Event archive

An Evening with Sharon Dodua Otoo

Meet The Artists Q4

Open House and Reception for and with our current artists in residence Salwa Aleryani (Visual Artist), Sharon Dodua Otoo (Writer), Viktoria Binschtok (Visual Artist), Pan Dajing (Composer and Visual Artist) Redwan Ahmed (Feuchtwanger Fellow) and Nathalie David (FIlmmaker).

Populists and the Forgotten Value of Compromise

A Roundtable Discussion on Political Compromise in Liberal Democracies

The Virtue and Limits of Political Compromise in Liberal Democracies

A workshop on the value of political compromise in democracy from a transatlantic perspective with experts from political science and activism.

Lecture: Herbert Zipper and the "Lessons of Dachau"

Join us for ”Herbert Zipper and the Lessons of Dachau”, a presentation by Dr. Albrecht Duemling with performances by Alaysha Fox and Samuel Glicklich.

Film Screening + Discussion HARALD NAEGELI - The Zurich Sprayer

Join us for a screening of the film HARALD NAEGELI - The Zurich Sprayer, followed by a discussion between the filmmaker Nathalie David and west coast Graffiti Art pioneer Hector "HEX" Rios.

Artificial Intelligence, Epistemic Vulnerability, and Democracy

Workshop by 2024 Thomas Mann Fellow, communication scientist Ulrike Klinger

Media, Artificial Intelligence and the Vulnerabilities of Democracy

A Panel Discussion with Bruce Bimber, Claes de Vreese, Ulrike Klinger & Julien Labarre

Sharon Dodua Otoo - East Coast Tour

Sharon Dodua Otoo is giving several lectures at Harvard University, Dartmouth College, the Goethe-Institut Boston, and the New Literature Festival in New York during her time as an honorary fellow at Villa Aurora.

James Baldwin: Der Zeuge (The Witness)

Reading and Conversation with René Aguigah and Alice Hasters

"Citizenship As Political Membership: A Fundamental Strand of 20th and 21st Century European History"

A Lecture by Thomas Mann Fellow Dieter Gosewinkel

Hybrid Reading with actress Sunnyi Melles and Constantin Wittgenstein in honor of Arnold Schönberg's 150th Birthday

"Citizenship As Political Membership: A Fundamental Strand of 20th and 21st Century European History"

Lecture with Thomas Mann Fellow Dieter Gosewinkel

Solidarity and Compromise

A Talk in the series Double Exposure with Thomas Mann Fellows Pola Lehmann and Johannes Gerschewski.

Student Council on "Democracy and Vulnerability"

Special in-person student council interview with Marla Stone and Jonathan Homola.

Threats to Democracies – Media and the 2024 Elections in Transatlantic Perspective

Multi-day workshop with Thomas Mann Fellows Ulrike Klinger, Pola Lehmann, and Johannes Gerschewski.

What Moves an Electorate? Political Narratives in a Polarized World

Conversation with Andrea Römmele about the influence of media, public endorsements of famous personalities and election campaigns on the presidential election 2024.

Opera & Democracy: bauhaus music 2024

Concert and discussion series curated by Kai Hinrich Müller in the festival bauhaus music 2024.

Rethinking Democracy: Megatrends and Their Challenges in Germany and Beyond

Lecture by Thomas Mann Fellow and Political Scientist Andrea Römmele

Elections 2024: Freedoms and Flashpoints - Elections Around the Globe in 2024

Concert: Ensemble Apparat plays compositions by Stefan Beyer & Michelle Lou

Spatial Hour series with Ulrike Klinger: Generative AI, Social Media, and the Super Election Year of 2024

Talk at the Center for Spatial Studies and Data Science at UC Santa Barbara.

Darius Milhaud: All the Musics of the World

An event in collaboration with the transatlantic concert and conversation series Opera & Democracy.

Xiu Xiu in Conversation with Aida Baghernejad

A Listening Session at dublab studios with Thomas Mann Fellow Aida Baghernejad.

Student Council on "Democracy and Vulnerability" – with John E. Echohawk

Demokratie neu denken (Rethinking Democracy)

Andrea Römmele, Vice President of the Hertie School and Professor of Communication in Politics and Civil Society, will engage in a discussion with Mario Voigt, Chairman of the CDU Thüringen and Leader of its Parliamentary Group. The conversation will be moderated by Elisabeth Niejahr, Managing Director of the Hertie Foundation.

