thesaurós artists

Aug

2025

Screening & Finissage · Tasneef-Final · Morphine-Raum

Dear Festive Community,

Summer seemed to vanish before it even arrived – and now the rich array of autumn festivities is already upon us.

I am delighted to announce that Elshan Ghasimi’s long-awaited “final” Tasneef concert has at last secured one of Berlin’s most beautiful venues: the Tieranatomisches Theater (Charité Campus, Berlin-Mitte). Join us on 12 September 2025 at 6:00 pm – and feel free to come a bit earlier to admire the building’s extraordinary architecture and its small permanent exhibition.

Admission is free.

Morphine Raum · “Recording Session” with Elshan Ghasimi - 8 November

We’re excited to share an early highlight: at 8:00 pm on 8 November, Elshan Ghasimi will perform at Morphine Raum. Operated by Morphine Records, this unique venue is studio, stage, and sound laboratory in one – intimate, pared down to the essentials, and fitted with hand-crafted sculptural loudspeakers.

Founded at the very start of the pandemic, Morphine Raum has grown into a vital hub for international music – a retreat for collaboration, recording, and genre-defying experiments.

In this special setting, a live recording will be created together with the audience – a sonic distillation of nine years of artistic work.

Screening & Finissage · At the Threshold: Exile

On 3 September, we invite you to the Kommunale Galerie Berlin for a screening featuring works by Sergey Bratkov (Infinite War, Exile), Ula Golub (Arche Noah), Jalal Maghout (Have a Nice Dog!), Aline Kleytman (Place to See Before You Die), Oksana Kazmina (Yellow Dress), and Oksana Chepelyk (Chronicles of War).

The screening is part of the exhibition At the Threshold: Exile, curated by Eleonora Frolov. Six artistic voices from Ukraine and Syria do not merely document war and exile – they transform these realities into poetic, visual, and narrative forms. The result is a panorama of isolation, flight, fragmentation – and the deep longing to arrive.

The screening begins at 5:00 pm and will be followed by a Q&A with the artists.

On Sunday, 7 September, from 3:00 to 6:00 pm, the exhibition concludes with a finissage and a curator’s tour led by Eleonora Frolov.

We look forward to welcoming you at one or more of these events.

With warm regards,
Julian Malte H. Schindele

Jun

2025

Exhibition Opening Tomorrow | Elshan Ghasimi live (June 14 & 20, Berlin)

Dear friends,

June brings a dense sequence of remarkable encounters – musical, artistic, and intellectual. Two concerts by Elshan Ghasimi invite us into very different spaces: a hidden summer garden in the heart of Neukölln, and the cool vastness of KulturKirche Nikodemus. And already tomorrow evening: a reminder of the exhibition opening At the Threshold : Exile at Kommunale Galerie Charlottenburg.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there.

I. Two Berlin Concerts by Elshan Ghasimi

June 14, 2025, 8:00 PM
Gärtnerhaus
Richardstraße 34, 12043 Berlin-Neukölln
With percussionist Joss Turnbull
Followed by a garden gathering
→ Reservations via Carlo: +49 173 84 17 451 (donation-based)

June 20, 2025, 7:00 PM
KulturKirche Nikodemus
Nansenstraße 12, 12047 Berlin

The fourth and final evening of the series
TASNEEF – Old Songs, New Life

The Persian musical tradition is steeped in history and intimately intertwined with poetry, philosophy, and collective memory. Tasneef (lit. “song”) refers to a genre within classical Persian art music – neither popular (Taraneh) nor political (Soroud), but a contemplative dialogue between verse and sound.
Elshan Ghasimi brings this form into the present: blending traditional modes with elements of pop and folk music, she gives them a contemporary voice.

