Curated RouteDiscovering Dahlem’s Artistic Landscape
Venturing beyond the inner city to the leafy, residential Dahlem district in the South is well worth the trip. Dahlem offers a host of art venues with colourful histories, as well as architectural gems and the expansive green spaces of the Botanical Gardens and Grunewald forest that make the commute particularly rewarding.
Start with Haus am Waldsee, a 1920s villa-turned-art centre surrounded by 250,000 trees and lakes, such as Krumme Lanke and Schlachtensee—ideal spots for a relaxing walk or swim. Opening on 11 September, the venue showcases ›This Causes Consciousness to Fracture – A Puppet Play‹, an exhibition directed as a play by multidisciplinary artist Gisèle Vienne, whose body of work examines themes of adolescence and counterculture. While at Haus am Waldsee, don’t miss its picturesque sculpture garden, and take a moment to enjoy a quick bite at the cozy in-house café.
On the opposite end of Argentinische Allee is Fluentum, a private contemporary art institution focused on time-based media such as film and video. Located in a building that once served as a Nazi-era German Air Force facility and later as the U.S. Army headquarters, Fluentum has been transformed by Sauerbruch Hutton into an exhibition space and home to the art collection of its founder, Markus Hannebauer. During Berlin Art Week, Fluentum presents Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff’s exhibition ›Theater‹, reflecting on live performance in times of radical change and marking the start of a durational film set at the New Theater Hollywood, a venue run by the artist duo in Los Angeles.
Just a short stroll away, you’ll find Bastian Gallery, in a minimalist cube designed by architect and photographer John Pawson. Founded in 1989, the gallery is internationally renowned for its presentations of modern, post-war, and contemporary art. On 13 September, it unveils Andreas Mühe’s solo exhibition, showcasing new photographic works that delve into modern and recent German history.
End the tour at a historic building further south, The Kunsthaus of the Achim Freyer Foundation, housing an impressive collection of over 2,300 pieces of Outsider Art, Naive Art, and Art Brut, among others. Its gallery presents ›Bilder I setzen, stellen, legen‹, an exhibition in motion where up to 100 of Freyer’s recent works are displayed in ever-changing constellations, kicking off a series of shows celebrating the artist and theatre director’s ninetieth birthday. The best days to visit are 14 and 15 September, when the Foundation hosts Open House events featuring free tours of the collection and film screenings about Freyer’s work.
Information on the accessibility of the respective institutions can be found under Locations.