Paradies (Paradise)

As part of Berlin Art Week 2025, the exhibition ›Paradies‹ will open at the Stiftung Kunstforum Berliner Volksbank on 10 SEP. In it, contemporary artist and curator Christian Thoelke explores urban scenes from the Kunstsammlung der Berliner Volksbank. He sees them as an expression and testimony of subjective world views within a culturally and politically divided Germany. Thoelke juxtaposes these works with his own works of deserted architecture from the GDR. Based on his personal experiences, the East Berlin artist reflects on the profound change in his living environment after reunification. He traces the loss of significance of these spaces as well as the conflicts and potentials of social upheaval.

The exhibition offers a multi-layered view of the urban landscape as a mirror of individual and collective transformation and builds a bridge to the present day: what processes of change is our society undergoing today and how do we experience them—as silent observers or active co-creators?

›Paradies‹ runs until 7 DEC and rounds off the 40th anniversary of the Stiftung Kunstforum Berliner Volksbank and the Kunstsammlung der Berliner Volksbank.