back

Meena Kandasamy contemplates the Mithuna couple, a 17th century ivory sculpture from Tamil Nadu, India. Starting from this depiction of lovers, the author unfolds a multilayered narrative that moves in several directions through images, questions, and contradictions.

"How can we look at this piece without talking about who created it?" she asks, examining how caste and class are as indelibly etched into the object as its physical details. This awareness complicates the seemingly straightforward associations of "love" that the sculpture might evoke. Meena Kandasamy refuses to idealise or exoticise the carving, instead linking it to personal and political narratives: Who is allowed to love whom? She contrasts the intimate with the institutional in order to challenge concepts such as decolonisation, restitution, and preservation. Through a striking blend of styles - Twitter, academic discourse, poetry, memoir - she engages in a dialogue with the object: forwards, sideways, backwards.

Part of the series Objects talk back, published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace.

Meena Kandasamy is a poet, novelist and translator. Her work focuses on the militant resistance against caste, gender, and ethnic oppressions. She explores this in her books of poems such as Touch (2006) and Ms. Militancy (2010), as well as her three novels, The Gypsy Goddess (2014), When I Hit You (2017), and Exquisite Cadavers (2019). Her novels have been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the International Dylan Thomas Prize, the Jhalak Prize and the Hindu Lit Prize. The Book of Desire, her translation of the love poetry of the 2000-year-old Tamil classic Tirukkural was published in 2023.

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Meena Kandasamy: Eine Weise, eine Kriegerin

Meena Kandasamy: Eine Weise, eine Kriegerin

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Objekte widersprechen

Meena Kandasamy betrachtet das Mithuna-Paar, eine Elfenbeinskulptur des 17. Jahrhunderts aus Tamil Nadu (Indien). Ausgehend von diesem Liebespaar entfaltet die Autorin eine vielschichtige, in mehrere Richtungen gehende Erzählung aus Bildern, Fragen und Widersprüchen.

„Wie können wir dieses Werk betrachten, ohne darüber zu sprechen, wer es geschaffen hat?“ fragt sie und untersucht, wie Kaste und Klasse ebenso unauslöschlich in das Objekt eingraviert sind wie seine physischen Details. Dieses Wissen erschwert die einfachen Assoziationen von „Liebe“, die durch das Paar hervorgerufen werden können. Meena Kandasamy weigert sich, die Schnitzerei zu idealisieren oder zu exotisieren und verbindet sie mit persönlichen und politischen Geschichten: Wer darf wen lieben? Sie stellt das Intime dem Institutionellen gegenüber, um Begriffe wie Entkolonialisierung, Rückgabe und Bewahrung zu hinterfragen. Durch einen erstaunlichen Stilmix – Twitter, akademischer Diskurs, Poesie, Memoiren – führt sie einen Dialog mit dem Objekt: vorwärts, seitwärts, rückwärts.

In der Reihe Objekte widersprechen, herausgegeben von der Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Meena Kandasamy ist Dichterin, Romanautorin und Übersetzerin. Ihr Werk konzentriert sich auf den militanten Widerstand gegen die Unterdrückung durch Kaste, Geschlecht und Ethnie. Sie erforscht dies in ihren Gedichtbänden wie Touch (2006) und Ms. Militancy (2010) sowie in ihren drei Romanen The Gypsy Goddess (2014), When I Hit You (2017) und Exquisite Cadavers (2019). Ihre Romane standen auf der Shortlist u.a. für den Women’s Prize for Fiction und den International Dylan Thomas Prize. The Book of Desire, ihre Übersetzung der Liebeslyrik des 2000 Jahre alten tamilischen Klassikers Tirukkural, ist 2023 erschienen.

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Leonora Miano: Ladies of the Throne

Leonora Miano: Ladies of the Throne

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Objects talk back

“Most of the time, it is the power of men that we remember.” With these words, which open Léonora Miano’s text for Objects Talk Back, an astonishing new narrative unfurls around Mandu Yenu, a throne from the ancient Kingdom of Bamum (present day Cameroon). 

The Germans long claimed the object was a gift from King Njoya to Kaiser Wilhelm II. Miano reads “between the lines of beads and cowrie shells” to show the complex intricacies of colonial and gender relations. Dismissing all pretense of egalitarianism between colonizer and colonized, she hones in on the very nature of power—how and by whom it is defined-wielded-subverted. 

King Njoya said he “felt like a woman in his relationship with the Germans.” Miano takes this as a prompt to examine contrasting cultural notions of femininity and thus reveals how central women are to the story of the throne. As the very name of the object suggests, it is the power of women we should remember.

Series Objects talk back published by Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Born in Cameroon, Léonora Miano lives and writes between continents: in her country of origin, France, and in Togo. Her novels, plays and essays have won numerous awards. Most recently, her celebrated work Season of the Shadow was published in English by Seagul Press.

