Berlin-based Lebanese artists Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué use Bertolt Brecht’s testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee as a starting point for their exploration of history, fascism and exile. Brecht was forced to flee Germany in 1933, landing in the United States in 1941; he stayed until 1949, and left the day after his HUAC hearing.

On the Term of Exile

By Bertolt Brecht, translated from the German by Adam Kirsch

No need to drive a nail into the wall
To hang your hat on;
When you come in, just drop it on the chair
No guest has sat on.

Don’t worry about watering the flowers—
In fact, don’t plant them.
You will have gone back home before they bloom,
And who will want them?

If mastering the language is too hard,
Only be patient;
The telegram imploring your return
Won’t need translation.

Remember, when the ceiling sheds itself
In flakes of plaster,
The wall that keeps you out is crumbling too,
As fast or faster.