#freemaria. A Performance by and with Maria Kalesnikava

We are delighted to be performing our production »#freemaria« at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart on 24 July as part of the “Sommer in Stuttgart” festival.

#freemaria is a performative and reflective project by Maria Kalesnikava. The artist and democratic opposition politician from Belarus, who, following her release from a long prison sentence in December 2025, was able to accept in person the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen in March 2026, which had been awarded to her in 2022, has developed this work at Radialsystem, Berlin together with director Jochen Sandig, based on the events in Belarus in 2020 and the years that followed.

We are looking forward to once again inviting the audience into the open open stage space to listen to Maria Kalesnikavas story.

The focus is on inner freedom, dignity and responsibility for one’s own decisions. The project tells of steadfastness, of love for family and country, and of the power of the spirit – a power that can remain free even under external pressure. The performance combines Maria Kalesnikava’s personal experience with philosophical reflection. Music and art become the inner space of the soul – a place for thoughts, hope and courage. Perhaps art does not save the world, but it can give people strength and bring them salvation. Maria Kalesnikava wishes to share this insight with us all.

True freedom begins where we succeed in not allowing evil to take root within ourselves – no fear, no hatred, and no aggression. Freedom means being able to love, to choose and to embrace life, even when external circumstances seek to limit that freedom. For neither dictators nor walls and fences, neither prisons nor chains can stop the spirit of freedom. The spirit of freedom lives within people. Freedom begins where we decide to remain human.
Maria Kalesnikava

If you start to hate, they have already defeated you.
Konfuzius

#freemaria
A Performance by and with Maria Kalesnikava
24 July 2026, 6 pm
Theaterhaus Stuttgart

Tickets

Performance
Maria Kalesnikava

Idea / Concept
Jochen Sandig

Stage
Sung-Uk Brad Hwang

Soundintervention
Diego Noguera

Sound
Carlo Grippa

Light
Jörg Bittner
Lou Oelrich

A Production by Sasha Waltz & Guests. Made in Radialsystem.

Maria Kalesnikava is a Belarusian flautist, conductor and cultural manager whose artistic work unfolds at the intersection of music, art and social discourse. She studied in Minsk and Stuttgart, graduating with two master’s degrees in early music and contemporary music. As co-founder of the InterAKT Initiative and artistic director of the OK16 cultural hub in Minsk, she has developed a series of pioneering international projects in the fields of culture, education and social innovation. In doing so, she combines contemporary music with questions of cultural identity, social responsibility and political reflection.

She gained international recognition in 2020 as one of the defining voices of Belarusian civil society. Among other honours, she received the International Charlemagne Prize for her commitment. Following several years of imprisonment, Maria Kalesnikava continues her artistic and social work and is regarded as an outstanding example of the fusion of artistic excellence and civic courage.

Jochen Sandig is a cultural entrepreneur and director. He co-founded numerous cultural institutions in Berlin: Kunsthaus Tacheles (1990), Sasha Waltz & Guests (1993), Sophiensæle (1996) and Radialsystem (2006). From 2000 to 2004, he was a member of the artistic direction at the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz in Berlin, and from 2019 to 2024 he was artistic director of the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele / Internationale Festspiele Baden-Württemberg. Jochen Sandig debuted as director in 2012 with »human requiem«, a staging of Johannes Brahms’ »Ein Deutsches Requiem« featuring the Rundfunkchor Berlin. The production toured worldwide and was awarded the »Classical Next Innovation Award 2016«. Jochen Sandig is a co-founder and Vice-President of the World Human Forum in Delphi, Greece (2017). In 2010, he was appointed »Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres« and in 2022 was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Sung-Uk Brad Hwang (born 1966 in Seoul, South Korea; based in Berlin since 1990) is a sculptor and installation artist best known for his mechanical-social sculptures and installations. He transforms everyday, discarded objects into interactive, whimsical machines characterised by a poetic warmth that often sets them apart from the genre. His works are rarely static, but instead require audience participation, thereby turning viewers into participants in real time and addressing the longing for human connection and the inevitability of change. Hwang has lived and worked since 1997 on the MS Odin, a barge moored in Berlin’s Tiergarten.

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