11. - 13. September 2026
AZ Conni
Rudolf-Leonhard-Straße 39
01097 Dresden
free entry, donations welcome
The PADs are a public education and art festival for Global Learning that has taken place annually since 2016, each year under a different theme. This year's focus: "The World We Move – Movement of People and Goods in Times of Climate Crisis".
Everyone moves, but not everyone is able to access the same freedom of movement. This year, the PADs will explore the social and environmental aspects of global patterns of movement - of goods, tourism, and migration in times of climate crisis. Contributors and participants are invited to look past the labels and borders. Who is allowed to move freely? What connects the journeys of people and of products? In an era of multiple crises, how can we reimagine the way we move, and are moved by, one another?
The Political Art Days are a public festival of education and the arts focused on global learning, taking place in Dresden since 2016. The festival brings together art, political education and activism, creating a space to explore and question social, global and ecological interconnections.
Artists, speakers and activists from a wide range of fields contribute their perspectives and experiences, inviting visitors to engage with current social issues. Workshops, discussions, exhibitions, performances, film screenings and other interactive formats make complex connections tangible and create opportunities for exchange, reflection and collective learning.
The Political Art Days also examine the structures that shape our everyday lives. How are our lives, our consumption and our freedom of movement connected to global power relations, ecological crises and the living conditions of other people? What responsibility do we bear as individuals and as a society? And what other ways of living together and organising our economies are possible?
The Political Art Days see themselves as a space for critical engagement, encounter, and collective reflection. They aim to make different perspectives visible, raise questions and encourage people to actively contribute to social change.
For a detailed review of last year's PADs, including the full programme and photos, click here.
The PADs run on volunteer power: from set-up to welcoming guests to helping things run smoothly during the weekend. If you'd like to lend a hand, we'd love to have you. Write us a message via email, Instagram or join our Telegram Group.
Um 16:00 Uhr öffnen wir unsere Türen. Wir freuen uns auf euch!
Let's join our voices together in community! Experience how singing in community can bring across our messages, fights and stories in a powerful way, all the while building connection and resilience in a shared cause. Together we will learn a protest song to move hearts and (hopefully) worlds. No special singing skills nor the ability to read music is needed. Come as you are :) Optional: If you enjoy the workshop, let's sing this song together at the Opening at 17:30!
Wir, Fenouil und Maristella, sind Teil mehrerer Chöre und Gesangsinitiativen und begeistern uns dafür, bedeutungsvolle Lieder auszutauschen und Menschen durch das Singen zusammenzubringen! Hinweis: Wir sind keine professionellen Sängerinnen.
The exhibition is open to the public all weekend long.
Open to everyone, just come over whenever you'd like
This is not the opening dinner which will happen inside and requires you to sign up.
A street view | 15 min. | by Loreto Saiz and Alfonso Villanueva | Rakonto
It is night-time. Sara has to deliver an order in another part of the city as soon as possible. Riding her bike, she tries to maintain her stability, that of her bank account and that of her relationship.
About Alfonso Villanueva: Master's Degree in Film and Television and Master's Degree in Secondary Education Teacher Training, Baccalaureate, and Vocational Training. Graduate in Audiovisual Communication. Extensive experience in the production, direction, and screenwriting of feature films and short films. He has worked in various production companies and film projects, including ALCARRÀS—winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival—and his projects as a director and screenwriter have been recognized with numerous awards, such as Best Short Film at the Mostra de Cinema Jove de Ciutat d'Elx or First Prize at the TRIMINUTO Competition. His academic work includes publications in the journal TECMERIN
About Loreto Saiz (Spain, 1996): Spanish researcher and documentary filmmaker, she combines research, education, and artistic projects addressing the ecosocial crisis. She holds a PhD in cinema and ecocriticism and is the co-founder of the artivist collective Rakonto. Her films have been screened and awarded at festivals worldwide.
