This gathering is uniquely tied to its setting. Macel's book, Une Histoire de l'Art des Années 1990 (published by Manuella Éditions), dedicates a chapter to Berlin. Meeting in Friedrichshain, near the former path of the Berlin Wall, brings us directly to the historical rupture that marks the beginning of her study.

The book moves year by year through the decade, from the fall of the Wall on 9 November 1989 to 11 September 2001. It traces how globalisation, new technology, and an expanding art world reshaped the landscape—from the rise of relational aesthetics to the changing role of the artist in an age of marketing. As the cover notes, on s'est bien amusés, capturing the spirit of a decade often remembered only for its politics.

The historical parallels are clear. The early 1990s art market crisis sparked new movements, redefined exhibitions, and shifted authority from critics to curators. Today, amidst another downturn, we face similar questions about our roles within a fragile ecosystem. This conversation speaks directly to Nadia's practice: an ongoing attempt to read the present through a past that is too often overlooked.


11 September 2026 - Nadia Kaabi-Linke Studio, Berlin-Friedrichshain

How does living between different places shape a person and an artist? What does "home" mean when places, memories, and belongings are constantly in flux? In conversation with Emily Finkelstein, the artist Manaf Halbouni discusses his artistic practice at the intersection of personal experience, social reality, and political reflection. Based on his current series of works, "Broken Dreams," the conversation explores questions of home and loss, living space and ownership, migration and memory, and the role of art amid growing social and political tensions. A personal conversation about art, identity, and the stories that places leave behind within us.


Wie prägt es einen Menschen und Künstler, zwischen verschiedenen Orten zu leben? Was bedeutet „Zuhause“, wenn Orte, Erinnerungen und Zugehörigkeiten ständig in Bewegung sind? Im Gespräch mit Emily Finkelstein spricht der Künstler Manaf Halbouni über seine künstlerische Praxis zwischen persönlicher Erfahrung, gesellschaftlicher Realität und politischer Reflexion. Ausgehend von seiner aktuellen Werkserie „Broken Dreams“ geht es um Fragen von Heimat und Verlust, Wohnraum und Eigentum, Migration und Erinnerung, aber auch um die Rolle der Kunst in einer Zeit wachsender sozialer und politischer Spannungen. Ein persönliches Gespräch über Kunst, Identität und die Geschichten, die Orte in uns hinterlassen.


26 June 2026 - Nadia Kaabi-Linke Studio, Berlin-Friedrichshain