
At the 13th Berlin Biennale, subtly revolutionary works can be found alongside poetically unambiguous ones. “passing the fugitive on” is the title of the 13th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, which finally opened last Friday (13.06.2025). A fitting title for the international exhibition, which is taking place at four main venues and just as many sister venues throughout the city, and is showing art of an exceptionally high political and poetic density. Almost all the works on display are united by revolutionary curiosity. Curator Zasha Colah took her cue from the urban fox — the very animal that moves fleetingly through Berlin. In the buildings of KW, the former margarine factory in Auguststrasse, visitors are led down into a room in which sandstone blocks are stacked to form a staircase. Margherita Moscardininumbers each stone, provides it with a certificate of authenticity, and thus questions ownership as a construction. Nearby, in the Sophiensælen, charcoal drawings scrape away at the history of the place, while right-wing slogans sound from a radio by Amol K. Patil until they silently disappear in smoke. Meanwhile, glowing chalk paintings by Larissa Araz hang in the Hamburger Bahnhof, and a fiery red banner by Gabriel Alarcón throws colonial power relations back onto the present.
In the vacant Moabit courthouse, there is not only art to discover, but also an unusual exhibition space. Among other things, a sarcastic cooking video by Helena Uambembe flickers there, kneading mud instead of dough, and discussing nation, origin, and memory. Much remains incidental. The exhibition wins the hearts of viewers through gentle restraint. In this spirit, the curator largely dispenses with big international names and focuses on the works themselves (even if art connoisseurs find many positions they are familiar with, such as the Berlin-based Hannah Höch or Gernot Wieland and the award-winning international star Steve McQueen). The supporting program includes readings, walks, and discussions that complement the overall artistic approach. It’s all about what you take away with you. Or what you pass on. And that is worthwhile.
Text: Hilka Dirks / Credits: Anawana Haloba, Looking for Mukamusaba – An Experimental Opera, 2024/25, installation view, 13. Berlin Biennale, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2025. Courtesy Anawana Haloba, Sammlung / Collection Hartwig Art Foundation, Photo: Marvin Systermans; Fredj Moussa, بلاد البربر , 2025; Jane Jin Kaisen, Wreckage, 2024.
13. Berlin Biennale
14.06.–14.09.2025. Find the full program here.
KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Auguststr.69, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Sophiensæle, Sophienstr.18, 10178 Berlin–Mitte; map
Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Invalidenstr.50, 10557 Berlin–Moabit; map
Ehemaliges Gerichtsgebäude Lehrter Straße, Lehrter Str.60, 10557 Berlin–Moabit; map
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