Espero (I wait) | 15 min. | Loreto Saiz and Adrian Diaz | Rakonto
It has been 40 years since the Saharawi population became refugees in Algeria because of the Moroccan occupation. As the POLISARIO government tries to solve the conflict with institutional help, Saharawi youngsters advocate for armed conflict. While they wait, the cinema will be their only weapon.
About Adrian Diaz Villafuerte Spanish/peruvian documentary filmmaker specialized in socio-political and environmental issues. Director of award winning documentary "I WAIT" (2018) and several nature documentaries, he coordinates the latinoamerican folk music collective Yupanki.
The Story of Sila Mohamed | 3 min. | EN VIF
This film follows Sila Mohamed's journey, reflections, memories and dreams, as he recounts his difficult journey from Guinea to France at age 16. By using animation as a medium, this film aims to challenge reductive narratives about migration, replacing statistics and abstractions with intimate, human stories.
EN VIF is a French NGO and collective of animation artists producing powerful 2D and 3D animated testimonies around invisibilised issues: migration, social injustice, invisible disabilities, mental health and poverty
Limited spots, registration here
To kick off the festival, you’ll be treated to a delicious four-course meal, so make sure you come hungry! Seated at fixed tables, you’ll have the chance to chat to new people and learn together. Between courses, Nina Schlosser will share some insights on her talk: ‘Contested Transformation: Crises and Struggles in Contemporary Capitalism’.
The 'multiple crisis' is becoming increasingly acute. Ever since then, the exploitation of nature and bodies, patriarchal oppression and colonial continuities have ensured the perpetuation of capitalism. Just a few years ago, the politicisation of the climate crisis and the push for electric mobility hinted at a form of ‘green capitalism’, of which only isolated elements remain today. Wars and AI are pushing the climate crisis into the background of public discourse, and a reactionary shift is becoming apparent. Right-wing forces are forming networks across the Americas and worldwide, driving destruction for the sake of profit. Together, we will engage with these contradictions – and forms of resistance – and attempt to understand these developments.
Here you’ll have the unique opportunity to enjoy a meal in a relaxed setting, meet new people, learn together and chat with the speaker, who will be available to answer questions, listen to suggestions and engage in direct discussion.
Nina Schlosser is a political economist, a PhD student in social sciences (Berlin School of Economics and Law, University of Vienna) and an activist.
Schlaft gut c:
Everyone is warmly invited to our fair trade potluck brunch. Please bring along a breakfast ingredient (e.g. your favourite one), making sure it’s fair trade or locally produced. This way, we’ll quickly put together a delicious and varied spread – and it’s sure to spark some interesting conversation too. We’re keen to hear about your experiences with fair trade food, look forward to welcoming everyone (no prior knowledge required) and, above all, to feasting together. We’ll be providing a brief introduction to the ‘Dresden Fair.Wandeln’ alliance and the current status of the city of Dresden as a Fairtrade Town, as well as a creative way to depict our brunch on a large world map. Do pop along!
Dresden Fair.Wandeln: Sustainable development encompasses not only environmental aspects, such as the responsible use of our resources, but also social aspects, such as fair pay and ensuring decent working conditions for the producers of our goods. The Bündnis Dresden fair.wandeln advocates for fair procurement by the local authority, fair trade and fair consumption by the citizens of Dresden. This is achieved, for example, by connecting and raising the profile of fair trade stakeholders, organising information events, and running campaigns and initiatives on various key topics relating to fair purchasing.
Bananas, phones, shoes - many products that we use in daily life have come a long way and have many stories to tell. In this workshop, we take a closer look at global supply chains. Who works for our comfort? At which cost? We'll follow five concrete examples and process our learnings and feelings in a crafty way.
Lara (she/her) works as project coordinator for international projects for CAMBIO e.V. She enjoys facilitating workshops on a range of topics, from environmental justice to human rights issues.
Alex(she/her) favourite ways of moving include jumping and dancing, and when she doesn't do that, she volunteers for CAMBIO, focusing on strategies for changemaking and hopeful narratives.
