Çağla Ilk Opens Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin with Sarkis Installation 'Fuge'

On September 4, the Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin opened its doors under the new directorship of Çağla Ilk. The inaugural event features an installation titled "Fuge" by conceptual artist Sarkis, which is not a conventional play but an installation that examines the legacy of theater revolutionary Tadeusz Kantor. The work incorporates the Austropop hit "Die Freiheit" by Georg Danzer, a song in which a zoo visitor stands before a cage and sees nothing inside. A zookeeper explains that this is precisely the point, because "Nur in Freiheit kann die Freiheit Freiheit sein" (Only in freedom can freedom be freedom). The new Gorki under Ilk's leadership is characterized by the fleeting and momentary, something that cannot be grasped. The old Gorki was dismantled layer by layer: red carpets were torn out and padded rows of seats were removed. The transformation leaves the theater without traditional seating, aligning with the ephemeral nature of the opening production. Further details are available in the current issue of Der Freitag.