Marayeh (مرايه), the Levantine Arabic word for mirror, contains the Hebrew word with the same meaning: Mar'a (מַראָה). Together they form an infinity mirror; the words are inseparable, yet their connection is invisible to the untrained eye. Mar'a'yeh sees art as a mirror that reflects the multifaceted essence of society without simplification, dissection and categorisation. Our Mar'a'yeh, Mar'a on the wall does not tickle our vanity. Rather, it reflects our flaws and beauty, while revealing the complexities and predicaments of human experience. Mar'a'yeh aims to challenge perceptions of Jewishness and Muslimness in German society, to stimulate dialogue and ultimately to promote empathy.

The programme is a collaboration between LABA Berlin, the Deutsche Islam Akademie and Künstlerhaus Bethanien – an international cultural centre in Berlin-Kreuzberg dedicated to empowering minority artists and encouraging critical reflection on issues related to contemporary art and culture. Together we invite Berlin-based, Jewish- and/or Muslim-identifying artists to participate in a year of exchange, conversation and co-creation. The fellows will benefit from a supportive ecosystem that provides creative guidance and a space to share processes, emotions and vulnerabilities. They will share an immersive experience of Jewish and Islamic texts and experiences as a source of inspiration for art, dialogue and critique. Intellectual input, critique and skill development will be provided through peer-learning supported by a team of scholars, academics, social practitioners and artists. 

In keeping with LABA's tradition, an annual theme provides a focus for study, discussion and creation. This year's theme is ENTROPY. Entropy measures the freedom of atoms in a substance to spread, move and arrange themselves in random ways. Translated from the realm of thermodynamics to the social sphere, entropy represents an ever-increasing tendency towards disorder and complexity. It is a reminder that order is fleeting, while chaos is the natural state of life. As social beings, we face the Sisyphean task of restoring a semblance of order to give meaning to our lives in the name of civilisation, or embracing chaos in a yearning for salvation from constant change. This year's Mar'a'yeh Fellows will explore entropy – as displacement and resilience – in Jewish and Islamic canons and lived experiences of migration, political upheaval and cultural transformation.

The fellowship programme provides an opportunity for ongoing and stimulating intellectual exchange and resources for realizing a creative project. Fellows will receive an honorarium of €1500 for their commitment and €1150 for material expenses to realize their final projects. The artists will share a 75m² studio space for six months to develop collaborative projects and facilitate organic creative relationships and intellectual growth. Fellows will present their work at open studio events at Künstlerhaus Bethanien and in a final public exhibition and performance series in the winter. We expect the work to reflect the shared journey.

Mar'a'yeh is open to professional artists who identify as Jewish and/or Muslim. This identification can be religious, ethnic or cultural. We are all complex beings who negotiate multiple identities, and we want to be clear that we are open to the broadest understandings of these identifications. We aim to enable a robust intellectual and cultural dialogue through a secular, creative approach that combines textuality with other forms of expression. Artists from all disciplines are invited to apply.