Katharina Kuehn

I have always been very interested in the potential of international exchange and collaboration to stimulate dialogue and change in societies and institutions globally. My own perspective and access is shaped by an interdisciplinary background: I studied International Law (LL.B. and LL.M.) in Bremen, Barcelona and Rome (2003-2010) as well as Performing Public Space (MA) at Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts, Netherlands (2018-2019), and trained in Theatre of the Oppressed with Kuringa. After stints in an international law firm and the EU/ Chamber of commerce, I worked for the German International Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ) across Asia for the past 8 years, most recently focusing on social innovation and entrepreneurship and women empowerment.

I am very interested in social and artistic initiatives that connect people and contribute towards creating open societies and engaged citizens, and co-founded querstadtein in Berlin in 2013, a social enterprise which works with formerly homeless people and refugees telling their stories and creating a space for dialogue through curated city tours. Here, people have the chance to engage and talk with instead of about each other, which many participants say challenged their views and sparked a change in attitude, behaviour, or even further engagement.

At the moment I am based in Tbilisi and Berlin, and focusing my practice on the creation of public space through stimulating interaction and connection of people supported by the Master Performing Public Space. I am looking at the ancient Agora as a source of inspiration, a mystical place where economic, political, cultural and artistic life intersected, and am exploring how I can intervene in the often anonymous contemporary cities and market places, creating little islands of engagement and inspiring connection and possibly collective thinking and action.