→ All upcoming concerts: elshanghasimi.com

II. Reminder: TOMORROW EVENING – Exhibition Opening

At the Threshold : Exile

Exhibition: June 12 – September 7, 2025
Opening: Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 6:00 PM
Kommunale Galerie Berlin
Hohenzollerndamm 176, 10713 Berlin

Curated by Eleonora Frolov
With works by Sergey Bratkov, Ben Greber, and Atalya Laufer
→ Exhibition Info

Warm regards,
Julian Malte Hatem Schindele

Mar

2025

Elshan Ghasimis “Tasneef. Ancient Songs, New Life” from March to June 2025

Dear Listeners,

We warmly invite you to experience Elshan Ghasimi’s first song cycle, Tasneef, presented in four concerts from March to June. The series begins with an evening concert at the Catholic Academy in Berlin on March 17.

Thanks to the generous support of the Berlin Senate, all concerts are free of charge. What a country, what a cultural space that makes this possible!

From the press release:

The Persian musical tradition is deeply rooted in history, poetry, philosophy, and cultural identity. One of its most fascinating forms is the Tasneef. In classical Persian art music, the term means song and stands in contrast to popular songs (Taranee) or political songs (Soroud). Tasneef represents an intimate fusion of music and poetry. Elshan Ghasimi reinterprets this tradition by incorporating elements from pop and folk music, reshaping it and elevating it into the sphere of classical music.

While preserving the foundation and structure, she simultaneously deconstructs and reconstructs the form, intervenes in the poetic language, politicizes some of these songs, and, for example, swaps gender roles. Colloquial expressions are transformed into formal language. In this way, Elshan Ghasimi fuses classical and contemporary elements of Persian music and poetry into an amalgam shaped by millennia, bringing these ancient songs to new life.

Deeply rooted in the Radif tradition—the orally transmitted repertoire of Persian music passed down through centuries—she not only keeps this musical heritage alive but also makes it accessible to a new, international audience.

Concert Dates

Elshan Ghasimi – Tasneef
📅 Monday, March 17, 2025
🕗 8:00 PM
📍 St. Thomas von Aquin (Catholic Academy), Hannoversche Str. 5, 10115 Berlin

Elshan Ghasimi – Tasneef
📅 Sunday, May 4, 2025
🕔 5:00 PM
📍 Hochmeisterkirche, Westfälische Str. 70a, 10709 Berlin

Elshan Ghasimi – Tasneef
📅 Sunday, May 25, 2025
🕒 3:00 PM
📍 Waldkapelle, Waldstraße, 12589 Berlin

Elshan Ghasimi – Tasneef
📅 Friday, June 20, 2025
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 KulturKirche Nikodemus, Nansenstraße 12, 12047 Berlin

🎟 Free admission

ℹ️ More Info:
WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM

Supported by:

Feb

2025

Elshan Ghasimi & Wu Wei | The Reinterpretation of the Radif

Dear Readers,

First and foremost, on behalf of the Bublitz platform, I wish you a New Year blessed by your chosen god, goddess, or entity! A year that has already unfolded with wild intensity, its further turbulence pressing upon us with an uneasy weight. Why are we Europeans so unsettled? Without question, we lack a sense of identification and connection with the deeper cultural structures that have shaped us. And, in turn, we lack a firm footing in time and space. In the past, one might have spoken of metaphysical homelessness. We have severed our roots, and technology only accelerates the process, while our brains—still wired for the open steppe and the sabre-toothed tiger, as neurophysiologists remind us—struggle to adapt.

A pressing question remains: what can we, as Europeans—whether left, right, or centrist democrats—agree upon? We must find our Marianne, our shared foundation. What can we take pride in? What defines our cultural self-understanding? Pride—a term our parents’ generation deconstructed with historical good reason, yet one we find ourselves needing once again. To lift our heads, to meet danger at eye level (B. Brecht). We must never cede our history to the extremes, and so we must learn not to despise it. Call it patriotism, or call it a connection with what is good and given—a quiet trust in its enduring presence.

Europe is a radiant beacon of global cultural renewal! Nowhere else do so many high-cultural creative energies and encounters unfold with such intensity.

It is a profound achievement that our continent has become a home for artists and cultural practitioners from across the world. Europe stands as a platform for freedom, diversity, and the rebirth of cultures in exile—this is soft power in its purest form.

