The intersection of personal trauma and artistic expression often yields the most poignant narratives and for Berlin-based artist Reem Helou, that expression has taken the form of a graphic novel. Helou is currently processing her 2015 flight from Syria to Europe through a project titled Die Balkanroute (The Balkan Route), a work that blends the harrowing realities of migration with unexpected moments of humor. This visceral exploration of survival is now moving from the drawing board to the gallery, as the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin has integrated the project into a new exhibition.
The exhibition, titled “ErzählStoff” (The Stuff of Narrative – New Perspectives on Literature), showcases the evolution of Helou’s work and highlights the power of visual storytelling in documenting the refugee experience. By transforming documentary fragments into a cohesive graphic narrative, Helou provides a window into the psychological and physical toll of the migration journey, while refusing to strip her subjects—or herself—of their humanity and wit.
This collaboration is the result of a multidisciplinary effort involving the Institut für Museumsforschung, the Ethnologisches Museum / Museum für Asiatische Kunst, and the Excellence Cluster “Temporal Communities” (EXC 2020) at the Freie Universität Berlin. Through this partnership, the museum space becomes a site for discussing not only the art itself but the broader circulation of texts and images within the context of global migration movements.
Documenting the Undocumentable: The Genesis of ‘Die Balkanroute’
For many refugees, the journey is a blur of fear and uncertainty. However, Reem Helou, a scenographer and illustrator holding a Master of Fine Arts, took a different approach to her crossing in 2015. At the age of 29, as she navigated the perilous paths of the Balkan route, Helou utilized the tools at her disposal to archive her experience in real-time. She captured phone photographs, saved Google Maps screenshots, and scribbled short, urgent notes during the transition.
This raw, documentary material serves as the foundation for Die Balkanroute. Rather than relying solely on memory, which can be fragmented by trauma, Helou uses these digital and handwritten artifacts to ground her graphic novel in a tangible reality. The resulting work is described as a balance of “horror and humor,” utilizing gallows humor as a mechanism for processing the absurdity and terror of the experience—such as encounters with erratic smugglers or the surprising, hopeful scent of a fragrance inside a crowded refugee dinghy.
The use of the graphic novel medium allows Helou to visualize the internal and external conflicts of the journey in a way that traditional prose might not. By blending the documentary evidence of her phone and notes with illustrative storytelling, she creates a narrative that is both a personal memoir and a historical document of a specific era of global displacement.
Institutional Recognition and the ‘ErzählStoff’ Exhibition
The transition of Die Balkanroute from a private project to a museum exhibit began when Ursula Wallmeier, a librarian at the Institut für Museumsforschung, encountered Helou’s work. Impressed by the artist’s ability to document a period of extreme exception in her life, Wallmeier initiated a collaboration that placed Helou’s work at the center of a scholarly and artistic dialogue.
The exhibition “ErzählStoff” is not merely a display of art but a collaborative project designed to explore new perspectives on literature and narrative. By featuring the creation of Die Balkanroute, the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and the Excellence Cluster “Temporal Communities” are examining how graphic narratives function as essential tools for the Arab diaspora to reclaim their stories and circulate them within European institutional spaces.
The project emphasizes the role of the artist as a witness. By presenting the sketches and the process of the graphic novel’s development, the exhibition invites viewers to consider how the act of drawing can be a form of survival and a method of reclaiming agency over one’s own history.
Key Takeaways: Reem Helou’s Artistic Journey
- Source Material: The graphic novel is based on real-time documentation, including Google Maps screenshots and phone photos taken during Helou’s 2015 flight from Syria.
- Thematic Contrast: The work intentionally balances horror with gallows humor to process the trauma of the Balkan route.
- Institutional Support: The project is featured in the “ErzählStoff” exhibition, a collaboration between the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin.
- Multilingual Vision: Helou intends to publish the work in German, Arabic, and English to reach a global audience.
- Current Status: The artist is currently on a presentation tour and seeking a publisher to bring the work to print.
Beyond the Gallery: The Future of the Narrative
While the museum exhibition provides a prestigious platform for Die Balkanroute, the project’s ultimate goal is publication. Helou is currently refining the German version of the book and is actively seeking a publishing house. To ensure the project’s realization, a second “Start-Next” crowdfunding campaign has been launched to secure the necessary resources for production.
The ambition for the project extends beyond a single language; Helou intends for the graphic novel to be released in Arabic and English as well. This multilingual approach underscores the global nature of the migration crisis and the desire to communicate these experiences back to the communities from which the refugees fled, as well as to a wider international audience.
The academic community has also taken a keen interest in the work. The intersection of visual art and migratory sociology is being explored through a series of events accompanying the exhibition, focusing on how “graphic storytelling” serves as a unique form of visual narrative for those in the diaspora.
Upcoming Event: Graphic Narratives of Migration Round Table
As part of the ongoing dialogue surrounding the “ErzählStoff” exhibition and the research conducted at the Forschungscampus Dahlem, a specialized round table discussion has been scheduled. This event will delve deeper into the circulation of texts and images in migratory contexts, specifically focusing on Arab diaspora literature.
The round table, titled “Graphic Narratives of Migration,” will feature Reem Helou alongside scholar Dr. Rasha Chatta from the Freie Universität Berlin. The discussion will be moderated by Prof. Dr. Jasmin Wrobel of the Freie Universität Berlin and the EXC 2020 “Temporal Communities” cluster.
Event Details:
- Date: June 11, 2026
- Time: 06:00 PM
- Location: Forschungscampus Dahlem, Lansstraße 8, 14195 Berlin
- Admission: Free
This event represents a critical checkpoint for the project, moving the conversation from the visual display of the museum to a theoretical and practical discussion about the role of the artist in documenting the migrant experience.
The journey of Die Balkanroute—from the frantic notes taken on a smartphone in 2015 to a curated exhibition in one of Berlin’s most prestigious museum complexes—mirrors the journey of the refugee themselves: a transition from survival to stability, and finally, to the power of storytelling. As Reem Helou continues her search for a publisher, her work stands as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring necessity of art in the face of adversity.
The next confirmed milestone for the project is the “Graphic Narratives of Migration” round table on June 11, 2026, in Berlin.
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