Interactive Exhibition & Workshops
Migrant Bird Space, Berlin
January 16 - 18, 2025
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Chimera: What Stories Does Your Body Tell?
Migrant Bird Space, Berlin
January 16 - 18, 2025
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Welcome to Chimera
In Greek mythology, the Chimera is a fire-breathing creature that is composed of different beings. Its hybrid form symbolizes the blending of disparate elements, evoking the complexity of postcolonial identities. Postcolonial theorist Homi K. Bhabha argues that identity formation occurs not through simple binaries—colonizer/colonized, East/West—but within a dynamic “third space.” This space of in-betweenness is where cultures intersect, negotiate, and create new meanings. The process of negotiation is full of contradictions many of us experience phenomenologically, from the perspective of our bodies and lived experiences.
Identity is not just an intellectual construct; it is embodied and lived. It manifests in moments of connection, like finding belonging in shared cultural practices, and moments of dissonance, such as confronting language, behaviors, or perceptions that challenge our sense of self. These feelings, whether joy, discomfort, pride, or alienation, remind us that identity is fluid, shaped by memory, history, and our present realities. It reveals itself in the spaces we inhabit and the ways we navigate an ever-shifting world.
In Berlin, many of us embody the Chimera. We carry elements that affirm our identity while grappling with others that disrupt it. Yet, these tensions do not fracture us. Instead, they coexist, creating a multifaceted wholeness. Our contradictions are not irreconcilable—they are the essence of our identity.
Chimera invites you to explore your own hybrid identity and consider how you contribute to Berlin’s ever-shifting mosaic. Through interactive art and reflection, discover how we, as individuals and a city, are transformed by our contradictions and connections. Welcome to Chimera—a space to embrace the beauty and questions of being in-between.
In conversation with DIASPORA BIRDS
DIASPORA BIRDS ︎︎︎ is a photography series by renowned Chinese photographer Luo Yang. Currently exhibiting at Migrant Bird Space, DIASPORA BIRDS explores the Asian diaspora experience in Europe. Featuring individuals from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, and other nations, the series includes first and second-generation immigrants, LGBT individuals, orphans adopted into Europe, political refugees, and recent students who have chosen to stay. Luo Yang’s work not only documents the external lives of these individuals, but also delves into their internal spiritual journey. Through her lens, Luo Yang aims to capture the emotional complexities and resilient spirits of those navigating life in a foreign land, inviting viewers to connect with their unique experiences at the intersection of cultures.
written by Zhi Zhi Chia
Meet the Team
We are a group of friends from Malaysia, Ukraine, Germany, and Korea, who first met as students traveling and learning together across seven cities worldwide. Our shared experiences of navigating unfamiliar places, cultures, and ideas sparked conversations about identity, belonging, and transformation—questions that continue to inspire us today.
Though our paths began in different parts of the world, we quickly found common ground in our curiosity for exploring the in-between spaces of life: where cultures meet, where identities shift, and where contradictions create something new. In Berlin, a city that thrives on its multiplicity, we find a space that mirrors our collective ethos.
Through Chimera, we invite you into our shared exploration of what it means to belong, to challenge dissonance, and to embrace contradiction.
We are a group of friends from Malaysia, Ukraine, Germany, and Korea, who first met as students traveling and learning together across seven cities worldwide. Our shared experiences of navigating unfamiliar places, cultures, and ideas sparked conversations about identity, belonging, and transformation—questions that continue to inspire us today.
Though our paths began in different parts of the world, we quickly found common ground in our curiosity for exploring the in-between spaces of life: where cultures meet, where identities shift, and where contradictions create something new. In Berlin, a city that thrives on its multiplicity, we find a space that mirrors our collective ethos.
Through Chimera, we invite you into our shared exploration of what it means to belong, to challenge dissonance, and to embrace contradiction.
Special thanks to
Htet Yuya, for voicing Chimera.
Mika-Erik Möser, for transcribing the audio clips.
Pelle van Dam, for helping with Box Box Box.
Stephanie Froebel, for helping with exhibition setup.
Prof. Jon Wilkins, for suggesting the name Chimera.
Htet Yuya, for voicing Chimera.
Mika-Erik Möser, for transcribing the audio clips.
Pelle van Dam, for helping with Box Box Box.
Stephanie Froebel, for helping with exhibition setup.
Prof. Jon Wilkins, for suggesting the name Chimera.
Migrant Bird Space
Migrant Bird Space︎︎︎ is a Berlin- & Beijing-based art foundation and gallery, providing a showcase for artists as well as art-agency services in China and Europe. Working out of the gallery space at Koppenplatz in the heart of Berlin, the foundation offers a professional platform for cross-cultural communication between China and Europe with a focus on contemporary Chinese art.
Promoting both established and emerging artists, Migrant Birds provides gallery spaces for exhibitions in Berlin, Beijing, and Shanghai, an artist-in-residence program, regular talks and lectures, as well as support in liaising with museums, universities, private institutions and more.
Migrant Bird Space︎︎︎ is a Berlin- & Beijing-based art foundation and gallery, providing a showcase for artists as well as art-agency services in China and Europe. Working out of the gallery space at Koppenplatz in the heart of Berlin, the foundation offers a professional platform for cross-cultural communication between China and Europe with a focus on contemporary Chinese art.
Promoting both established and emerging artists, Migrant Birds provides gallery spaces for exhibitions in Berlin, Beijing, and Shanghai, an artist-in-residence program, regular talks and lectures, as well as support in liaising with museums, universities, private institutions and more.
Illustration by Dariia Panasenko
Web Design & Curation by Zhi Zhi Chia
Web Design & Curation by Zhi Zhi Chia