- Fridericianum
What role do rituals play in a secularized society today? How do they foster a sense of belonging and shape cultural identity – and what forms of social control and violence are embedded within them? In her films, German-Iranian artist Yalda Afsah explores, among other things, questions of care, domestication, tradition, and masculinity. Her work combines documentary observation with artistic composition. In her most recent series, she examines rituals as social and embodied choreographies: PAN explores a meditative Paneurythmy procession in Bulgaria’s Rila Mountains, while HEAT focuses on an ecstatic ceremony of Taiwan’s Handan Festival, in which fireworks play a central role. Both works take ritual as a point of departure for a cinematic exploration of community, the individual, and social structures.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with Yalda Afsah, offering insights into her artistic practice as well as the specific conditions and possibilities of presenting film within an exhibition context.
Yalda Afsah (*1983, Berlin) lives and works in Berlin. Her work has been presented at, among others, Palazzo Ca’ Buccari, Venice (2026), Kunsthaus Hamburg (2026), Ludwig Forum, Aachen (2026), and Mönchehaus Museum, Goslar (2025), as well as at international film festivals in Locarno and New York. Since 2025, she has been Professor of Time-Based Media at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg.
Introduction: Jasmin Meinold, Curator Fridericianum
Screening: HEAT, 2026 (HD video, color, stereo sound, duration: 20 min); PAN, 2026 (2026 HD video, color, stereo sound, duration: 20 min)
Subsequently: Artist talk (in German)
