2022 residency artists

Mika Sperling and Daniel Mebarek are ‘Passage’ 2022 Artist-in-Residence artists. Both have been living and working in the Dübener Heide since the beginning of June. During her stay, Mika continues working on her series ‘Your Will Against Mine’. This series consists of various performances in which Mika addresses her relationship with her daughter. Mika “I want it to reflect upon a desire to look for new paths of parenting without verbal and physical violence, while still haunted by the wounds of my own upbringing.” The performances take place at various locations in nature and are documented as moving images. The ‘Passage’ Residency Programme creates the framework to enable female artists with children to participate in the residency.

Daniel’s interest lies in the documentation of plants that are specifically used for the renaturation of post-mining landscapes. In recent weeks, he has visited several former open-coal mines in the region and met with experts from various fields of renaturation on site. For the visualisation of selected plants or plant fragments, Daniel uses one of the oldest photographic techniques, the cyanotype. In a parallel series of portraits, Daniel focuses on the use of Lake Bergwitz as a place for recreation. Lake Bergwitz is the oldest former open-coal mine in the region. Its use by humans and the course of renaturation serve as a sociological and botanical database that create a better understanding of future renaturation processes.

We are very pleased to welcome both artists to the Dübener Heide.

Published: 24th June 2022