Pixel Grain Postpones Exhibition by Photographer Raphaël Malik on Muslim Life in Berlin "Due to the Political Situation in the Middle East"

On November 11, 2023, Raphaël Malik published a screenshot on Instagram of an email from Pixel Grain informing him that the planned exhibition of his photo series on Muslim life in Berlin would be postponed. The exhibitor writes: "Due to the current political situation in the Middle East, [...] we have decided that we do not wish to show the work at this time." Pixel Grain is a print service provider with a showroom in Berlin-Mitte. Ten works by Berlin photographer Malik were supposed to be shown there, including some in which keffiyeh is worn by the people depicted.

Pixel Grain claimed they were aware that Malik shows Muslim life in Berlin in his series and that it has "absolutely nothing to do" with the current political situation. Nevertheless, they "do not currently want to show a one-sided presentation of Muslim life in an exhibition without a corresponding counterpoint, such as Jewish life in Berlin". According to Pixel Grain, this decision was made in order to avoid conflicts.

Managing Director Robert Jarmatz confirmed the authenticity of the message to the German Press Agency (dpa) the following week and emphasized that no work contract or picture selection had yet been made. Furthermore, they argued the exhibition had not been canceled, but merely postponed. In response to dpa’s inquiry, Raphaël Malik wrote that there was no need for counterparts to present a work that "has no claim other than to show culture, aesthetics and a part of Berlin." He explained further to COSMO: "This is a reaction to the high public pressure that has arisen from fear. Fear that is being stirred up about Islam. There is simply too much confusion and too much generalization."

From December 14, 2023, Malik's series will be shown under the title Deutşch at the project space OPEN Berlin. In the announcement of December 8, the new exhibitor refers to the previous cancellation and emphasizes: "We have decided to show Malik's works at OPEN because we believe that it is precisely now that we should present diverse transnational artistic positions [...]." Deutşch marks the first solo exhibition of the Berlin-born artist with Turkish-German roots.