Curated RouteAn Art Journey Along the Spree
Resonating with the recent efforts to make the Spree more accessible and clean, this tour follows the river from Berlin’s key institutions and landmarks in the West to the newly transformed, art-infused areas in the East. Discover the city’s storied past and cutting-edge present as you journey along the stream.
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Start by exploring ›Forgive Us Our Trespasses‹, a group exhibition that extends from the exhibition halls of Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) to Tiergarten and along the Spree, drawing on various narratives of German history after 1945. Launching on 13 September, the show invites artists, scholars, activists, and others to deliberate on varying narratives of trespassing as a means of resistance. At HKW’s Weltwirtschaft restaurant and beer garden by the Spree, enjoy a quick bite and a drink while taking in views of the river.
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In the Red Salon of the Bauakademie, you’ll find Fluss Bad Berlin’s ›50 Für Bad Berlin‹, an exhibition featuring works by artists and architects such as Rosa Barba, Elmgreen & Dragset, Simon Fujiwara, Katharina Grosse, Sauerbruch Hutton, and Haegue Yang, among others, who support the reconquest of the Spree as a natural resource for the city and its inhabitants. Donated works can also be purchased on 12 September at the auction. The project is part of Fluss Bad Berlin’s initiative to make swimming possible in the Spree.
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Cross the Kupfergraben canal to Museum Island, where you’ll find Kewenig—a gallery housed in a 1688 building, counted among Berlin’s oldest remaining townhouses—which presents a group exhibition titled ›Arcadia‹. Another short walk across the Spree canal will take you to Die Möglichkeit einer Insel, a project space located in a gutted prefab GDR building. To mark its five-year anniversary and the debut exhibition held during Berlin Art Week 2019, founder Stephanie Kloss presents ›Modell und Wirklichkeit‹, a group show exploring the architectural and social aspects of utopia, as well as its abstract implementation into reality.
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Following the river down to Kreuzberg, you’ll reach Between Bridges, a non-profit exhibition space founded by Wolfgang Tillmans. It hosts the first survey of Mark Barker’s multifaceted practice, which explores the experiences of living alone in a body, its mechanics, and its limits. Barker treats the architecture of the exhibition space as a living, breathing entity, and alters its internal structure. The show also features works by Keith Vaughan and Ramsay Dyke McClure, created during their time in rural Essex before the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in Britain in 1967.
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Nearby, Ephra presents projects and exhibitions that centre the perspective of children. For Berlin Art Week, it brings a diverse program to Köpihaus, with workshops, exhibitions, and interactive stations. Its creative lab ›On Connection‹ invites visitors of all ages to explore Ephra House at Zeughof, engaging with artworks by Stella Geppert, David Krippendorff, Lerato Shadi, and others. Various stations and workshops offer opportunities to play, dream, and gather ideas for a collective future. Take a brief stroll around the block and relax at Richard Bistro, where you can savour a Mediterranean menu in the superbly designed interior of a Kreuzberg Altbau.
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For an out-of-the-ordinary, meditative experience, visit Reethaus, a space for creative encounters that draws inspiration from ancient temples and natural formations, located at the site of historic Weimar-era river baths. During Berlin Art Week, it presents ›Silt‹ by Ona Julija Lukas Steponaitytė, Iida Jonsson, and Ssi Saarinen. This site-specific audiovisual installation focuses on a lake that appeared in 2012 outside of Likančiai, Lithuania, depicting a landscape undergoing rapid mutation. A polyphonic soundtrack by Alexander Iezzi, spatialised by Monom, lends a new perspective to this latter-day natural feature.
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Conclude your tour at MaHalla, an industrial venue in the revitalised Oberschöneweide district, now home to artist studios and recreational spaces. The five-day art show and festival, ›MaHallaOpen – Together‹, features twelve curators and curatorial teams presenting works by around 100 artists. With artists free to take over the space, expect an eclectic and boundary-pushing program.
Information on the accessibility of the respective institutions can be found under Locations.