The Body as Home relates to the movement of people in times of climate crisis by exploring how displacement, migration, and unequal access to safety are experienced and embodied. As climate change increasingly forces communities to relocate, the question of what "home" means becomes more urgent and complex.
Through movement and embodiment practices, participants reflect on the body as the one home we carry wherever we go. The workshop invites empathy for those whose sense of belonging has been disrupted by environmental, social, or geopolitical circumstances, while also examining how privilege shapes who can move freely and who is forced to move.
The workshop creates space to reflect on resilience, adaptation, migration, and our shared humanity, encouraging participants to embody and empathize with experiences different from their own.
Francisca Francisca is a Multidisciplinary artist, dancer, performer, videographer, singer, and expert in somatic and embodied practices. Her work focuses on creating self-awareness and self-discovery of each person’s “Political Body”.
At its best, travel symbolises freedom, new encounters and relaxation. Yet when we decide to travel, we set many things in motion – economically, socially and environmentally. Anyone who examines the impacts of travel soon comes up against fundamental questions: Which political systems do we support through our choice of destination? Who is free to move across borders? Who benefits economically from tourism, and who bears the social and environmental costs? And how does the perception of travel change in places where overtourism disrupts the lives of local communities and intensifies competition for housing and natural resources? In this workshop, we will examine tourism from a global justice perspective and explore the links between our travel behaviour, the climate crisis, resource justice, working conditions and local participation. Together, we will explore the impacts of tourism. Building on this, we will discuss how tourism can be made more equitable, what options travellers have for taking action, how tourism companies can assume responsibility along global value chains, and what political framework is needed to achieve this.
Education and Public Relations Officer | Tourism Watch Training Centre: Alien Spiller has been the head of the Tourism Watch education unit at ECPAT Deutschland e.V. since March 2026, where she is responsible for education and public relations work as part of the ‘Tourism for Global Justice’ project funded by Brot für die Welt. Prior to this, she headed Tourism Watch at Brot für die Welt. A graduate in tourism management and a Strategic Sustainability Manager (MA), she focuses in particular on human rights and child protection in tourism, climate and resource justice, and the fair distribution of value created by tourism.
Intipunk is a creative practice for imagining sustainable and hopeful futures from Latin America, starting from the Andes but reaching beyond them. Through art, storytelling, and speculative thinking, the workshop invites participants to explore alternative futures rooted in local knowledge, cultural memory, collective action, and care for the planet.
This workshop is suitable for all ages!
Maura ist Mutter zweier kleiner Rabauken, Künstlerin und Multimedia-Designerin aus Bolivien. Sie hat eine große Leidenschaft für ihre Wurzeln und ihr kulturelles Erbe und versucht, diese in ihre Projekte und Kreationen einfließen zu lassen. Wenn sie gerade nicht kreativ tätig ist, liebt sie es, im Garten zu arbeiten und sich in einem guten Buch zu verlieren.
We invite you to a night of smoking brains, wild guessing and funny mistakes. Test your knowledge during our pub quiz on the wide wide topic of movement. Witness your friends come up with unimaginable niche facts. Surprise yourself with last minute "aha!" moments! You'll go home with new insights - and an amazing prize (if you're good enough) :)
Come alone or bring your friends. We'll have teams of three, but last minute matching up will be possible.
Laura und Alex -- both amateur quizzers, fans of games and riddles and bird enthusiasts.
Eat what you want, pay what you can!
Eat what you want, pay what you can!
The climate crisis is profoundly unjust – the communities that emit the least greenhouse gases are the hardest hit by its consequences, whilst countries and companies in the Global North bear the lion’s share of historical and ongoing responsibility. Against this backdrop, climate reparations have emerged worldwide as a central framework in international debates, social movements and political discussions. In this workshop, we will introduce the concept of climate reparations and envisage small glimpses of a world in which they have become a reality.
