thesaurós artists

Dear friends,

For Berlin Gallery Weekend, we open the exhibition CHEATS AND GODS one final time in a concentrated form – as a space that can once more be fully traversed before it transforms.

May 1–3, 2026
Fri–Sun · 3–6 pm

On Friday and Saturday, I will be present and happy to guide you personally through the exhibition.

Persian Salon · Finissage 

On Friday, May 8, the exhibition shifts into another state: into a Persian salon, initiated by Elshan Ghasimi, and at the same time, the first finissage of CHEATS AND GODS. 

The Persian salon brings together music, poetry, and conversation – a form cultivated over centuries as an intimate space of thought and resonance. At its centre is the radif, the living memory of classical Persian music, recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. 

Elshan Ghasimi is among the most distinctive voices of her generation. In her work, she combines a precise command of this tradition with a sense of contemporaneity that renders the salon not a reconstruction but a living, present space. 

The finissage is conceived as a transition: an evening between work, sound, and encounter; open yet condensed, with food and drinks. 

Friday, May 8, 2026
Doors 7:00 pm · Start 7:30 pm
Admission: 15€ / Support 30€ (incl. wine & finger food)

Tickets are limited – early booking is recommended.

https://www.eventbrite.de/e/elshan-ghasimis-persischer-salon-tickets-1985725703032

Currently, Elshan Ghasimi is in residence at the Podiumfestival Esslingen, where she is composing a new piece for harp, clarinet, and voice. It may surprise you: contemporary classical Persian music!

The premiere and opening of the festival will take place on April 30. You are warmly invited to attend.

https://podium-esslingen.de/veranstaltungen/2026-04-30-2026-04-20-eine-revue

The exhibition CHEATS AND GODS can also be visited by appointment until the end of May. We look forward to sharing these days and evenings with you.

JMH Schindele & Elshan Ghasimi 

Arghavān!

What secret is it
that each time spring returns,
it lays sorrow in our hearts?

That year after year
the earth is stained
with the blood of swallows,
and upon the scarred
inflicts wound upon wound

Dear friends, 

The new year is not yet old and already drenched in blood. 

We Europeans, in the relative comfort of our simulated catastrophes of delusion, slowly shed a naïve and decadent lethargy, while Iranians take to the streets for the desire for a system that we here have long since realised and believed to be secure. 

Among many other gatherings, I would like to draw particular attention to the event “Solidarity with Iran” on 22 February at 3:00 pm at Restaurant PARS in Berlin-Charlottenburg [Grolmannstr. 53, 10623]. 

The lines that open this circular are by the exiled poet Hushang Ebtehaj (1928–2022). The artist and graphic designer Masoud Morgan selected them to animate them in the literal sense, to bring them to life and to give them a new look. He published his work yesterday. It can be found here.

Yes, social media is the cancer of our societies. They corrode democratic systems and neural networks. And yet one should—without missing the dialectical momentum—be grateful that they exist in a country such as Iran. Otherwise, everything would be completely dark. 

In Hamburg by the River 

By the river in Hamburg lies a place of hospitality.
A place for art and community, for music, dance, and yoga:
the project space Övelgönne 106. 

At this special location, the Persian musician and composer Elshan Ghasimi invites audiences four times this year to the Persian Salon.
The seated and reclining concert is free of charge; a reservation is recommended.

14 March 2026, 4:00 pm
2 May 2026, 4:00 pm
19 September 2026, 4:00 pm
7 November 2026, 4:00 pm

Elshan Ghasimi & Michael Kleeberg: Premiere on 20 February in Berlin 

Elshan Ghasimi and the author Michael Kleeberg present, on 20 February 2026, the fruits of their collaboration in a new format:
a reading with music, a concert with text, or something else – existing in the eye and ear of the viewer and the listener. 

“Where are we going? Always home.”
It is a poetic journey through the horrors of our time, toward harmony and a higher serenity of human hope. 

The event at the Humboldt Library [Karolinenstraße 19, 13507 Berlin] begins at 7:30 pm. Admission is free, and no registration is required.