“Things that aren’t” – The Art of Micha Ullman

With Shalom Zuckerman and Judith Poznan

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  Shalom Zuckerman – Person mit kurzen, dunklen Haaren in schwarzem Hemd vor hellem Hintergrund. © Shalom Zuckerman

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  Judith Poznan – Eine Person in schwarzer Kleidung stützt den Kopf auf die Hand. Urheberrecht: Maria Schöning.

Interactive Picture Book Cinema for ages 8 and up

Large-scale projected illustrations, lively storytelling, and a group discussion offer a playful introduction to art and literature.

I see something you don’t see—and that’s… art!

Sometimes the most exciting things are found where you least expect them: the shadow of a person, the space between two fingers, or the emptiness in a pit. For Israeli artist Micha Ullman, that’s exactly where art begins—with the things you can’t grasp but that are still there.

In “Things That Aren’t,” Shalom Zuckerman tells the story of an artist who “loves the things that aren’t.” Houses emerge from the earth that exist only in the imagination; light and shadow become letters; a single grain of sand can become an entire world. The picture book invites children to look closely—and to discover that imagination often begins where others see nothing.

Micha Ullman’s most famous artwork also tells of something that is missing: the “Library” monument on Berlin’s Bebelplatz. Under a glass panel, you can see a room with empty bookshelves—the very spot where the Nazis burned thousands of books in 1933. Precisely because the books are no longer there, the artwork serves as a reminder of the voices and stories that were meant to be erased.

Together with Shalom Zuckerman and Judith Poznan, children embark on a journey of discovery into the world of Micha Ullman: they look, ask questions, explore—and learn how art can emerge from earth, light, shadow, and memory.

Micha Ullman, born in Tel Aviv in 1939, is one of the most significant contemporary Israeli artists. His family fled Germany for Palestine in 1933. His sculptures and installations make memory, time, and the traces people leave behind visible. Since the 1970s, his work has been featured in numerous public spaces, and he has been a member of the Berlin Academy of Arts in the Visual Arts section since 1997. In 2025, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit.

Shalom Zuckerman grew up in Jerusalem and now lives in Amsterdam. He is a linguist, teaches at Utrecht University, and is the nephew of Micha Ullman. His research focuses on language and multilingualism. With *Things That Aren’t*, he has translated his uncle’s artistic vision into a poetic picture book for young readers.

Judith Poznan, born in Berlin, studied literature and journalism in Berlin after completing an apprenticeship as a bookseller. Stays in London shaped her subsequent career. She worked as a freelance cultural journalist for publications including *Zeit Online*, the *Berliner Zeitung*, and *Der Spiegel*. She has also published two novels with DuMont Verlag. Since 2024, she has headed the press and public relations department at the publishing house Jacoby & Stuart.

Next date:

• Date Monday, 16/November/2026 10:30
• Venue Neue Synagoge Berlin
• Address Oranienburger Straße 28-30, 10117 Berlin-Mitte