PANDAwomen #3: Belarus

Das sagt der/die Veranstalter:in:

This event is part of the PANDAwomen 2025 Festival.

Curated by interdisciplinary artist Sveta Ben, this evening brings together exiled Belarusian artists whose work reclaims language, memory, and imagination in times of displacement and repression. With poetry, music, performance and film, the night offers intimate encounters with the complexity of Belarusian identity today.

Programme:

Film screening

“Jugend auf Belarussisch” + Q&A, Directed by Ksenija Halubowitsch

A documentary on the everyday lives, fears, and courage of Belarusian youth — both in Belarus and abroad. A conversation with the director will follow the screening.

Art presentation

“Vecha”

A collective art project reflecting on Belarus through intergenerational family stories. Memory as resistance, storytelling as cultural continuity

Performative reading

KROVAZVAROT
with Julija Cimafiejeva (poetry) & Volha Padhaiskaya (music)

A poetic and musical performance tracing ancestral memory, exile, and the language of survival. Both artists live in exile and are central voices in Belarusian literary and contemporary music scenes.

Concert

KOOB S

A duo consisting of Belarusian vocalist and composer KOOB and Swedish bassist Seth Sjöström. Their music moves between Nordic folk, jazz, and improvisation — quiet, lyrical, deeply felt.

Performance / Music

Anastasia Rydlevskaya

A multidisciplinary performance closing the evening with sound, gesture, and voice. Known for her emotionally immersive works, Anastasia blends electronic soundscapes, Belarusian motifs, and live ritual energy.

Curated by Sveta Ben

Sveta Ben is a Belarusian-born, Berlin-based artist, musician, poet, and director. Her interdisciplinary work spans installation, voice, performance, and community engagement. She is the initiator of this evening — bringing together Belarusian creators who work at the edges of form and belonging.

Artists:

Julija Cimafiejeva

Poet, writer, translator. Author of five poetry books and the widely translated Minsk Diary. Her poetry reflects exile, memory, and female experience. Her play Extremists premiered at the Maxim Gorki Theater. Currently a DAAD Berlin fellow.

Volha Padhaiskaya

Composer and organist. A key figure in contemporary music from Belarus, member of Five-Storey Ensemble, and a prolific composer for theater and silent film. Her works have been performed internationally.

KOOB S

A duo project between singer/composer KOOB and bassist Seth Sjöström. Their stripped-down, expressive performances float between folk, jazz, and improvisation. A space of musical clarity and emotional honesty.

Anastasia Rydlevskaya

Interdisciplinary artist working with music, visual language, and performance. Her work explores ritual, trauma, and femininity through sonic and physical presence. Based in Poland.

Admission: 20 euro online  |  25 euro doors