Curated RouteContemporary Art in Mitte’s Historic Venues
Though it begins right next to the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin’s most visited landmark, this route promises to forgo typical sightseeing. As you navigate the busy streets of Mitte, you’ll come across some of the city’s most iconic art venues and discover lesser-known local favourites. With three award shows, the route also highlights artists to watch in 2024 and beyond.
The first stop, Akademie der Künste at Pariser Platz, presents a solo exhibition by Candida Höfer, the Käthe Kollwitz Prize 2024 winner. Höfer’s large-format photographs of public and semi-public spaces explore how people are steered, directed, or held back by architecture. The award ceremony takes place on 13 September and marks the opening of the show.
Continuing a focus on photography, the next stop is ›Labor Lab‹, an exhibition of Sarah Ancelle Schönfeld’s new experimental photo series at Schering Stiftung. Translating internal bodily processes into a visual form, ›Labor Lab‹ provides an aesthetic access point to the debates around control mechanisms of female reproduction.
Next, visit Palais Populaire, which presents a solo exhibition of works by Rohini Devasher, Deutsche Bank’s ›Artist of the Year‹ for 2024. Highlighting Devasher’s long-standing engagement with astronomy, ›Borrowed Light‹ considers how astronomers use visible objects to understand invisible phenomena. For a quick refreshment, stop at the in-house café and restaurant LePopulaire, where you can choose between sweet delicacies and hearty meals.
Across the street is Schinkel Pavillon, an iconic monument of GDR architecture, where art is regularly showcased in dialogue with the space. Opening on 11 September, an exhibition of Sigmar Polke’s seminal works from the 1960s to 2000s addresses themes of militarisation and war, and reflects on the medium of the image in the mass-media context.
A short commute South brings you to Julia Stoschek Foundation (JSF). Featuring works by Laurel Halo, Philippe Parreno, and Anicka Yi, among others, the group exhibition ›After Images‹ expands beyond the image-based practices like film and video, for which JSF is best known, to explore the haptic and multisensory. Additionally, as part of the ›Double Feature‹ series showcasing emerging artists, JSF presents works by Theodoulos Polyviou.
Across the street is Kvost – Kunstverein Ost, supporting contemporary art from Central and Eastern Europe and artists shaped by the Eastern Bloc. Starting 11 September, Kvost presents an exhibition by Magdalena Ciemierkiewicz, the 2024 Claus Michaletz Prize recipient. The show delves into the culture of the Ukrainian-Polish border region, exploring forgotten and repressed histories at the intersection of national, religious, and ethnic identities. Before your last art venue of the route, head to beets&roots at Potsdamer Platz—a fast-casual restaurant serving healthy, flavourful food like bowls, salads, wraps, and soups.
Finally, Gropius Bau—the host of this year’s ›BAW Garten‹—opens its doors as the central meeting point for the festival week. Under the curatorial helm of Jenny Schlenzka, it transforms into a hub of encounters and creative exchange, starting with Rirkrit Tiravanija’s exhibition, ›Das Glück Ist Nicht Immer Lustig (Happiness is not Always Fun)‹. The opening on 11 September features a Thai cooking session by Thaipark, followed by Phuong-Dan’s DJ set on Tiravanija’s ›demo station‹—a stage-like sculpture that plays with multiple meanings of the term “demonstration”. During the exhibition, ›demo station‹ provides a platform for daily public performances. Additionally, Gropius Bau invites visitors to ›BAUBAU: A Play Space for Kids‹, a permanent installation where children can play freely under the supervision of specialised educators.
Information on the accessibility of the respective institutions can be found under Locations.