two exhibitions that move

10.01. - 07.02.2026

Opening with Community Brunch: Talking, connecting, eating.

We want to create spaces where everyone is welcome and genuine conversations can happen. Bring a dish – together we'll create a vibrant and delicious experience! Let's celebrate diversity at the Malzhaus Galerie, Alter Teich 7, Plauen.

Sometimes art is needed to make things visible that often remain silent in everyday life. This is precisely what the double exhibition "It's Not Quiet in My Head" and "Fractures: From Upheavals to New Beginnings," at the Malzhaus Plauen, is trying to achieve. Both projects address topics that have long affected us as a society: flight, arrival, loss, new beginnings – and the courage to move forward despite all the ruptures.

Stories That Otherwise Go Unheard

The focus is on people. Their voices, their journeys, their memories. "It's Not Quiet in My Head" powerfully illustrates how much remains unspoken when someone has been forced to leave their homeland. The exhibition portrays refugees who have lived in Saxony since 2015. Through photographs, interviews, and personal texts, it opens a space for stories that are both moving and thought-provoking: about families left behind, perilous escape routes, and the challenges of arriving in a new country.

“Fractures: From Upheavals to New Beginnings”, on the other hand, focuses on the moments when life suddenly takes a different direction. Biographical ruptures, migration experiences, losses—but also new opportunities, hope, and the desire to arrive and participate in shaping one's future. The exhibition uses texts, images, collages, and interactive elements that invite visitors to actively engage with the life paths depicted

Both exhibitions share a common goal: to foster encounters.

Behind the images and texts lies the conviction that understanding begins where people listen to one another and remain curious. With this exhibition, the Malzhaus Sociocultural Center and the Alliance for Democracy, Tolerance, and Civil Courage are creating a space where diverse perspectives can coexist – respectfully, openly, and with humanity.

The exhibition opening is intentionally designed as a communal experience: with music, conversation, and a community brunch to which all guests can contribute. This will create a buffet as diverse as the people whose stories are told here.

Why this exhibition is important now

We live in a time where social debates are often loud and divisive. This makes places where quiet voices can be heard all the more important – voices of hope, vulnerability, courage, and solidarity.

This double exhibition reminds us:

• that behind every refugee story is a person, not an abstract concept,
• that disruptions in life can also open new paths,
• and that diversity is not only a challenge, but above all, an asset.