What separates and what connects two artistic positions when almost a century lies between them? In the double opening of the Berlinische Galerie, the staging of supposedly invisible stories meets the big stage of the present. Model, photographer, and director Marta Astfalck-Vietz could do it all. In the dazzling and turbulent 1920s, she created a body of work in which self-staging was the central motif, without the works revolving around her alone. Female identity, gender roles, and stereotypes are central themes in her artistic practice. To this end, she stages herself and others, with sequins, wigs, or without any clothes at all. Sometimes sensitive and thought-provoking, often humorous and raunchy. “Staged Self” is the name of the show, and the title fits. On display are her photos, including those from her long-standing friendship and collaboration with Heinz Hajek-Halke, her lesser-known watercolors of plants, and selected photographs of contemporaries. On the same evening, “Hero”, Monira Al Qadiri‘s exhibition about her long-standing engagement with the global oil industry, will open.

Al Qadiri developed a site-specific installation for the Berlinische Galerie, consisting of a large mural, objects, and video. In it, oil tankers become floating representatives of the oil industry and its toxic legacy. The Kuwaiti artist works in speculative scenarios inspired by science fiction, pop culture, and her biography. Both openings are part of the BG Summer Festival, the Berlinische Galerie’s summer-long birthday celebration. There will be speeches, followed by DJ Nomi. A double kick-off that turns the BG into a space for bodies, images, and stories that want to be heard.

Text: Inga Krumme / Photo: Thi Thuy Nhi Tran / Credits: Marta Astfalck-Vietz, Ohne Titel, Kameradschaftsehe um 1930; Monira Al Qadiri, SS Murex 2023

Berlinische Galerie, Alte Jakobstr.124–128, 10969 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Marta Astfalck-Vieltz & Monira Al Qadiri Opening 10.07.2025 19h

Performances, concerts, and readings will take place on the Museumsplatz of the Berlinische Galerie until September 2025. Find the full program of the “BG Summer Festival” here.

@berlinischegalerie

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

@berlinbiennale