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Leonora Miano: Damen auf dem Thron

Leonora Miano: Damen auf dem Thron

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»Meist ist es die Macht von Männern, an die erinnert wird.« Mit diesen Worten eröffnet Léonora Miano ihre Erzählung um Mandu Yenu, einen Thron aus dem alten Königreich Bamum (heute Kamerun). Lange war das Objekt als »Geschenk« von König Njoya an Kaiser Wilhelm II. bezeichnet worden. Miano zeigt »zwischen den Zeilen von Perlen und Kaurimuscheln« die komplexen Verwicklungen von Kolonial- und Geschlechterbeziehungen auf. König Njoya sagte, er fühle sich »in den Beziehungen zu den Deutschen wie eine Frau«. Davon ausgehend untersucht Miano die unterschiedlichen kulturellen Vorstellungen von Weiblichkeit und die zentrale Rolle der Frauen für die Geschichte des Throns. Schon der Name des Objekts bezeugt:
Es ist die Macht der Frauen, an die wir uns ­erinnern sollten.

In der Reihe Objekte widersprechen, herausgegeben von der Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Geboren in Kamerun, lebt und schreibt Léonora Miano zwischen den Kontinenten: in ihrem Herkunftsland Frankreich und in Togo. Ihre Romane, Theaterstücke und Essays wurden mit zahlreichen Preisen ausgezeichnet. Zuletzt erschien auf Deutsch im Aufbau Verlag ihr gefeiertes Werk Sisterhood – ein leidenschaftliches Plädoyer für eine neue weltweite Solidarität unter Frauen und eine faszinierende Reise zu den Ursprüngen eines anderen Feminismus.

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Priya Basil: Locked In and Out

Priya Basil: Locked In and Out

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Objects talk back

Having recently accepted German citizenship, writer and activist Priya Basil explores the Humboldt Forum from a deeply personal perspective. She delves into the question of what such a building, such a project, means for an understanding of the past and our sense of belonging in the present. This much disputed, contested, celebrated monument now exists—but what exactly does it monumentalize? “In German the word Schloss means a palace, and also a ‘lock.’ The central question: Can a lock also be a key?”

Series Objects talk back published by Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Priya Basil is a writer and curator. Her published work includes novels, non-fiction, essays, plays and short stories. In her book, Be My Guest, she combines her Indian-Kenyan-British-German heritage with philosophy, food and politics to make a passionate plea for hospitality in its broadest sense. She is co-founder and board member of WIR MACHEN DAS, an NGO that works with refugees and migrants for a more inclusive society. She is also on the advisory board of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.

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Priya Basil: Eingeschlossen / Ausgeschlossen

Priya Basil: Eingeschlossen / Ausgeschlossen

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Das zum Auftakt der Reihe Objekte widersprechen von Priya Basil betrachtete Objekt ist das wiederaufgebaute Berliner Schloss. Die Schriftstellerin und Aktivistin ­erkundet das Gebäude aus einer sehr persönlichen Perspektive – sie hat erst kürzlich die deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft angenommen. In ihrem Essay geht sie der Frage nach, was ein solcher Bau, ein solches Projekt für das Verständnis der Vergangenheit und die Zugehörigkeit in der Gegenwart bedeutet. Das ­vielfach umstrittene, umkämpfte, gefeierte Monument ist nun Realität – aber was genau monumentalisiert es? Das deutsche Wort »Schloss« bezeichnet einen Palast, aber auch einen Verschluss oder Riegel. Die entscheidende Frage lautet: Kann ein Schloss auch ein Schlüssel sein?

In der Reihe Objekte widersprechen herausgegeben von der Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss.

Priya Basil ist Schriftstellerin und Kuratorin. Ihre Veröffentlichungen umfassen Romane, Sachbücher, Essays, Theaterstücke und Kurzgeschichten. In ihrem Buch Gastfreundschaft verwebt sie ihre indisch-kenianisch-britisch-deutsche Biografie mit Philosophie, Essen und Politik zu einem leidenschaftlichen Plädoyer für die Gastfreundschaft im weitesten Sinn. Sie ist Mitbegründerin und Vorstandsmitglied von WIR MACHEN DAS, einer NGO, die gemeinsam mit Menschen mit Migrations- und Fluchtgeschichte für eine solidarischere Gesellschaft arbeitet. Außerdem ist sie Mitglied des Beirats des European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.

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Book Naga Land Voices MANGA
Book Naga Land Voices MANGA
Book Naga Land Voices MANGA

Book Naga Land Voices MANGA

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Naga country. Voices from Northeast India Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace German and English edition, 96 pages, paperback, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, EUR 22 The Naga form a minority in Northeast India and in north-west Myanmar - and at the same time consist of over thirty different ethnic groups, that is three to four million people with numerous languages.

How do they manage to preserve their traditional traditions and integrate them into today's changed lifestyles - with modern tattoos, fashion and social media? Authors from Nagaland describe different facets of their current and past culture and shed a new light on the Naga collection of the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, which has been supplemented with contemporary objects.

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Book Naga Land Voices EN
Book Naga Land Voices EN
Book Naga Land Voices EN

Book Naga Land Voices EN

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Naga country. Voices from North-East India Published by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss English edition, 96 pages, softcover, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22.- Euro The Naga represent a minority in north- eastern India and north-western Myanmar – yet comprise more than thirty ethnic groups with an overall population of three to four million speaking numerous languages. How have the Naga managed to preserve their traditions and customs and integrate them in today's lifestyle changes - with modern tattoos, fashion and social media?

