Degree show: Raika Er – To Hold What Breaks

In the organizer's words:

The work TO HOLD WHAT BREAKS locates anger as a marginalized emotion in social and political conditions. The starting point is the observation that anger is not equally legitimate for everyone: while it is often seen as strength or assertiveness in privileged people, it is pathologized, devalued or marked as a threat in FLINTA* and BIPOC. Anger is therefore not only an individual emotion, but also an expression of power relations. Following Sara Ahmed, anger is not understood as a purely internal psychological state, but as a relational force that circulates between bodies, norms and meanings. Feelings are not only reactions to injustice, but also shape what is considered unjust, for whom we feel empathy and who is worthy of mourning. Anger can therefore be understood not just as a "negative feeling", but as an affective relationship to the world that questions existing orders. Anger breaks through normative expectations and makes injuries visible, which is why it plays a central role in feminist struggles for recognition and justice. As an often devalued emotion, it refuses to conform and holds on to experiences that are not closed or can simply be overcome. In this sense, anger can be understood as a productive, albeit ambivalent, force. In contexts of violence, anger is often one of the few emotions that marks a boundary. It indicates that something was wrong, even if the environment trivializes it or the legal system does not take action. Anger counteracts speechlessness and contradicts the demand to "just get over it". Where anger combines personal experience with structural criticism, it becomes the starting point for emancipatory movements. TO HOLD WHAT BREAKS is about intuition, speechlessness and expression, individual experience and collective structure. Even if only a single body is visible, it always remains integrated into a network of memories, relationships and historical continuities. (Text: Raika Er)

Raika Er is an interdisciplinary artist, performer and filmmaker. In her work, she explores the themes of post-migrant identity and resilience. Across media, she addresses questions of intergenerational memory, intersectional and material feminisms and belonging.

EN
The work TO HOLD WHAT BREAKS situates anger as a marginalized emotion within social and political relations. It is based on the idea that anger is not equally legitimate for everyone: while it is often perceived as strength or assertiveness in privileged individuals, it is pathologized, devalued, or marked as a threat when expressed by FLINTA* and BIPOC individuals. Therefore, anger is not only an individual emotion, but also an expression of power relations. Drawing on Sara Ahmed, anger is understood not as a purely internal psychological state, but as a relational force that circulates between bodies, norms, and meanings. Emotions are not only reactions to injustice; they also shape what is perceived as unjust in the first place, who we feel empathy for, and whose lives are considered worthy of grief. In this sense, anger cannot be reduced to a "negative emotion", but can be understood as an affective relation to the world that challenges existing orders. Anger disrupts normative expectations and makes injuries visible, which is why it plays a central role in feminist struggles for recognition and justice. As an emotion that is often devalued, anger refuses assimilation and holds onto experiences that remain unresolved or cannot simply be overcome. In this way, anger can be understood as a productive, albeit ambivalent force. In contexts of violence, anger is often one of the few emotions that marks a boundary, as an insistence that something was not okay, even when the surrounding environment trivializes it or the legal system fails to respond appropriately. It resists silence and contradicts the demand to 'simply move on'. Where anger connects personal experience with structural critique, it becomes the starting point for emancipatory movements. TO HOLD WHAT BREAKS is about intuition, speechlessness, and expression, individual experience and collective structure. Even when only one body is visible, it remains embedded in a network of memories, relationships and historical continuities. (text: Raika Er)

Raika Er is an interdisciplinary artist, performer, and filmmaker. In her work, she explores the themes of post-migrant identity and resilience. Working across media, she engages with questions of intergenerational memory, intersectional and material feminisms, and belonging.

Raika Er - TO HOLD WHAT BREAKS
28.05.-13.06.2026