Lecture by Johannes Gerschewski at Tulane University: Murphy Seminar in Political Science

I'M YOUR MAN - Film Screening and Discussion

"Denationalize & Kill. On the Expulsion of 'Enemies of the State' from the Democratic Legal Community after 1945“

A Lecture and Research Tour with Thomas Mann Fellow Dieter Gosewinkel

"Denationalize & Kill. On the Expulsion of 'Enemies of the State' from the Democratic Legal Community after 1945“

A Lecture and Research Tour with Thomas Mann Fellow Dieter Gosewinkel

"Denationalize & Kill. On the Expulsion of 'Enemies of the State' from the Democratic Legal Community after 1945“

A Lecture and Research Tour with Thomas Mann Fellow Dieter Gosewinkel

Tour Dates Biliana Voutchkova

My Mother's Courage: Play by George Tabori with Thomas Bockelmann and Sigrun Schneider-Kaethner

*Due to high demand there will be TWO performances of the play. The first at 5 p.m. and the second at 8 p.m. The event is free with RSVP. Seats will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis.

The negotiation of truth is worked out with laconic wit, but above all serves to make the horror behind the story bearable. This production is wonderful - precise, tender, touching. Big applause.

– Anja Witzke, Theatre Critic, Germany

Metakosmia

A captivating media installation by Nina Fischer & Maroan el Sani that centers on Biosphere 2 in Arizona, a vast glasshouse that symbolizes survival in a changing climate

55 Voices for Democracy Live at Thomas Mann House

Exhibition Opening: "Thomas Mann: Democracy Will Win!"

with Opening Remarks by Veronika Fuechtner

Student Council on "Democracy and Vulnerability" – with Irfan Nooruddin

Exhibition "Democracy Will Win!" at Lafayette College

Traveling pop-up exhibition 'Thomas Mann: Democracy Will Win!,' at the Lafayette College Art Galleries in collaboration with the German department at Lafayette College.

Foreign Correspondent Unplugged: "Pop and Protest"

2024 Thomas Mann Fellow Aida Baghernejad, LA Times staff writer August Brown & Annett Scheffel in Conversation

Meet The Artists

Reception with our current artists-in-residence Emma Braslavsky (Writer), Biliana Voutchkova (Composer), Fern Liberty Kallenbach Campbell (Visual Artist) & Joram Schön (Visual Artist).

RSVP here!

Finissage Rooms with a view

Finissage of the exhibition Rooms with a view with an artist talk between Paul Hutchinson (Villa Aurora 2023) and Sabine Scho (Villa Aurora 2003) on th einterplay between poetry and photography.

Listening Session

Listening Session & conversation with journalists Aida Baghernejad and Pendarvis Harshaw

Train Your Courage Muscles! Two-Day Workshop with “Radical Daughters"

Special in-person Student Council on "Democracy and Vulnerability" with “Radical Daughters”

Gravity's Tune: Screening & Conversation with Annika Kahrs and Michael Rosen

As part of the exhibition Rooms with a view, Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House proudly presents Annika Kahrs' captivating video work Gravity's Tune, produced in Los Angeles.

B-LA-M

B-LA-M - Video Art Night

Archives in / of Transit: Historical Perspectives from the 1930s to the Present

Exile and Archives in Literature and Music

Identity and Literature

A Conversation with the authors Julia Franck and Arnon Grunberg, moderated by poet Lynne Thompson

Student Council on "Democracy and Vulnerability" – with Ajuan Mance

Nourishing Justice

Jamiah Hargins & Ciani-Sophia Hoeder on Confronting Ecological Racism through Urban Farming

Music of Exile: Memory and Transformation in the Work of German and Iranian Composers

Rooms with a view

Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V. present an exhibition of its art fellows at Haus Kunst Mitte - House for Contemporary Art in Berlin-Mitte: Janine Eggert, Nina Fischer & Maroan el Sani, Nieves de la Fuente, Paul Hutchinson, Annika Kahrs, Monika Orpik und Anke Völk.

The exhibition is curated by Curator: Dr. Anna Havemann, Artistic Director at Haus Kunst Mitte.

"Slime Molds and Seasteads"

A Conversation with Claire L. Evans and Theresia Enzensberger, moderated by Sherryl Vint

Am I a German or a Jewish writer?

With Nele Holdack, Marje Schuetze-Coburn, and Michaela Ullmann (editors of "Lion Feuchtwanger: 'Am I a German or a Jewish Writer?'")

Followed by a panel discussion with the authors Lana Lux & Yevgeniy Breyger.

Moderated by: Shelly Kupferberg

The Working Problems of the Writer in Exile: Bachtyar Ali in Dialogue with Texts by Lion Feuchtwanger

Book presentation with Nele Holdack, Marje Schuetze-Coburn, and Michaela Ullmann (editors of "Lion Feuchtwanger: 'Am I a German or a Jewish Writer?'")

Reading of text by Lion Feuchtwanger by Jonas Baeck.

Discussion with the author Bachtyar Ali

Moderated by: Shelly Kupferberg

Opera & Democracy: Opera and the Intersections of Democracy

Discussion on the intersection of Opera and Democracy as part of our transatlantic concert and conversation series Opera & Democracy.

Audiowalk: The Thomas Mann House in Pacific Palisades

Audiowalk in celebration of Thomas Mann's birthday.