Artists from countries such as Iran, Ukraine, or Russia find in Europe the space to realise their visions and to breathe new life into their cultural traditions from afar.

On Wednesday, 12 February 2025, from 18:00 to 20:00, the Humboldt Forum will host a musical dialogue. The renowned Chinese instrumentalist Wu Wei (Sheng) and the Persian virtuoso Elshan Ghasimi (Tar) will perform together for the first time. Both are members of the Sabdagatitara network, shaping a musical exchange that interweaves diverse cultural traditions into a singular, evocative tapestry.

Furthermore, on Sunday, 23 February 2025, at 16:00, Elshan Ghasimi invites you to the Emmaus Church Community in Zehlendorf for her long-term project, The Reinterpretation of the Radif—a concert cycle that draws the deep cultural and musical traditions of Persia into the present moment.

One final aspect I wish to bring into this brief outline: let us once again seek identification with the deep cultural roots of pan-European heritage. What does this mean in concrete terms? That we are all, in a sense, Greeks—for what could be more enriching than seeing ourselves reflected in Sappho, Newton, Marcus Aurelius, or Hildegard? Let us celebrate ourselves and our history. Let us celebrate together.

Join us in celebration.

With warm regards,
Julian Malte Hatem Schindele

SHORT INFO

SabdaLab12 – Time Thief of the Silk Road

Date: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Time: 18:00 – 20:00
Venue: Humboldt Forum, Berlin
Meeting Point: 18:00 – 18:15 in the larger courtyard (Schlüterhof), in front of the museum shop
Admission: Free
Artists: Elshan Ghasimi & Wu Wei
More info: SabdaLab12 – Time Thief of the Silk Road

The Reinterpretation of the Radif

Date: Sunday, 23 February 2025
Time: 16:00
Venue: Emmaus Church Community
Address: Onkel-Tom-Straße 80, 14169 Berlin
Contact: Tel.: 030 813 4008
Admission: Free
More info: Elshan Ghasimi – Concerts

Dec

2024

Highlights of the year 2024

Dear friends of the arts and muses,

As 2024 draws to a close, we reflect on a year spent deeply exploring the pressing questions of memory and identity in an increasingly fragmented world. This journey has brought forth fresh perspectives on historical legacies and personal narratives, demonstrating time and again the profound ways in which art engages with the issues of our era. As we look back, we wish to revisit some of the year's key moments, which centred not only on artistic endeavours but also on fostering intellectual exchange.

The exhibition ‘New Memories (El Arbi Bouqdib Archive)’
August to October at Pumpwerk Berlin: identity as a collective narrative

The exhibition ‘New Memories’ opened in August at a new venue, the former Altglienicke waterworks in southern Berlin. A significant milestone this year, it explored the intricate interplay of memory and identity through the archive of El Arbi Bouqdib. More than just a retrospective of an extraordinary thinker and outsider, the exhibition became a space where memory was presented as a fluid and dynamic concept. Bouqdib’s archive, a fascinating amalgamation of science, philosophy, and mystical reflections, served as the foundation for nine exceptional artists, each interpreting this multifaceted cosmos in their own distinctive way.

The works of the artists

The works featured in the exhibition were far more than aesthetic objects; they embodied a profound philosophical inquiry into the nature of memory, the impact of digitalisation, and the interplay between faith and science. Sergey Bratkov’s installation investigated the Koranic code and the significance of the number 19, while Elshan Ghasimi’s concept album ‘The Flower and Death’, along with Stark & Shakupa’s video installation of the same name, blended classical Persian music with contemporary biography and conceptual art. Ben Greber’s ‘Mr & Mrs Bouqdib’ offered a compelling exploration of the relationship between the unequal couple, while Michal Martychowiec, Patrick Panetta, and Max Schaffer delved deeply into the themes of memory and materiality through their thought-provoking works.

