Berlin Biennale 2016, photo: Timo Ohler *

This summer seems to be the perfect time to discover new art and cultural exhibitions in Berlin. It’s not Gallery Weekend, it’s not Art Week either, yet there are still so many interesting exhibitions going on worth checking out. Of course the biggest one of all of them is the current edition of the Berlin Biennale that takes place at multiple venues all over central Berlin. This year’s concept of the acclaimed exhibition is quite controversial, the more reason for us to go and check it out! But we also have a brand new private art collection in town that follows in the footsteps of the me Collectors Room and the Collection Boros at the former Bunker. This one found a new home in the former Konzulat, a place that will be dearly missed but is now filled with new life. For a less high-concept, more down-to-earth kind of exhibition we recommend the #LiveThere Haus, an exhibition by visual artist collective 44flavours from Berlin who took over the Hallesches Haus for a few days next week. This and much more in our new Berlin exhibition highlights guide for the summer of 2016. Enjoy!

Berlin Biennale

The Berlin Biennale has always had highly conceptual approaches to their curatorial program, but this time there dared to do something quite progressive. Instead of established curators they invited the collective behind the DIS Magazine, who address not just art but also design and fashion in their work. The art world was of course shocked by this choice, but what would the art world be without a little shaking up, right? The exhibition that spans several locations over town including the KW Institute, the Akadamie der Künste and a boat on the Spree has the provocative title “The Present in Drag” and takes a look at many aspects of our current social developments and contradictions with nods to white washing, digital narcissism, hyper-capitalism, and the economy of happiness.

9th Berlin Biennale, various locations, June 4 – September 18, 2016

Installation view of Ewaipanoma (Rihanna), 2016, Courtesy Juan Sebastián Peláez, photo: Timo Ohler

#LiveThere Haus Berlin

For their global project #LiveThere home sharing platform Airbnb commissioned local artist duo 44Flavours to create a unique experience here in Berlin. They took over the Hallesches Haus in Kreuzberg from July 14-17, 2016, to create an interactive exhibition that incorporates several colorful aspects of the city into a 3dimensional installation that shows the difference between mass tourism and individual travelers. The exhibition will be accompanied by a program of activities that brings together local creatives and experts with the visitors simulating the experience that travelers have when discovering Berlin like a local. On 4 days there will be talks, workshops, concerts and small events with our fellow bloggers from Stil in Berlin, This is Jane Wayne, Fabian Hart, Little Years, Berlin Food Stories and the amazing Instagramer and Photographer Ezgi Polat. More details about the program can be found here.

Hallesches Haus, Tempelhofer Ufer 1, 10961 Berlin-Kreuzberg

“#LiveThere Haus Berlin” presented by Airbnb, Open July 14-17, 2016, Thu-Fri 8-22h, Sat-Sun 10-22h

44Flavours, photo: Nikita Teryoshin

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Julia Stoschek Collection

Art collector Julia Stoschek from Düsseldorf took over the former Czechoslovakian Cultural Institute at Leipziger Straße to show parts of her private collection of media art here in Berlin. Some of you might know the location from 2014/15 from several events and parties when the place was called Konzulat. Now the art collector has taken over at least until the end of the year, possibly longer. In the first exhibition “Welt am Draht” shows relatively recent work from young contemporary artists – mostly video work – so you should bring a bit of time for you visit. Most notably are the presented works by visual artist Britta Thie that deals with the aesthetics and ethics of commercials – we presented her webseries Translantics that was commissioned by the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt last year here on the blog.

Julia Stoschek Collection, Leipziger Strasse 60 (entrance via Jerusalemer Straße), D 10117 Berlin-Mitte

Exhibition “Welt am Draht”, June 2 – September 18, 2016, Open Thu-Sun 14-20h

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UdK & Weißensee Graduate Exhibitions

The graduate exhibitions of the art students of Universität der Künste and Kunsthochschule Weißensee are always quite spectacular and a total must-see for us. The UdK Rundgang takes place from July 22-24. You can see the artworks in the open studios at Hardenbergstraße 33. Of course the opening night with the party in the beautiful backyard should not be missed!

UdK Rundgang, Hardenbergstraße 33, 10623 Berlin-Charlottenburg

Open July 22-24, 2016, Fri 13-22h, Sat 11-22h, Sun 11-20h

The Weißensee school is opening this year’s graduates exhibition titled “Durchbruch” at the awesome Kaufhaus Jandorf at Brunnenstraße in Mitte. It’s opening on July 15 and runs until July 28, 2016.

Kaufhaus Jandorf, Brunnenstr. 19-21, 10119 Berlin-Mitte

Exhibition “Durchbruch”, Open July 16-28, 2016, 14-19h

artwork: Constanze Hein, Angélica Lizarazo, Henning Wagenbreth

photo: Bjoern Wilck / UdK

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Kris Martin at St. Agnes

The König Galerie, the gallery with the most stunning venue in town – a former brutalist church – has a history of using its amazing space with the high ceilings of the chapel for quite spectacular exhibitions and huge artworks, my favorite one still the solo show of Katharina Grosse from last year. On July 15, 2016, the galerie opens for the new show of conceptual artist Kris Martin from Belgium who is known to use all kinds of existing objects, symbols, and systems as his material for his art to express things that go beyond their original meaning. We are very excited to see what he will show at St. Agnes. The preview picture of a stylized gothic church already is a hint that the work might be sight-specific.

König Galerie, St. Agnes, Alexandrinenstr. 118–121, 10969 Berlin-Kreuzberg

Kris Martin, Opens July 15, 18-21h, runs until August 14, 2016, Tue-Sun 11-18h

artwork: Kris Martin

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* Cover photo: Installation view of View of Pariser Platz, 2016; courtesy Jon Rafman; Future Gallery, Berlin; photo: Timo Ohler

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