Berlin grab your paddle and engage your heart: Queer Ping Pong is hitting Gropius Bau. This interactive project merges table tennis with queer club culture, creating a social space that dissolves the supposed contradiction between play and discourse. Accompanied by DJ sets, newcomers, pros, artists, and kids can come together and play in the atrium of Gropius Bau.
As part of Rirkrit Tiravanija’s solo exhibition, eight ping pong tables will be set up in Gropius Bau’s atrium—free and accessible to all. Paddles and balls are provided, inviting everyone to join in.
Queer Ping Pong adapts to its environment, blending movement, music, and post-migrant discourses. The normative setting of club culture is reimagined: the events occur during the day and are free of charge. It’s all about relaxed vibes, focusing solely on the joy of the game and the community—from early afternoon until sunset—including the obligatory round-robin on the ping-pong table.
Concept + Curation: Yeşim Duman
Project Organization: Tülin Duman
Collaboration: Coven Berlin
Yeşim Duman is a curator and organizer working across disciplines and collaborative projects. Known for her work as a music curator in the pop and club context, she integrates diverse cultural and musical influences into her projects. Through participatory formats like Çaystube, Queer Chess Club, and Queer Ping Pong, Duman creates inclusive spaces that break down apparent opposites between play and discourse. These participatory projects are central to her work, aiming to mobilize communities and foster dialogue—like at a ping-pong table.
Tülin Duman is a queer and human rights activist who has been involved in various projects against sexism, homo- and transphobia, and racism for many years. She’s a member of F_in – Netzwerk Frauen im Fußball and a programming advisor for the cultural framework of UEFA EURO 2024. Duman played a significant role in several editions of Kreuzberg’s (Transgenialer) CSD. From 2008 to 2011, she was the managing director of GLADT e.V. (Berlin), an association founded by predominantly Turkish-origin lesbians, gays, and trans* people.
www.berlinerfestspiele.de/en/gropius-bau
www.instagram.com/gropiusbau
Date: Sunday, September 15, 2024
Venue: Atrium, Gropius Bau
MUSIC PROGRAM:
DJ sets from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Artwork: Stefan Marx
Photos: Kun Liang