Events as places of intellectual exchange

Beyond the exhibition itself, a rich programme of events further enhanced the experience, strengthening the connections between diverse arts, cultures, and intellectual discourse. A standout highlight was the concert by Elshan Ghasimi and Philipp Püschel, which mesmerisingly blurred the lines between classical Persian music, jazz, and electronic sounds, showcasing art as a bridge between cultures and traditions. Additionally, talks and curator-led tours with the participating artists and academics provided deeper insights into the works, shedding light on their philosophical, historical, and artistic dimensions.

Fellowship for Sergey Bratkov

In 2024, the Berlin Senate awarded the renowned Ukrainian artist Sergey Bratkov the ‘Weltoffenes Berlin’ fellowship, along with a grant that allowed him to further develop his artistic voice and establish his position in his new home city of Berlin. Bratkov was joined in this endeavour by curator Eleonora Frolov. This marks the second time the Bublitz platform has sponsored this prestigious fellowship.

During this period, Bratkov has participated in numerous significant exhibitions and biennials. Highlights include My Brother’s Cats at the Kunstmuseum Magdeburg, Ukrainian Dreamers at the Kommunale Galerie Berlin, and Sense of Safety at the Yermilov Centre in Kharkiv, among others. Additionally, Sergey Bratkov and Eleonora Frolov have launched the ‘Bratkov + Frolov’ class, a series of inspiring workshops on conceptual photography held at the Schwartzsche Villa.

For those interested, guided tours of Bratkov’s new studio or his current works can be arranged via email upon request.

Greetings and outlook for 2025

We look ahead to the new year with confidence and warmly invite you to anticipate exciting upcoming projects, including Elshan Ghasimi’s latest Tasneef work cycle, premiering on 17th March at the Catholic Academy Berlin.

Finally, we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped shape 2024 with us: our artists, supporters, visitors, partner institutions, philanthropists, and all those whose dedication makes our work possible.

Kind regards and best wishes for a reflective end to the year,

Eleonora Frolov & JMH Schinde

Dec

2024

Jazz & Persian Classical Music + Martychowiec in the Polish Institut

Dear friends,

an eventful year is ending - a year that will probably only be surpassed by the ones coming in highs and lows. We can only hope that we Europeans will realise that our time on the "island of the blessed in a sea of storms" is finally a thing of the past. Now is the moment to become aware of our own strength, power and reason.

The synthesis of high cultures - bridges between differences
This guiding principle shapes Bublitz and everyone involved in it. A few weeks ago, as part of the exhibition New Memories, we were able to experience how ten artists dared to take a "poetic approach" to the El Arbi Bouqdib Archive. Now we invite you to discover another fascinating world: a combination of classical Persian music with jazz.

The duo Ghasimi & Wiesemann
The theatre composer and jazz pianist Hajo Wiesemann founded an extraordinary formation with the musician and tar virtuoso Elshan Ghasimi. Their music combines Persian instruments - such as tar, setar, dayere - with the European piano to create a new, expressive harmony in terms of sound aesthetics.

They go far beyond pure improvisation: different musical systems, notations and traditions merge in their new compositions, which combine jazz, Persian classical music and new music to build bridges between cultures.

Berlin premiere on November 29th
The duo Ghasimi & Wiesemann will celebrate its Berlin premiere on November 29th, 2024 at 8 p.m. in the Gärtnerhaus (Richardstr. 34, 12043 Berlin). Tickets are available at the box office (admission from 7:30 p.m.) or can be reserved in advance by calling 0173 84 17 451. Feel cordially invited to experience this special evening with us - and feel free to bring friends with you.

You can find more concerts by Elshan Ghasimi here.

Exhibition "Turning Points"
We would also like to draw your attention to the "Turning Points" exhibition by Michal Martychowiec and Karin Sander, curated by Marta Smolińska. This can be seen until January 3, 2025, in the gallery of the Polish Institute, directly on Berlin's Museum Island. Admission is free.

With best wishes for a peaceful and contemplative pre-Christmas period,
Julian Malte Hatem Schindele

Biography Hajo Wiesemann

Hajo Wiesemann studied jazz piano at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen and the Amsterdam Conservatory. He also studied choral and orchestral conducting for six semesters. He is a pianist, composer, arranger and musical director for theatre and orchestra and composes film music. He has worked for the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, the Deutsches Theater Berlin, the Schauspielhaus Bochum, the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dresden State Theatre, the Heidelberg Theatre and Orchestra, ARTE, WDR and SWR, among others.

