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Opening of the exhibition: 7 July at 19.00

On Wednesday, 7 July, from 19.00, you are welcome at the opening of the exhibition Bitter Things. Narratives and Memories of Transnational families. The exhibition traces over time the impact of labour migration on the notions of motherhood and family, from the perspective of migrant workers and children left behind. Based on the experiences of transnational families now and in the past, the installation brings together stories and landmarks for their lives. 

Globally, labour migration creates new models of transnational family, in which members try to maintain contact despite geographical distances. During the employment agreements of the 1960s, many parents were forced to leave their children behind, because working hours made it impossible to take care of them. Nowadays, the migrant workers from Eastern Europe are the ones who, for the most part, have been in a position to leave their families for the chance to earn a living in more developed countries. Turkey, as a former country heavily affected by emigration, has now become a destination for many workers from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus or the Central Asian region, especially in the care sector.

How is the relationship between parents and children redefined now, when gifts or financial support take the place of immediate interaction, when physical closeness is replaced by applications such as Skype or WhatsApp? What impact does all this have on children and parents? Bitter Things captures illustrative experiences for these themes, from the 1960s to the present. 

_Concept and artistic direction: Malve Lippmann, Can Sungu (bi'bak Berlin)
_ Project coordinator: Anna Krauss (bi'bak Berlin)
_Partner: German Cultural Centre Brașov