Domesticity is a three-part exhibition series developed and curated by Lars Holdgate (Galerie Parterre), Zhijian Lyu (Prater Galerie) and Cara Michel (Galerie Pankow). Three positions examine domesticity, rendering the artists’ interpretations of its meaning(s) perceptible.
Domesticity I — Marlene Kargl: 14 May to 28 June 2026
Domesticity II — Victoria Sarangova: 9 July to 16 August 2026
Domesticity III — Shirin Sabahi: 21 August to 4 October 2026
Pforte
Danziger Straße 101/103/105
10405 Berlin
Domesticity is both the instrument that structures our relationships and a symptom of them–relationships with surroundings, environments, people, animals, food, money and love. It shapes imaginations of nations, societal expectations and emotional bonds to places that may or may not still exist beyond our remembrances.
Following Walter Benjamin, the separation between public and private that the domestic presupposes emerged only 300 years ago. Its mode of division has become the matter of life: work and rest. It is a threshold of othering based on inclusion and exclusion, being seen or remaining unseen. This membrane, this imperial microcosm of imports and exports, is implicated in selecting the presence and absence of individuals, but following what motives?
What makes a good life? How to live well? Existences are animated by competing answers and conflicts of interest. The desire for safety was our communal point of departure. This pursuit, which built the decayed houses we once dwelled in, will one day use memories and forgetfulness to rebuild them and us.
Admission to the exhibition and events is free of charge.
Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 4:00–9:00 pm
Instagram: @_pforte
The Pforte is an exhibition space on the Kulturinsel on Danziger Straße. Once the entrance to the gasworks on the grounds of what is today Ernst-Thälmann-Park, the listed building was restored in 2025. Since then, The Pforte has served as a venue for artistic and curatorial projects that connect interior and exterior space. The programme is organised by the trainees of Pankow’s municipal galleries (Prater Galerie, Galerie Pankow and Galerie Parterre).
