28 March 2018

Micha Ullman, Sandkorn / Grain of Sand
Installation at the Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz

Opening on 8 April, 12 noon
With Micha Ullman, Moshe Zimmermann, Matthias Flügge and Jeanine Meerapfel
8–22 April 2018

Israeli artist Micha Ullman has realised important art projects in public space in Berlin and throughout Germany. One of his most well-known works is Bibliothek (The Empty Library, 1995), a much visited memorial on Bebelplatz in Berlin recalling the Nazi book burning.
As of 8 April 2018, Ullman's work Bis zum letzten Sandkorn / The Last Grain of Sand can be viewed at the Akademie venue on Pariser Platz. It makes reference to the crisis situation in Israel, as well as the historic and current peace process. But, at the same time, the work also reveals its universality. Six recently completed drawings enhance this sculptural installation based on a grain of sand. Because that is what Ullman's work is made of: a grain of hamra sand (hamra, Arabic: red) taken from the ground not far from Tel Aviv. Ullman has worked with this material, including it in sculptures, drawings and videos, for more than 45 years. The film Sand Drawing (2009) by Tal Ramon, screened in the Max Liebermann Hall, provides insights into the artist's work practices.

Ullman's installation inaugurates the reopening of the exhibition halls on Pariser Platz, exhibition space that is now permanently available for use. At the opening on 8 April, Israeli historian Moshe Zimmermann will discuss the peace process in the Middle East. The lecture is followed by an artist's talk between Micha Ullman and Matthias Flügge. Jeanine Meerapfel, president of the Akademie der Künste, opens the event.

Sculptor and architect Micha Ullman was born in Tel Aviv in 1939, the son of Jewish émigrés. He has been a member of the Akademie der Künste since 1997. In 2016 one of his works was included in the Akademie exhibition Uncertain States. After teaching for many years in Jerusalem and Haifa, he worked as professor of sculpture at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design from 1991 to 2005. Among Ullman's numerous prizes and awards, he received the Akademie der Künste's Käthe Kollwitz Prize in 1995. Ullman lives in Ramat HaSharon, Israel.

Exhibition and Event Information

Micha Ullman, Sandkorn / Grain of Sand
8–22 April 2018
Installation, drawings, film
Concept: Matthias Flügge, Jeanine Meerapfel, Micha Ullman
Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin
Daily, 11 am – 7 pm
Free admission

Opening, Lecture and Talk
Sunday, 8 April, 12 noon
Welcoming address: Jeanine Meerapfel, president, Akademie der Künste
Lecture: Moshe Zimmermann, "Auf Sand gebaut, im Sande verlaufen – der Friedensprozess im Nahen Osten" (Built on Sand, Run Aground in Sand – The Middle East Peace Process)
Artist's talk: Matthias Flügge and Micha Ullman
Exhibition opens at 11:00 am
Free admission
Event in German language

Press tickets and photos: presse@adk.de, Tel. +49 (0)30 200 57 15 14

Press Contact
Anette Schmitt, T +49 (0)30 200 57-15 09, schmitt@adk.de