25 Years of C/O Berlin!

Marc Naroska, Ingo Pott, and I, Stephan Erfurt, founded C/O Berlin in 2000. Without any funding structure or institutional framework, we were united by a shared conviction that photography deserved a dedicated, central place of its own. This space wouldn’t be defined solely by the medium itself, but equally by compelling exhibition architecture and a carefully considered creative concept. Our goal was to create a space for people who love photography and moving images, driven by a holistic vision. From the very beginning, design, space, and content were inseparable. As founders, we each brought different professional backgrounds, from photography and design to architecture, and together shaped the way photography would be presented and understood. While it was impossible to predict then that C/O Berlin would grow into an internationally recognised exhibition venue, that vision was there from day one. »Never solve your problems by excuses«—a quote from Evelyn Hofer—has guided the institution ever since.

C/O Berlin launched its programme in 2000 with the exhibition ›Magnum°. Reflections on the World‹ at the former Postfuhramt. On view were iconic photographs from the agency Magnum Photos, bringing reportage, history, conflict and everyday life into focus. From the start, the emphasis lay on documentary work and positions with particular social relevance, long before the term ›visual literacy‹—that is, the ability to read, interpret and reflect on images—entered wider cultural conversation. The rooms at the Postfuhramt felt makeshift but charged with intense energy. Those who visited back then remember a striking closeness between the images, the space, and the audience.

Between 2001 and 2005, C/O Berlin was based on Linienstraße. Tucked into the Scheunenviertel district, the exhibition space felt smaller, more independent, more immediate. That period was defined by a strong focus on documentary photography, with works by Anton Corbijn and Barbara Klemm among others. The institution evolved into a space for encounters—with exhibitions, conversations, and a growing network. At the same time, the founding team became more firmly established, and the holistic approach behind the institution came into sharper focus. It was no longer just about exhibition architecture, but about shaping the architectural space as a whole. Ingo Pott renovated the building, designing and completing its distinctive roof. In 2006, actress Isabelle Huppert visited—an evening that perfectly captured C/O Berlin’s broader understanding of photography. We remember the Linienstraße years as a time when the institution, working with limited means but a clear vision, found both its footing and its position.

In 2006, C/O Berlin returned to the former Postfuhramt—a monumental nineteenth-century brick building that had stood empty for years. With its central location in Berlin-Mitte, expansive architecture, open forecourt and welcoming gesture towards Oranienburger Straße, the building felt as though it had always been meant for the public. For the first time, there was enough space for exhibitions, events and office work. Bit by bit, the site evolved into an exhibition venue with a thoughtful programme, growing visibility and a language of its own. In 2012, C/O Berlin presented the major survey exhibition ›Timeless Beauty‹, covering one hundred years of fashion photography, with works by Man Ray, Mario Testino, Herb Ritts and others. The show drew large crowds and marked a new stage in the institution’s development. C/O Berlin was increasingly seen as a key player in the city’s cultural life.

From day one, Marc Naroska, co-founder of C/O Berlin, has shaped the institution’s visual identity with conceptual rigour, clarity of design and a distinctive, recognisable image. Since then, more than 250 exhibitions and numerous educational formats have been held here and over ninety talents supported—but the visual identity has remained a defining feature. It doesn’t just complement or accompany the programme; it translates the institution’s values and attitude into form. To mark its twenty-fifth anniversary, C/O Berlin is presenting a survey of its design and curatorial work—an interplay of visual language and content development—across Berlin’s urban space and in the courtyard of the building.

In 2008, C/O Berlin showed an exhibition by French fashion designer agnès b. at the Postfuhramt. On view was her personal collection of photographic works between art, everyday observation and historical document. The exhibition exemplified the interdisciplinary approach that continues to shape C/O Berlin’s programme. Fashion was not treated as a theme, but made visible as an aesthetic perspective. In the years that followed, C/O Berlin continued to explore the relationship between fashion, photography and visual culture across a range of formats.

In 2010, C/O Berlin celebrated its tenth anniversary with the exhibition ›Magnum. Shifting Media. New Role of Photography‹. On view were iconic works spanning more than sixty years of Magnum Photos history—from Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson to Christopher Anderson and Donovan Wylie. The selection was intentionally focused, bringing together positions that had been particularly influential in shaping the institution. The show was a reflection not only the programme up to that point, but also of C/O Berlin’s curatorial stance; it stood as a clear expression of the institution’s aim: to widen the frame and make visible the wide spectrum of photographic expression.

In 2013, C/O Berlin began using the exterior of Amerika Haus for events, even before the official move to the new location had taken place. The poster exhibition ›Bourgeoisie, Swing and Molotov Cocktails‹ examined Amerika Haus as a historic site in transition—from a post-war symbol of political and cultural realignment, to a stage for local anti-American protests in the sixties. Even before the interior opened, C/O Berlin started opening up the building to the outside world, creating a tangible connection between photography and public space and opening a dialogue with the city.

In 2014, C/O Berlin moved into Amerika Haus, a building from the fifties with an international history, long used as a space for cultural encounters and exchange. The new location sits at the heart of City West, opening out into the urban landscape with a strong and clear presence. The opening exhibition ›Magnum . Contact Sheets‹ picked up the thread from the institution’s very first show in 2000, while also marking the beginning of a new chapter. Organised as a non-profit foundation since 2013, C/O Berlin expanded not only its physical space with the move, but also its structural capacity for curatorial concepts, educational formats, and organisational development. The institution continued to grow—while holding fast to its founding idea: that photography is not only to be exhibited, but to be negotiated in a wider social context.

In 2023, C/O Berlin presented a major retrospective of the work of the Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama. Considered pivotal in the history of post-war photography, his work has shaped the global understanding of street photography through its raw, immediate visual language. The exhibition was one of many that explore the city, perception, and visual fragmentation. As with every exhibition at C/O Berlin, the opening attracted large crowds. Open to all, these events are packed with visitors and have long become a fixture of the city’s cultural life, with DJ sets, conversations, drinks and an atmosphere that brings together Berliners of all ages.