Describing facets of their culture as it is lived today and relating them to the past, writers from Nagaland make the collection of Naga artefacts at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, now supplemented by contemporary exhibits, appear in a new light.

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Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN

Book Against the Current Omaha EN

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Against the Current. The Omaha, Francis La Flesche, and his Collection Published by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss English edition, 128 pages, softcover, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22.- Euro The collections of the Ethnological Museum in Berlin house around sixty objects from the Omaha of North America that were assembled by the indigenous ethnologist Francis La Flesche around 1895 on behalf of the Royal Museum of Ethnology. It was a time of upheaval, when the lives of the Omaha were marked by loss of land, racism, and violence.

The effects can still be felt today. This book offers insight into the life and work of La Flesche and the process of organizing the exhibition Against the Current. The catalog of objects written by Francis La Flesche is being published here for the first time.

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Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN
Book Against the Current Omaha EN

Book Against the Current Omaha EN

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Ancestors, goddesses and heroes. Sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace German and English edition, 96 pages, paperback, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22 euros Protect, heal or punish – people from different times and backgrounds ascribed these powers to the images that are being presented here together for the first time:45 objects, created between the 4th and 19th centuries, convey living evidence of the ever-present human need for protection and orientation in overcoming individual or societal crises.

They stand for the existence of an invisible world of goddesses and gods, spirits or ancestors who helped to create a tangible connection between this world and an"other reality"and gave inspiration for one's own life.

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Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes
Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes
Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes

Book Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes

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Ancestors, goddesses and heroes. Sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe Published by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace German and English edition, 96 pages, paperback, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22 euros Protect, heal or punish – people from different times and backgrounds ascribed these powers to the images that are being presented here together for the first time:45 objects, created between the 4th and 19th centuries, convey living evidence of the ever-present human need for protection and orientation in overcoming individual or societal crises.

They stand for the existence of an invisible world of goddesses and gods, spirits or ancestors who helped to create a tangible connection between this world and an"other reality"and gave inspiration for one's own life.

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Book Andestor&
Book Andestor&
Book Andestor&

Book Andestor's Godesses and Heroes EN

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Ancestors, Goddesses and Heroes. Sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe Published by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss English edition, 96 pages, softcover, 26.5 x 21.5 cm, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2023, 22.- Euro To protect, heal or punish – These are the powers that peoples of radically different ages and places of origin ascribed to the images that are here presented alongside each other for the very first time.

The forty-five objects created between the fourth and nineteenth centuries are a vital attestation of the ever-present need for protection and orientation in times of crisis, whether at the personal or the social level. They stand for the existence of an invisible world of gods, spirits and ancestors that helped forge a palpable link between the here and now and a different reality as well as providing inspiration for the life of each and every individual.

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Book - Contemporary Art in the Humboldt Forum
Book - Contemporary Art in the Humboldt Forum

Book - Contemporary Art in the Humboldt Forum

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A Japanese tea house, an audio installation with sounds of Nigeria, a two-part flagpole made of bronze:Numerous, often large-scale works of contemporary art can be discovered throughout the spacious displays at Berlin's Humboldt Forum. Works by artists from different cultures around the world enrich the collections shown in the exhibitions of the Ethnological Museum, Museum of Asian Art, and the Federal State of Berlin. In addition, seven works of Kunst am Bau (art in architecture) have been realized at the Humboldt Forum. They concern themselves with the location's history and the Humboldt Forum as a site representing the world, encouraging encounters and exchange, or paying tribute to the Forum's namesakes, the brothers Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt. This book presents selected works of art in informative, richly associative texts and impressive photographs. Together they offer entirely new insights into the diverse voices that make up the Humboldt Forum cultural venue.

Product data:

hardcover

German and english editions available.

192 pages, 28 x 24 cm

German art publisher

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Book - Contemporary Art in the Humboldt Forum
Book - Contemporary Art in the Humboldt Forum

Book - Contemporary Art in the Humboldt Forum

Regular price €34,00
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A Japanese tea house, a sound installation with Nigerian sounds, a two-part bronze flagpole:numerous works of contemporary art, some of which are expansive, can be discovered on the vast areas of Berlin's Humboldt Forum. In the exhibitions of the Ethnological Museum, the Museum of Asian Art and the State of Berlin, works by artists from different communities enrich the collections. In addition, seven works of art were realized in the Humboldt Forum, which deal with the history of the place, with the Humboldt Forum as a"place in the world", encounter and exchange or the namesake, the brothers Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt, appreciate. This book presents selected works of art in informative and associative texts as well as impressive photographs and thus offers completely new insights into the many-voiced cultural location Humboldt Forum.

Product data:

hardcover

German and English edition

192 pages, 28 x 24 cm

German art publisher

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Book - handicraft sheet Berlin Palace
Book - handicraft sheet Berlin Palace

Book - handicraft sheet Berlin Palace

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