Slavs & Tatars

The artist collective Slavs & Tatars was founded in 2006 by Payam Sharifi and Kasia Korczak. Based in Berlin, the collective develops its practice through exhibitions, publications, performative lectures, and workshops that seek to map the cultural, spiritual, and political conditions of Eurasia, from the former Berlin Wall to the Great Wall of China. In their work, which is grounded in a unique form of knowledge production, they draw upon popular culture, esoteric traditions, contemporary myths, oral histories, and academic research. They have held solo exhibitions in institutions, museums, and galleries around the world, and they have given lectures at many universities. They have also participated in numerous group exhibitions, including the 2nd Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art (2007), the 3rd Thessaloniki Biennale (2011), and the 58th Venice Biennale (2019). They have published more than a dozen books, including "Molla Nasreddin: the magazine that would’ve, could’ve, should’ve" (JRP-Ringier, 2011); "Not Moscow Not Mecca" (Revolver/Secession, 2012); "Khhhhhhh" (Mousse/Moravia Gallery, 2012); "Friendship of Nations: Polish Shi’ite Showbiz" (Book Works, 2013); "Mirrors for Princes" (JRP|Ringier/NYU Abu Dhabi, 2015); "Azbuka Strikes Back: An Anti-colonial ABCs", co-authored with Leah Feldman (Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther & Franz König, 2024). In 2020, they opened the Pickle Bar near their studio in Berlin’s Moabit district; they have also been offering a residency program for local young artists. In Athens, they collaborate with the Kalfayan Galleries, where they have held two solo exhibitions ("E-Z Chasm", 2017, and "Simurgh Self-Help", 2024).