Kai arbeitet im Querschnittsbereich Klimagerechtigkeit, Degrowth und utopische Zukunftsvisionen. Sein nerdiges Lieblingsprojekt befasst sich mit Wachstumsannahmen in Energie- und Klimaschutzszenarien und deren Zusammenhang mit dem kapitalistischen Realismus. Seit drei Jahren arbeiten er und das Klimateam am Thema Klimareparationen
Zeugen der Flucht e.V. engagiert sich in der antirassistischen Bildungsarbeit. In unseren Workshops für Schulklassen und andere Gruppen bringen wir, durch persönlichen Austausch und Begegnung nach dem Motto „Miteinander statt übereinander sprechen“, Menschen mit und ohne Fluchterfahrung zusammen. Dadurch bauen wir Vorurteile gegenüber Geflüchteten ab und setzen uns für eine offene und demokratische Gesellschaft ein.
What brings us together as easily as music? Music can energize, create space for grief, mobilize and literally move us to action. Bring your favorite song that stands for resistance and resilience and share it with us!
In the heart of the Nigerian metropolis of Lagos lies Ladipo, West Africa’s largest market for second-hand car parts, the majority of which are imported from Europe and East Asia or salvaged directly from scrapped cars on site. A figure wearing a traditional Egungun masquerade costume makes his way through the market’s crowded, narrow alleys, exploring the sounds of the market with various microphones. The Egungun of the Yoruba people act as intermediaries between the living and the ancestors. They can hear the sounds of the invisible world and convey them to people in the visible world. In ‘The Currency – Sensing 2 Ladipo’, the performance of this spiritual practice intertwines with an examination of the technological, economic, ecological and social entanglements of the global automotive industry.
The Currency – Sensing 2 Ladipo is part of the long-term artistic research project THE CURRENCY by Elom 20ce (Togo), Musquiqui Chihying (Taiwan) and Gregor Kasper (Germany). Through a transcontinental, multidisciplinary, collective practice, THE CURRENCY explores the potential of currencies to challenge capitalist logics, exploitation and power structures, with a view to re-examining the relationships between people and their interactions with the non-human world. In doing so, it explores the global interconnections between capital flows, technological developments and spiritual and collective practices of resistance across Africa, Asia and Europe.
Music from all over the world to move those hips
See you tomorrow!
Good Morning!
Eat what you want, pay what you can.
Together, we will put our human perspective into perspective, set aside preconceived notions and return to the basics: migration as the movement of living beings from one place to another. A phenomenon as old as our planet itself.
With climate change and ongoing global conflicts forcing more and more people to move, we want to understand migration more deeply. What beings and stories are held within this one word? What does it feel like? Does it appear in your own story as something familiar or unfamiliar?
Using our imagination, we will create new stories of migration to help us train our empathy muscles. Because some beings experience migration, others do not, and every story is unique.
This workshop is inspired by creative therapy practices. Together, we will craft, reflect, listen, and share in a mindful way. We want to honor the seriousness of the topic while also allowing space for playfulness.
The Griô-Pädagogik ist ein in Brasilien entwickelter pädagogischer Ansatz, der auf der Tradition der Griots Westafrikas basiert. Es handelt sich um einen pädagogischen Ansatz, der in der mündlichen Überlieferung, der Körperlichkeit und der Ahnenverbundenheit verwurzelt ist. Dieser Workshop zielt darauf ab, einen einführenden Überblick über die Griô-Pädagogik zu geben und eine Fallstudie zu diskutieren, in der eine ihrer Techniken in Deutschland angewendet wurde. Die Workshop-Teilnehmenden haben die Möglichkeit, die Griô-Pädagogik in der Praxis kennenzulernen und zu erleben.
Karoline Rodrigues Costa ist eine bahnbrechende Frau, die sich auf antikoloniale Studien und körperliche Emanzipation konzentriert, sowie eine Schülerin der Griô-Pädagogik.
