During Berlin Art Week 2026, Ersan Mondtag and Nadim Samman stage a Berlin vanitas within the Gemäldegalerie, engaging in dialogue with living and deceased old masters. At the same time, Dittrich & Schlechtriem presents ›Dispair‹, Ersan Mondtag’s first solo exhibition at the gallery, opening during Gallery Night on SEP 10.
Do you have a daily ritual that gives you structure or inspiration?
Turkish coffee (often at my sister’s café in Neukölln), fresh fruit, then emails. In that order. Anything else would be uncivilised.
What would you do if time, money, and other resources were no object?
I’d build a crooked building right in the middle of Berlin and make all the ugly buildings around it disappear. It would combine a museum, cemetery and nightclub. The most beautiful place in the city. One day, the people who have shaped my life would be buried there. And eventually, so would I. Downstairs, there’d be a huge club with a darkroom. The club would be the heart of the cemetery.
Has there been a book that fundamentally changed your perspective—and why would you recommend it?
The books of Édouard Louis, because they reveal just how brutally origins and desire can intertwine.
What do you wish you had known earlier?
A lot of things. But hindsight always makes you wiser, doesn’t it?
Where do you recharge your batteries?
Walking through Berlin and at the queer bar Ficken3000. Unfortunately, I have far too little time for the latter.
Is there a work of art you would love to have in your home?
I recently bought works by very young artists, mostly people I’ve met personally. I prefer that to any icon.
Which exhibition venue in Berlin inspires you?
The Neue Nationalgalerie, KW Institute for Contemporary Art and, of course, the Gemäldegalerie—three completely different institutions and collections (OK, KW doesn’t have a collection of its own, but puts on brilliant exhibitions), each with its own way of engaging with time.
What fascinates you about Berlin?
That the world meets here.
What’s one item you couldn’t live without?
My sunglasses. Sometimes they’re like an invisibility cloak—at least that’s what I tell myself.
What keeps you going?
Music. I love Bach, but right now I’m also listening to Ikkimel, who seems genuinely very funny and empowering.
Which personality would you like to have a conversation with—and what would you talk about?
My younger self. I’d tell him just how much you can achieve with a Turkish name.
What do you look forward to when your working day comes to an end?
My friends are always taking me somewhere. I love discovering something new along the way.