Anton Kats / ILYICH: Cemetery of Melodies Alive – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin
Anton Kats / ILYICH:
Cemetery of Melodies Alive
Cemetery of Melodies Alive
With the voice of Susanne Sachsse
As part of Gallery Weekend 2025
While the accompanying daytime exhibition features the sound installation Cemetery of Melodies Alive, the nighttime live performance After Hope weaves storytelling, music into and sound art into a visceral experience. Reflecting on anti-fascist artistic positions through the lens of the military invasion of Ukraine, the project is driven by a crucial question: What is the responsibility of the artist in times of fascism and war? Beginning with hopeless hope, this performative exhibition invites the audience to fearlessly reflect on the intertwined narratives of the present and offers a space to imagine and enact another world after the storm.
Three-channel sound installation developed and composed by Anton Kats With the voice of: Susanne Sachsse
Voice: Susanne Sachsse
Structural Design: Byron Kalomamas
Mixing, Mastering: Viktor Kurando
The sound installation Cemetery of Melodies Alive was commissioned by steirischer herbst. Media partners: Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz.
Anton Kats works as an artist also known under the fluid identity of musician and performer ILYICH. Kats’ practice draws from the everyday, inspired by the complex narratives of Satelite Island, his hometown neighbourhood in the southern Ukrainian port city of Kherson. Kats’ projects take the form of installations, objects and drawings, concerts, lectures, performances, poetry, films, radio shows, radio plays, vinyl releases and publications. His work has been presented at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, steirischer herbst, SAVVY Contemporary, Serpentine Galleries and Tate Modern among many others. Kats took part in documenta14 and performed at Roskilde Festival, Fusion Festival and Sonic Acts. Anton Kats is a fellow of the Berlin Art Research Programme (2024-25).