In this workshop, we will play the board game “Sustainable Tourism: A Quiz Game for Conscious Travellers”, a trivia game that invites participants to reflect, in a playful way, on how we spend our holidays and on our own role as travellers, while learning about the social and ecological consequences of the tourism industry. The workshop will begin with a short introduction to tourism as a modern social phenomenon and its development within Western society, followed by a brief presentation of the creative process behind the board game. We will then split into groups and play the game together. The game will be available in German and English.
Valentina Araya is a Chilean sociologist, educational facilitator and artist, based in Dresden. In her educational work, she combines social topics with creative approaches. She is the author of the board game “Sustainable Tourism: A Quiz Game for Conscious Travellers.”
Jeder von uns ist Teil der globalen Zusammenhänge, Bewegungen und Phänomene, die unsere Welt heute prägen. Wir alle sind davon erfasst und beeinflusst: Welche Rolle spiele ich/spielst du in der Klimakrise? Was kann ich/kannst du konkret tun? Oder was möchte ich zum Ausdruck bringen? Anhand dieser Fragen möchte unser Workshop die Teilnehmenden dazu befähigen, persönlich über das Thema nachzudenken, was sie während des Festivalprogramms gehört und erlebt haben, oder sich allgemein mit dem Thema auseinandersetzen, um das Fesitval mit einem klaren Verständnis ihrer eigenen Haltung zu verlassen.
Das Private und Politische durch Fotografie und Film zu erzählen ist der Ansatz von unofficial.pictures. Unser Ziel ist es, über gesellschaftliche Gruppen und Milieus hinaus Empathie und Verständnis zu erzeugen und so Diskriminierungen abzubauen. Uns ist es wichtig, Raum für bisher marginalisierte Perspektiven zu schaffen. Konkret entwickeln wir Ausstellungen, Bücher, Zeitungen und Filme und empowern vor allem immer wieder in Workshops andere Menschen, diese Ansätze für sich und ihre Anliegen zu nutzen.
17:00 – 18:30
Workshop // Der wahre Preis der Avocado (DE), with Alethia Rangel, Anyela Urrego, Anfie Peña (M Latts e.V.)
What really lies behind the avocado on our plates? In this workshop, we’ll look beyond the façade of this popular fruit and explore the environmental, social and political consequences of avocado cultivation. We’ll discuss water consumption and environmental destruction, as well as the social conflicts, violence and organised crime in Mexico that can be linked to avocado cultivation and trade. Together, we’ll ask: what is the true cost of our avocados – and what does responsible consumption mean?
M-Latts e.V. ist ein gemeinnütziger Verein in Dresden, der vor allem von lateinamerikanischen Frauen getragen wird. Im Mittelpunkt stehen die Themen Frauenrechte und Geschlechtergerechtigkeit, Migration sowie Umwelt und Nachhaltigkeit. Dabei verbindet der Verein Perspektiven aus Lateinamerika mit der Gesellschaft in Deutschland.
Eat what you want, pay what you can!
See you next year!
When a workshop is marked DE/EN, the language will be flexible and adapted to the needs of the participants.
We will try to offer whisper translation at every event.
Just on Friday | Installation
Using three haptic stations (disposable products, raw material samples, finished textiles) this interactive installation brings the intimate realm of personal hygiene into the spotlight as a political battleground. The piece deconstructs the global journey of single-use hygiene products and demonstrates how the switch to durable textiles, manufactured locally in Dresden, constitutes an act of active resistance against throwaway capitalism. Complemented by thought-provoking ideas and discussions, the installation invites visitors to view their own bodies not as producers of waste, but as a starting point for global climate justice.
