Orhun Mersin (b. Izmir) is a Berlin-based transdisciplinary researcher and artist working at the intersection of academia, exhibitions, nightlife, and theaters, often under the stage name kekik.
Trained as a contemporary dancer and holding a bachelor's degree in computer science, they have been part of the research platform New Practice in Art and Technology at TU–UdK Berlin, supported by a scholarship from Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft. Their practice is rooted in dance, contortion, a critical engagement with AI technologies as performative rather than neutral tools, and an exploration of "dragging" as a methodology: pulling fragments across contexts to break narratives, and open up queer futures. They often combine this with diasporic archive materials from Turkey's and Germany's 1980s–2000s. Lately, they have been a research fellow at the University of Freiburg.
Artistic & Professional Work
2025–26University of Freiburg, Imaging Memory and Consolidation Lab — Research Fellow
2025Ausland Berlin, All The Rivers Residency — Choreographer for "pre:submission" by an*dre neely, Melanie Sien Min Lyn, Frieder Miller
2025Sophiensæle, Berlin — "Apocalypso" by Justin F. Kennedymore
2025HEK Basel, Attention Is All I Need curated by Jonny-Bix Bongers — "Dragging Banu Alkan"more
2025KW Berlin, New Practice — "The Imaginary Intelligence (I.I.)" w/ Nani Gutiérrezmore
2025HGB Leipzig, (Un)Learning Digitalities Symposium — Workshop: "Unlearning and Dragging: Speculative practices within AI" w/ Yağmur Uçkunkayamore
2025OnCurating Academy, Berlin — Workshop: "Fantasizing through drag, dreaming with deepfakes"more
2025University of Europe of Applied Sciences, Berlin — Workshop on drag in drag
2024/25NEOLA Art Projects x İç İçe Festival, Köln; Kaynaş Club, Amsterdam — "kekik x kimyon"more
2024/25re:festival Nürnberg; DOCK11 Berlin — "Attitude" by Tomi Paasonenmore
2024Kunstverein Heidelberg; Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin — "Bitches on their Deen" w/ Anna Ehrensteinmore
2024Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin; Schauspiel Dortmund — "Project O" w/ Anthony Hüseyin
2024Factory Berlin — Panelist at "DIGITAL MIRRORS"
2023/24Ars Electronica Linz; b-Seite Festival Mannheim — "OceanFlight" by Jonny-Bix Bongersmore
2024Ars Electronica Linz; UdK Berlin — "Ex-Human"more
2023/24b3 Biennale Frankfurt; Ars Electronica Linz; Factory Berlin; UdK Berlin — "Smile to Play"more
2022–23Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz (DFKI), Speech and Language Technology group — Guest Researcher
2022DOCKdigital, DOCK 11 Berlin — "Cell Farming"more
2022TU Berlin & Empiria Theatre Zagreb — Researcher in "Future of Performing Arts with XR Technologies"
2021–22Augmented Robotics Berlin — Game Developer
Education
2022–25UdK Berlin & TU Berlin — M.A. Design and Computation
2018–23TU Berlin — B.Sc. Computer Science
2016–18Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts, Istanbul — State Conservatory for Contemporary Dance
Stipends
2019–25Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft (sdw)
2024STIBET I - Grant for master's thesis
2018Deutschlandstipendium