He is the pianist of the ‘Geysir Quartet’ and the ‘Essen Jazz Orchestra’, which was nominated for the German Jazz Award in 2023. He composed the music for the award-winning film ‘Die Geschichte einer Familie’ by Karsten Dahlem, starring Anna Maria Mühe. The production ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ by William Shakespeare, for which he composed the music, was nominated for the theatre prize ‘Der Faust’ in 2017 (director: Joanna Praml, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus). The short film ‘Princess’ (director: Karsten Dahlem) was nominated for the Max Ophüls Prize and received numerous awards. With the ‘Essen Jazz Orchestra’ he was awarded the renowned jazz prize ‘Jazz Pott’ in 2019. In the 2023/24 season, he will compose the music for ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by Joanna Praml and Dorle Trachternach after William Shakespeare (dir: Joanna Praml) at the Staatstheater Nürnberg.

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Recent Posts

Screening & Finissage · Tasneef-Final · Morphine-Raum

©Madeleine Brunnmeier_Image ©Morgan Morgan_Design

Sergey Bratkov, Endless War, 2007, Video, 2,30min

Exhibition Opening Tomorrow | Elshan Ghasimi live (June 14 & 20, Berlin)

©Madeleine Brunnmeier_Bild ©Morgan_Gestaltung

Elshan Ghasimis “Tasneef. Ancient Songs, New Life” from March to June 2025

© Madeleine Brunnmeier_Photo | © Masoud Morgan_Design

Elshan Ghasimi & Wu Wei | The Reinterpretation of the Radif

The Temple of Time by Emma Willard, 1851—A historicist gem.

© Georg Stirnweiß. Pallas Athena is the patron of Elshan Ghasimi’s Radif renewal.

© Madeleine Brunnmeier. Click on the photo to access the recording of Dastgah-e Shur—one of the twelve modal groups that form the Radif.

Highlights of the year 2024

Opening words by the curators JMH Schindele and Eleonora Frolov on 17 August 2024

The installation ‘The Flower and Death’

Click on the photo to watch the trailer of DUO Ghasimi & Püschel, founded in 2024, and their new programme SHANAMEH (The Book of Kings).

One of Bratkov’s new works, Horoscope for the European Union, created for the exhibition ‘New Memories’, features a cactus caught between staying in its pot or leaving it—a striking metaphor for the indecision and complexities of our era.

A Christmas greeting from the darkness: Michal Martychowiec's ‘What Remains the Poets Provide’.

Jazz & Persian Classical Music + Martychowiec in the Polish Institut

Contact

Logios Hermes (Rome, Villa Ludovisi.)

Recent Posts

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©Madeleine Brunnmeier_Image ©Morgan Morgan_Design

Sergey Bratkov, Endless War, 2007, Video, 2,30min

©Madeleine Brunnmeier_Bild ©Morgan_Gestaltung

© Madeleine Brunnmeier_Photo | © Masoud Morgan_Design

The Temple of Time by Emma Willard, 1851—A historicist gem.

© Georg Stirnweiß. Pallas Athena is the patron of Elshan Ghasimi’s Radif renewal.

© Madeleine Brunnmeier. Click on the photo to access the recording of Dastgah-e Shur—one of the twelve modal groups that form the Radif.

Opening words by the curators JMH Schindele and Eleonora Frolov on 17 August 2024

The installation ‘The Flower and Death’

Click on the photo to watch the trailer of DUO Ghasimi & Püschel, founded in 2024, and their new programme SHANAMEH (The Book of Kings).

One of Bratkov’s new works, Horoscope for the European Union, created for the exhibition ‘New Memories’, features a cactus caught between staying in its pot or leaving it—a striking metaphor for the indecision and complexities of our era.

A Christmas greeting from the darkness: Michal Martychowiec's ‘What Remains the Poets Provide’.