Scherben. A performance by Christopher-Felix Hahn

When Christopher-Felix Hahn’s grandmother moves into a care home, she leaves him a vase – supposedly something she found in the woods, lost by refugees in 1945. However, further investigation reveals a different story: the vase came from the home of her Jewish neighbour Curt Courant, one of the most famous cinematographers of the Weimar Republic, who was forced to flee into exile by the Nazis. 

The performance traces the history of this object, connecting the artist’s own family with Courant’s biography. From Brandenburg to Berlin to Hollywood, the production follows the vase’s journey and raises questions about restitution, responsibility, and how to deal with a ‘tainted’ legacy.

The performance will take place as part of the exhibition VON HIER AUS: Stories of Exile from Fasanenstraße at the Exilmuseum. With this project, the Exilmuseum explores the history of its own building and neighbourhood.

Dates:
12.–14.11.2026, 19 Uhr
15.11.2026, 17 Uhr

Scherben

Concept, Artistic Direction, and Performance: Christopher-Felix Hahn; Dramaturgy: Alexander Kirchner; Video: Adrian Terzić; Sound: Daria Redkina; Ceramics: Liesa Fritzsche; Set Design: Thilo Ullrich; Technical Direction: Bart Huybrechts. The premiere took place on 4 September, 2025, at the Vierte Welt in Berlin. 

The production was funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Community, the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Borough Office, and the Ursula Lachnitt-Fixson Stiftung. The revival is funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Community as part of the Revival Funding Programme.

Christopher-Felix Hahn is a freelance director, arts educator and performer. He studied art history at the Freie Universität Berlin and applied theatre studies in Gießen. Since winning the jury prize at the 100° Festival Berlin in 2011, he has been collaborating with artists such as Tino Sehgal, Nico and the Navigators, and Showcase Beat Le Mot. In his own work, he explores forms of remembrance culture.