DAAD Artist Residency, Berlin (2006)

In 2006, Imke Rust received a two-month DAAD artist stipend to live and work in Berlin, Germany. The residency, supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), took place in September and October 2006 and was extended independently for a further six weeks to deepen artistic research and collaboration.

During this period, Rust realized several solo exhibitions in collaboration with Berlin-based institutions and cultural partners:

• Atrium Youth Art School, Berlin
• Bundespresseamt (Federal Press Office), Berlin
• Rathaus-Galerie Reinickendorf, by invitation of the Mayor of Reinickendorf

In addition to her exhibitions, she contributed to public talks and academic events addressing themes of contemporary art in Namibia, Germany–Namibia shared history, and intercultural exchange. These talks were presented at:

• Freie Universität Berlin, as part of the lecture series Afrika – Europas verkannter Nachbar
• Berliner Abgeordnetenhaus (Berlin House of Representatives) – event: Berlin–Windhoek heute: Memories. Power and Politics
• Cultural Forum Labsaal Lübars
• Fuerstenberg (Senatorenbüro), organized by Juliane Witt
• EPIZ – Globales Lernen, including lectures in secondary schools and teacher training sessions on German colonial history (in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation)
• Radio Multikulti, through an artist interview and feature segment

Together with Oliver Schruoffeneger (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), Rust co-initiated the “Shared Experiences” Artistic Exchange Project between Namibia and Germany, focusing on the city partnership between Windhoek and Berlin. This long-term initiative was designed to foster dialogue, cooperation, and cultural exchange through a series of joint exhibitions, artist residencies, and public programs. The project received support from both the Namibian Embassy in Germany (Prof. Dr. Peter Katjavivi) and Berlin’s Mayor, Klaus Wowereit.

Rust also participated in numerous art events, discussions, and symposia on contemporary African art and global cultural perspectives, including Kultur: Zwischen.Welten – Positionen zeitgenössischer Kunst aus Afrika in Deutschland and panels at Art Forum Berlin.

The DAAD residency provided an important platform for building networks between the Namibian and German art scenes, initiating future collaborations, and contributing to a wider discourse on postcolonial perspectives, cultural exchange, and socially engaged art practice.

Imke Rust,  December 2006