Over 40 artists explore the layered meanings of travel, displacement, and hospitality in this ambitious group exhibition.
Diane Severin Nguyen, IF REVOLUTION IS A SICKNESS, 2021. Video still. Courtesy of Diane Severin Nguyen
Public discourse and politics—particularly in Germany—are increasingly shaped by fear. These fears often arise from narrow, hegemonic, and localised worldviews. In response, ‘Musafiri: Of Travellers and Guests’ offers an urgent plea to recognise and affirm the multiplicity of worlds brought forth by those who have moved beyond their points of origin.
Musafir, meaning ‘traveller’ in Arabic, reverberates across a wide and varied linguistic landscape—from Turkish, Farsi, and Urdu to Swahili, Kazakh, and Malay—retaining a stunning phonetic consistency across vastly different cultural spaces. In some languages, such as Turkish and Romanian, musafir also means ‘guest’: a special and welcomed figure.
This exhibition traces the intertwined histories and futures of both voluntary travellers and forcibly displaced individuals and communities. It reflects on migration as an enduring and intensifying global phenomenon while envisioning societies where those arriving can be treated with dignity—as travellers and guests.
Featuring over 40 artistic positions, the exhibition is accompanied by an expansive cultural education programme including tours, workshops, and conversation formats throughout its duration.
Contributors include:
Ulf Aminde, Alibay Bapanov, Sonia E. Barrett, Aslı Çavuşoğlu, Musquiqui Chihying, Narcisa Chindoy, Julien Creuzet, Ena de Silva, Roy Dib, Bekhbaatar Enkhtur, Aboubakar Fofana, Simryn Gill, Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju, Hit Man Gurung and Sheelasha Rajbhandari, Yun-Fei Ji, Choy Ka Fai, Sachiko Koshikoku, Akinori Nakatani, Massao Okinaka, Yuji Tamaki (project by Yudi Rafael), Lawrence Lemaoana, Idas Losin, Ana Lupas, Gail Mabo, Maria Madeira, Mohammad Din Mohammad, Carlos ‘Marilyn’ Monroy, Diane Severin Nguyen, Haji Noor Din, Jimmy Ong, Anne Samat, Citra Sasmita, Joar Songcuya, Simon Soon, Nádia Taquary, Robel Temesgen, Ryan Villamael, Ocean Vuong, Razakaratrimo Zoarinivo (known as Madame Zo)
The exhibition opened on the 8th of March and will be on view until the 16th of June 2025. For more information, please visit Haus der Kulturen der Welt.
