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Graphic: an orange area with a yellow, radiant dot in the center that is reminiscent of a sunrise.

The Power of the Messianic: Alternatives to the Present

A Conversation with Vivian Liska and Gertrud Koch (in German)

Drawing on Alexander Kluge’s film How Walter Benjamin Explained the Weak Messianic Force to Bertolt Brecht (original: Wie Walter Benjamin Bertolt Brecht die schwache Messianische Kraft erklärte), we turn our attention to the messianic as a potential for social change.

Thu 3 Dec 2026, 7 pm

Map with all buildings that belong to the Jewish Museum Berlin. The W. M. Blumenthal Academy is marked in green

Where

W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
Klaus Mangold Auditorium
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
(Opposite the Museum)

When & where?

In her lecture, Vivian Liska examines the messianic from a literary perspective as a political and social dynamic that both drives and resists absolutist claims. Film scholar Gertrud Koch takes the “defiant and headstrong” nature of Kluge’s work as a starting point to explore the reality of desire as a genuine source of action.

Vivian Liska; photo: private

A woman looks to the side and smiles.

Vivian Liska; photo: private
Graphic: an orange area with a yellow, radiant dot in the center that is reminiscent of a sunrise.

Exhibition The Opposite of Now: Artistic Paths to a Different Present: Features & Programs

Exhibition Webpage

Accompanying Events & Tours

Publications

Exhibition Catalog: English/German, Sep 2026

Digital Content

My Opposite of Now: Chat with M.O.O.N. about your opposite of now! The AI app from the exhibition available online

See also

When & Where?

  • WhenThu 3 Dec 2026, 7 pm
  • Where W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
    Klaus Mangold Auditorium
    Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
    (Opposite the Museum)
    See location on map
  • Entry fee

    Free of charge

  • Language German

    Please note Tickets can be reserved through the ticket shop

Hashtag #JMBerlin

Source: https://www.jmberlin.de/en/lecutre-the-power-of-the-messianic
Printed on: 09/11/2026