Curated RouteContemporary Art in Berlin’s East
On this route from Friedrichshain to Hellersdorf, contemporary art meets the distinctive aesthetics of the former GDR. Start at Karl-Marx-Allee, East Berlin’s grand socialist boulevard linking Alexanderplatz to Friedrichshain, and journey all the way to the Gardens of the World, a lush public park on the city’s outskirts.
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Start by exploring two neighbouring galleries housed in some of Karl-Marx-Allee’s most iconic buildings. For Mikołaj Sobczak’s exhibition, ›Le Boudoir de l’Amour‹, Capitain Petzel’s large glass facade and multiple gallery levels are transformed into a theatrical setting. Featuring scenographic spaces with puppets, furniture, wood carvings and paintings, the show is dedicated to legendary meeting places of queer communities, revolutionaries and resistance movements. Nearby at Plan B, which focuses on Romanian art, you can view new works from Iulia Nistor’s ›Evidence Paintings‹ series alongside related text-based pieces.
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Next, stop at Halle am Berghain, where LAS Art Foundation—an organisation working at the intersection of art, new technology, and science—presents Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s ›The Soul Station‹. Staged within an amphitheatre constructed inside the former power plant and next to the famous techno club, the artist’s newly commissioned video game unfolds in two parts, with the second scheduled to launch on 13 September. Through game-based installations and fictional universes, you’re invited to explore your ethical, political, and moral decision-making while considering the broader structures and histories of marginalisation. Before your next stop, unwind at Michelberger Restaurant with a fresh, seasonal dish made from local produce, or enjoy a drink at the cosy Michelberger Café & Bar.
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Go further east to Fahrbereitschaft in Lichtenberg, where the haubrok foundation presents David Zink Yi’s solo exhibition and the group show ›The Day Before Sewn Into Sleep‹, along with a brand new sculpture garden. Fahrbereitschaft is a well-preserved industrial yard with buildings from the nineteen-fifties, formerly used as the GDR’s hub for the department of transportation. Not to be missed is the summer festival on 15 September, featuring performances by David Zink Yi and Dorky Park, music by Sun-Young Nam and Paul Hübner, a book fair by Cabinet and K-Verlag, and an outdoor cinema with a film programme curated by Florian Zeyfang. Additionally, Ilit Azoulay will guide visitors through her research and present her current artistic project.
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To fully immerse yourself in East Germany’s history, be sure to visit station urbaner kulturen / nGbK Hellersdorf, an art space where artists and residents of the GDR’s last prefabricated housing district meet and work. During Berlin Art Week, the venue hosts ›An den Rändern taumelt das Glück‹, a group exhibition featuring over 360 documentary, artistic, and staged works by thirty-seven photographers, capturing scenes from the late GDR to the upheaval of the early nineties.
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For your final stop, visit the opening of the exhibition ›Achim Freyer Bilder – Eine Retrospektive‹ at Schloss Biesdorf, the municipal gallery of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, located in a late-classicist villa. This retrospective is the first to showcase Achim Freyer’s artworks from over seventy years, on such a large scale. Beginning with his most recent works, the exhibition traces back to Freyer’s early days in East Berlin, revealing the key stages of his extraordinary artistic career. Wrap up the tour with a sweet treat and specialty coffee in the charming historic setting of Café Schloss Biesdorf, and enjoy the views from its terrace.
Information on the accessibility of the respective institutions can be found under Locations.