Dipl.-Ing. Stephanie Oppitz: Gründerin von „Von Ocker und Rot“ (VOUR) in Dresden. In unserem Atelier fertigen wir langlebige, waschbare Alternativen zu Einweg-Hygieneprodukten, um den enormen Müllbergen und CO2-intensiven Lieferketten der Wegwerfindustrie eine echte Kreislauflösung entgegenzusetzen. Für mich ist lokale Textilproduktion ein aktiver Beitrag zum Klimaschutz: Mit eigener Solarenergie und fairen Rohstoffen schließen wir globale Ausbeutungslieferketten radikal kurz – für echten Ressourcenschutz und nachhaltige Körperautonomie direkt aus der Nachbarschaft.
Subaqueous Visions and Hope by Anne Brandt
Installation und Zeichnung
Subaqueous Visions asks in a artistic way for our impact on worlds plastic migration. The Drawing "Hope" focuses on human migrations, its causes and barriers. There will be a booklet on getting more information about the artwork and artist.
Anne Brandt is a fine artist based in Leipzig. She works on themes like environment, human behaviour and psyche and the rooms in between in her artistic work. She mainly focuses on our role as humans in this world and like to inspire or to set self-reflecting processes.
Common Borders by Santiago Botero
A photographic exhibition tracing migration through the Melilla fence and beyond, showing Ukrainians, Belarusians, Bosnians, Palestinians, Moroccans, Venezuelans, and Colombians who left home not by choice but by necessity. Rather than statistics, the images offer human texture: children working, men warming themselves before attempting to cross, everyday survival and resilience. It closes on a faceless image, a clearing in the Darién Gap with an abandoned red garment, a quiet reminder that migration always leaves something behind
Santiago Botero is humanist, committed to social causes. Reporter photographer with experience in visual coverage of communities affected by violence and social movements in Spain, Argentina and Colombia. I consider critical vision and active participation in the realities of vulnerable sectors to be very important. Extremely interested in the post-Colombian armed conflict, migratory flows and indigenous culture. Originally from Pereira, Colombia. Until I was fifteen I lived and studied in my city. Then I moved to Barcelona, Spain. I studied high school and entered the University of Girona to do a Bachelor of Cultural Communication. At the same time, I studied a Higher Degree in digital photography at the Datecuenta communication school in Barcelona.
We Are The Future. by Alessia Borganti, Océane Cuisin, Bryan Di Luisa, Charlotte Willems
Videoinstallation
In a world where dystopias rule our narratives, our guts scream to be released from the weight of anxiety and hopelessness. In the face of a doomed world, many of us still dream of a better world. But how do we let out our hope from under the layers of fears, pressure, sadness, anger, perfectionism. To get to the other side, we must fight our demons.
We are a team of 4 multidisciplinary artists from Belgium, France and Italy, who met and worked together thanks to Rakonto. Through their artist residency and educational project on utopias, we could bring this piece of art to life.
Shared Vision
Foto
"Shared Vision" is an exhibition that questions the portrayal of migrants in the media. This initiative, led by the associations Rakonto (Pau, France) and LOGOS (Poznań, Poland), was carried out in Poland by 16 young people with a migration background who live in France and Poland.
Exchange Station
Here, old and new items, goods, and resources can be offered and exchanged free of charge – like a flea market, but without money.
Kaffee, Kuchen und Snackbar
Am Samstag und Sonntag stehen in der Kaffee, Kuchen und Snackbar kleine Köstlichkeiten auf Spendenbasis zur Verfügung
Bar
In der Bar im Haus des AZ Connie können Erfrischungsgetränke wie Limos oder Bier erworben werden.
Chill Area
We provide space for relaxation and unwinding, but also for getting to know each other and exchanging knowledge and experiences.
Email: politicalartdays@cambio-aktionswerkstatt.de
Instagram:
In cooperation with:
The Political Art Days 2026 are funded by:
Findest du unsere Arbeit gut und möchtest uns bei ihrer Umsetzung finanziell unterstützen,
freuen wir uns über deine Spende!
Nutzen Sie einfach PAYPAL um uns eine Spende zukommen zu lassen!
Drücken Sie einfach auf „Spenden“!
