WERKRaum-Exhibition + Vernissage/Finissage & Photo-Stitching-Workshop // Bela Álvarez und Oscar Juárez – Die Sonne stirbt in den Bergen

“The sun dies in the mountains.” Thus begins this work by Mexican artists Bela Álvarez and Oscar Juárez, who, from Germany, are forging connections to their roots. Through photography and embroidery, they explore the grief over the loss of a loved one in Tlacochahuaya, Oaxaca.

The images flow from the preparations—“presence in absence”—with bowls, pieces of bread, and empty chairs, to the funeral rituals, where humanity becomes present.

The embroidery connects the Ben’Zaa cosmogony (the name of the Zapotec people in their own language, “People of the Clouds”) and its planes: the underworld, the significance of the earth, the dominance of the mountains, and the sky. This embodies Guelaguetza, cooperation without expectation of reciprocity.

VERNISSAGE: Friday, April 10, 2026, 6:00 p.m.
FINISSAGE: Friday, May 15, 2026, 6 p.m.
Dates: April 10 – May 15, 2026
Location: GEH8 WERKRaum
Hours: Viewing of the WERKRaum by appointment via email or visible at any time through the window on Gehestraße

PHOTO EMBROIDERY WORKSHOP
As part of the exhibition “The Sun Dies in the Mountains,” Bela Álvarez will offer a photo embroidery workshop. The aim of this workshop is to honor memory and the family archive and to activate these memories from a different perspective. This technique is intended to give the image new meaning. The idea is to connect, link, and weave the past and the present with a common thread.

When: Saturday, May 9, 2026
Time: 3:00–5:30 p.m.
Price: €30 (materials included, except for photos)
Registration required; please register by email!

Here you can find more information!