PAN

CCA Berlin is pleased to present Berlin-based artist Yalda Afsah’s solo exhibition PAN. Following her recent documentary portraits exploring the layered complexities of human-animal relations, the German-Iranian filmmaker now turns her lens toward the charged, idiosyncratic dynamics of communal practices. In her latest film PAN (2026), Afsah’s camera hovers above, around, and in between practitioners performing the annual ritual of Paneurhythmy in the Rila Mountains of Bulgaria—a spiritual tradition that began in the early 20th century. Following the pattern of the sun’s rise and fall, Paneurhythmy combines music, synchronized movements, and rhythmic gestures intended to attune participants’ bodies and minds to the "cosmic energy" of the surrounding landscape, promoting a harmonic connection between human and nature. In meeting this world, Afsah’s lens is non-judgmental. Her shots reveal an attentive curiosity—one that captures the hypnotic allure of the ritual without being didactic or feigning objectivity. By isolating gestures, modulating speed, and emphasizing individual movements within the collective, the work heightens the tension between ritual, landscape, and group formation. A composed soundtrack further shifts the viewer's perception, inviting reflection on how communal practices forge meaning and connection—and how they can appear beautiful or, at times, unsettling.