Jigaraki is a concert by Berlin-based trio Elèni Mik, Nafsika Gkotzamani, and Hanik Soleimani. As emerging FLINTA+ artists, they create a space where diverse traditions meet experimental performance. Centered on the voice, Jigaraki draws from Balkan, Eastern Mediterranean, Anatolian, Byzantine, Makam, and Dastgah traditions, treating them as living material to fragment and reimagine through contemporary composition, storytelling, and politically engaged performance. Their concept of »fake folk music« invents a folklore that feels familiar yet never existed, using fictional rituals and multilingual lyrics to question authenticity, ownership, and identity. Rejecting both pop aesthetics and strict preservation, they approach musical systems as open vocabularies for transformation and dialogue. Inspired by the Meykhane, they create inclusive, participatory performances that challenge its historically exclusionary nature. Jigaraki asks what contemporary folk can be beyond pop and tradition, offering a new sonic language rooted in both heritage and invention.
On Fri. 18. and Sat. 19.9., there will be showings of Hanik Soleimani and Marianna Wicha’s piece »Zai el Lila«.
