A Malayali artist residing in Germany, Sajan Mani, has come forward with alarming allegations of a racial attack that took place in the country. The incident unfolded on a Thursday when an unidentified assailant targeted Sajan, resulting in a serious head injury. Currently, Sajan Mani is hospitalized at St. Marien Hospital in the aftermath of this violent assault.
According to Sajan’s account of the incident, the attack occurred as he and a fellow artist were waiting for a bus near his studio on the outskirts of Berlin. He described the attacker as wielding a crutch and pointed it menacingly at them. In an attempt to avoid any confrontation, Sajan and his friend moved away from the aggressor. However, in a shocking turn of events, the assailant struck Sajan forcefully in the back of his head, causing him to collapse. The attacker continued to pursue Sajan, who managed to crawl to the other side of the road. Law enforcement swiftly intervened, and Sajan was transported to the hospital in an ambulance, where he received 30 stitches on his head and a few on his ear. Fortunately, there was no damage to his brain.
In a video shared by Sajan on his way to the hospital, he shed light on the unfortunate reality faced by migrant artists in Germany, emphasizing that such incidents are distressingly commonplace. He revealed that while this incident was particularly horrific, he has encountered racial attacks on multiple occasions, even from ticket examiners while using public transportation. Sajan’s experience echoes the struggles faced by several artists, particularly those of Black or Brown backgrounds, who have endured racial attacks in both public and private settings, sparking discussions on this pressing issue.
Determined to seek justice, Sajan expressed his intention to take legal action in response to the attack.
Sajan Mani is a prominent figure in the art world, having received the Berlin Art Prize in 2021 and serving as a recent fellow at the Max Planck Institute. His work has long focused on subaltern themes, and in the past, he curated an art project titled “Wake up calls for my Ancestors,” which drew from colonial archives featuring South Indian photographs housed in the Ethnological Museum in Berlin.
Sajan’s artistic journey has encompassed participation in international biennales, festivals, exhibitions, and residencies, including notable events like The INHABIT at Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (2022), Galerie Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Concordia University (2021-22), and Lokame Tharavadu by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (2021).
In recognition of his talent and dedication, Sajan received the Prince Claus Mentorship Award and was named Breakthrough Artist of the Year by the Hello India Art Awards in 2022. Between 2019 and 2022, he secured artistic research grants from the Berlin Senate, a Fine Arts Scholarship from Braunschweig Projects, and the Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowship in Germany.
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