For centuries, European artists merely portrayed Black women as ‘objects of desires:’ a case in point is the painting “Sleeping Milli” by renown German expressionist painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1911). Natasha A. Kelly’s documentary feature Milli’s Awakening (Millis Erwachen), which premiered at the 10. Berlin Biennale in 2018, and won the 2018 Black Laurel Award, immerses in the thought and emotions of “Milli” by zooming in on eight Black female artists living in contemporary Germany. These women of various generations discuss their challenges in and with German art institutions, visual representation, and political and social exclusion. Their biographical narratives moreover show to what extent art can serve as a means to form a self-determined identity, and as a ‘remedy’ to alleviate lived emotional isolation and social oppression.

Natasha A. Kelly is a writer, curator, and scholar activist. In her works, she portrays collective experiences of Black Germans contrary to the usual formats of German mainstream society.

The documentary will be in German with English subtitles. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director.