Organ & Electronics Concert at the Villa

SCHEIBLETTENKIND: Book Presentation and Discussion

Student Council on "Democracy and Vulnerability" – with Catherine Opie

Exhibition tour with Senthuran Varatharajah

The writer, philosopher, and theologian Senthuran Varatharajah will guide visitors on a tour through the exhibition "Fractures."

Haunted Territory: The Weight of History

Meet The Artists

Welcoming Reception for our current artists in residence Lorenz Kienzle (Visual Artist), Mert Morali (Composer), Eva Müller (Writer and Illustrator), Laurie Schwatz (Composer) & Karosh Taha (Writer).

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Opera & Democracy: Musica Non Grata – Silent Voices in a Noisy World

The transatlantic concert and discussion series Opera & Democracy, curated by 2023 Thomas Mann Fellow Kai Hinrich Müller is taking part in the Dresden Music Festival. In cooperation with Musica non grata / Terezín Music Academy.

In remembrance of the Day of the Book Burning

Reading in remembrance of the Day of the Book Burning in 1933

Artist Talk: Karosh Taha in Conversation with Senthuran Varatharajah

Artist Talk: Janet Sternburg in Conversation with Lorenz Kienzle

Student Council on "Democracy and Vulnerability" – with Allison Lee

Screening & Discussion: Hans Werner Henze – Music, Friendship, Game

Screening of the documentary Hans Werner Henze – Music Friendship Game followed by a Q&A with director Nina di Majo.

Opera & Democracy: Listening to Exile

Paradoxes of Solidarity

Lecture with Rahel Jaeggi

Opera & Democracy: Demokratieförderung an der HfMT – Musikwissenschaft und Musikpädagogik im Fokus

Theme day with discussions and music in collaboration with the Opera & Democracy series of the Thomas Mann House, Los Angeles.

The Art of Living Together – Democracy & Solidarity

A Workshop Convened by Susanne Baer, Sabine_ Hark & Rahel Jaeggi with Karen Mack, David D. Kim, Jordan Wynne, and Stephen Gardbaum

Arendt & Blücher: A conversation between experts Barbara von Bechtolsheim & David D. Kim

Student Council on "Democracy and Vulnerability" – with Triston Ezidore

100 years of "The Magic Mountain:"

Conversation & Concert with Samantha Rose Hill, Paul Holdengräber & David Kaplan

Rethinking Democracy – How Megatrends Shape Our Future

Talk by Andrea Römmele

Meet The Artists – New date!

Welcoming Reception for our current artists in residence Constantin Lieb (Screenwriter), Arjuna Neuman (Filmmaker), Molly Nilsson (Musician), Julian Rosefeldt (Visual Artist) and Maryam Zaree (Filmmaker).

An evening with Cate Blanchett and Julian Rosefeldt

"Opera & Democracy: Den gewaltsam Verstummten zuhören …"

Music and conversations about composers murdered during the nazi era

Zemlinsky & Exile Composers

LA Opera’s Recovered Voices initiative and the Musica Non Grata program of Prague Operas.

Czech Painters of California: Presentation with Consul General Jaroslav Olša, Jr.

Student Council on "Democracy and Vulnerability" – with Friedemann Karig

East-German Artistic Networks of the 1980s

Lecture & Conversation with Stephanie Barron, Constanze Fritzsch, and Isotta Poggi

Marta – An Installation by Sonya Schönberger

The Power of Protest

Nalleli Cobo & Friedemann Karig in Conversation

Artist Talk with Berlin Fellow Kyungmi Shin

Shins Kunstwerke, die in den Disziplinen Malerei, Skulptur und Fotografie angesiedelt sind, bieten einen Einblick in globale Machtverhältnisse sowie ihre persönliche kulturelle Entwicklung.

"Trust in Museums"

Presentation & Workshop with Sunhild Kleingärtner & Guests

Coalition in Distress? The Rise of the Far Right in Germany and its Potential Consequences for the State Elections in 2024

Lecture & Conversation with 2024 Thomas Mann Fellow & Political Scientist Andrea Römmele & Professor of Political Science Bruce Bimber (UC Santa Barbara)

Student Council on "Democracy and Vulnerability" – with Sophie-Charlotte Opitz

Feuchtwanger Refreshed 2024

The times we live in ("Die Zeit, in der wir leben")

Julia Franck, Steffen Mau and Wolfgang Schmidt in conversation on "The times we live in" as part of the Salon Sophie Charlotte 2024. Moderated by: Shelly Kupferberg

Opera and Democracy

Concert & Panel Discussion with Daniela Smolov Levy, Kira Thurman, Alex Ross, Jan Vogler & Kai Hinrich Müller

KYUNGMI SHIN: Fly to India for Gold, Ransack the Ocean for Orient Pearl

Shin's artworks, which span the disciplines of painting, sculpture, and photography, offer insights into global power structures as well as her personal cultural development.

Marta - An installation by Sonya Schönberger

An exhibition of the Museum Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in the Villa Oppenheim.