Revolution. A Thorn in the Flesh

On seven evenings starting April 21, 2023, the performance Revolution. A Thorn in the Flesh by theater and dance collective Paper Tiger Theater Studio (Beijing/Berlin) examines transcultural revolutions in the context of colonial history. Taking the scroll painting Machang Breaks through Enemy Lines in the Museum for Asian Art as its starting point, the collective led by director Tian Gebing turns its focus to the collections in the Humboldt Forum.

Five dancers and performers, a witness to GDR leader Erich Honecker’s trip to China in 1986, a skateboarder, a percussionist, and a DJ develop an associative panorama and get the audience to join them at the table of history. Revolution. A Thorn in the Flesh highlights events ranging from the masquerades of the Qianlong Emperor in the 18th century to the colonial looting of the imperial palace and the black market for artworks in Beijing during the so-called Boxer War around 1900 to the present day. The artistic production has been commissioned by the Humboldt Forum Foundation in the Berlin Palace.