LABA Berlin is for professional artists who, in any religious or cultural capacity, identify as Jewish or Muslim. We understand that each of us are complex beings, negotiating with multiple identities. We welcome artists across the spectrum of their religious and cultural identifications open to learning and sharing, who are interested in cultivating a safer space for empathic listening and dialogue.

We highly value collaborative projects. We hope the projects are inspired by discussions and insights during the scriptural reasoning sessions, reflection workshops, and what’s developed by the fellows in the shared studio space at Künstlerhaus Bethanien.

The residency at Künstlerhaus Bethanian invites a focus on visual art. However, we are open to applications from creatives from all disciplines, as well as art educators. We believe that interdisciplinary approaches make for great collaborations. Collaborative projects may transcend purely visual artworks.

We are hoping that immersion in an artist community could bring forth innovative art education projects focusing on anti-discrimination, dialogue, tolerance or other forms of political education. Artists applying on the art education track do not necessarily need experience in projects. A good initial concept is enough. The LABA team and education experts from the Deutsche Islam Akademie will assist in developing the project in implementing it in a pilot at Berlin schools in Winter 24/25.

LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture was first launched in 2007 at the ‘14th Street Y’ in New York’s East Village. The program uses traditional Jewish texts to inspire the creation of art, dialogue and study. Participating artists use the forum to create work which is featured in a final exhibition and performance series. Every year LABA focuses its study around a theme. Previous themes include Paradise, Blueprint, Eat, Mother, Time, Beauty, Other, Chosen, and Taboo. The theme for 2024 is NIGHT. Beyond Berlin, LABA has active hubs in New York, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, and the Bay Area.

LABA Berlin’s 2024 “Mar'a'yeh: A Night’s Journey” is an innovative, interfaith and intercultural project, leaning into the laboratory concept that is inherent in LABA.

Künstlerhaus Bethanien is an internationally renowned forum for contemporary art in Berlin. Established in 1974 as an artist-in-residence programme with workspaces for professional artists and exhibition spaces, it is dedicated to the advancement of contemporary visual arts and artists. As part of its residency scheme, it aims to establish a lively dialogue between artists from various backgrounds and disciplines, and the public at large.

To achieve these goals, the Künstlerhaus Bethanien organizes a wide range of events ranging from monthly exhibition openings to private and public studio visits (“Open Studios”). The focus of its manifold missions is the International Studio Programme, where artists from around the world conceive and present new projects with the help of its team

Besides the space for valuable space for intellectual conversation, fellows will receive an honorarium of €1350 in three installments over the course of the program. In addition to these payments, fellows will benefit from LABA Berlin's and Künstlerhaus Bethanien’s professional support and creative feedback infrastructure, PR and production assistance and a materials budget of 1150€.

The group will have up to 12 fellows, with an equal split of Muslim- and Jewish-identifying fellows. About half the group will come from the visual arts.

The studio and study rooms at Künstlerhause Bethanien are accessible by elevator. We have reserved a budget to accommodate customized inclusion measures. Please let us know in the application how we can best accommodate your needs.

The open studios will take place between 5-8pm every several weeks. At each open studio, two fellows will be invited to share the space, their process, and the work underway with their friends, their professional contacts, the Bethanien community and the general public. We will also invite renowned curators and artists from the presenters fields to assist in the creative process.

The scriptural reasoning sessions are the text-based learning sessions where we will be looking at contemporary and canonical texts from a critical, secular perspective. As the core and distinguishing piece of this program’s education structure, these sessions aim to create a platform for inspiration, dialogue, connection, collaboration and creativity. Approximately four pairs of Jewish and Muslim scholars will lead the sessions. The selected texts focus on our theme: NIGHT. These sessions will take place mostly on Mondays from 3:30 to 6pm in rotation with reflection workshops and open studios.,.

Contrary to the scriptural reasoning sessions, the reflection workshops are not about theology, history, or heritage, but a space for cultivating conversation in a safe space and reflect on contemporary issues of Muslim and Jewish life in Germany

A free space for group dynamics and co-creation to manifest, we will look at how our insights can be manifested into our lived experiences in contemporary multifaceted discourses.

We will hold weekly meetings primarily on Monday afternoons, from May 27th through November 25th. Sessions will alternate between text study (scriptural reasoning), reflection workshops and open studio presentations. Text study and reflection workshops will take place between 3:30 and 6pm. Open studios will take place from 5 to 8pm. Click here for the detailed program schedule.

Collaboration and conversation thrives in contact. Since this program is all about dialog, physical attendance on location for 80% of our meetings is a requirement. We would also appreciate setting times to work together or even just hang out in the studio. Your experience will be what you make of it