Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
July 2025
Painting “The End of Nowhere” by Paris Giachoustidis, 2023
The End of Nowhere, Paris Giachoustidis, 2023.
Historical Context
The End of Nowhere (English: The End of Nowhere) is a painting by the artist Paris Giachoustidis. The work is part of a series dedicated to the themes of dreams and longings, and was first shown in 2023 at Giachoustidis’ first solo exhibition Paris in Wonderland at the Kornfeld Gallery in Berlin. In 2024, the work was again displayed at The Space in Hamburg – where it was also sold for the first time.
The dreamily romantic, yet melancholic image depicts a young man on a foreign world, gazing at a distant, Earth-like sphere. His name is Paris; according to the artist, it is a self-portrait. He is leaving a destroyed planet because it is too late to save it. This scene symbolically represents migration movements triggered by war, environmental disasters, or economic crises. Such developments, the artist notes, are often recognized too late – forcing people to flee, often without knowing what to expect.
Giachoustidis refers to specific historical events that have influenced the work, clearly illustrating how diverse the causes of migration can be. For instance, he mentions the devastating wildfires in California, where climate change plays a central role. These fires, peaking in 2020, destroyed living spaces and forced entire communities to relocate – something that is now referred to as environmental migration. He also cites the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 2022, which forced millions to flee. Furthermore, his own migration story is included. As a Greek immigrant in Germany, he comes from a country that has been affected by a profound economic crisis.
Jörg Schulz (Foundation DAH), Paris Giachoustidis, and Dr. Simone Blaschka (Director of the DAH) in front of the painting “The End of Nowhere”, May 19, 2025.
Thanks to the generous funding from the Foundation Deutsches Auswandererhaus, it was possible to acquire this work for the special exhibition Enticing Space. Emigrating to the Moon, Mars, Venus?, which will be shown from July 4, 2025, to January 7, 2026.
Short biography
Paris Giachoustidis was born in 1990 in Serres, Greece, and has lived in Berlin since 2015. He studied art at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and at the Berlin Weissensee School of Art, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In 2017, he received the art prize of the Gallery Haus am Kleistpark. In his artistic practice, he processes historical and contemporary themes in realistic drawings and paintings. His works are influenced by the aesthetics of the 1990s, the early internet era, and the Young British Artists.
Meaning of the object
What do we dream of when we look at the stars? What remains when ‘home’ is no longer a safe place? What do we take into the unknown? Questions like these are at the heart of our special and permanent exhibition. The End of Nowhere addresses them directly and gives our exploration of migration – also with an eye on future migration into space – emotional and existential depth.
The person on the foreign planet conveys what such a journey might feel like. Migration often represents hope and new beginnings, but it also means alienation and loss – experiences that many emigrants have shared throughout all times and places. The tensions – between departure and uncertainty – apply not only to earthly borders. They could just as well apply to life beyond our planet. Could a shared journey – an act of collective migration – bring humanity closer together in the face of planetary migration? The artist dreams of it.
The work cannot be clearly interpreted. It invites viewers to bring their own stories and questions: Where does this scene take place? What does this man dream of? Is he looking back at Earth – or forward, towards something new? For some, the Earth-like planet symbolizes a lost home that is remembered with longing. For others – a better future. Perhaps some recognize themselves in the feeling of being foreign – or find comfort in solitude. As the artist conveys, there is no ‘right’ way to understand this image – it is abstract and everything depends on our personal experiences. One thing is certain: The End of Nowhere is less about providing answers and more about asking questions.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de