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FOUR VENUES & INFINITE ART — DISCOVERING THE EPHEMERAL AT THE BERLIN BIENNALE

FOUR VENUES & INFINITE ART — DISCOVERING THE EPHEMERAL AT THE BERLIN BIENNALE

In the summer of 2023, the first issue of Delfi was published — a magazine for new literature. Since then, editors Miryam Schellbach, Hengameh Yaghoobifarah, Enrico Ippolito, and Fatma Aydemir have brought together contemporary voices in prose, drama, poetry, essays, and comics, in both German and international contexts. Each biannual issue revolves around a central theme. This Wednesday (02.07.2025), they invite you to an evening of readings to celebrate the fourth issue. The latest edition explores the concept of play — the joy of constructing and destroying worlds, a drive shared by writers across genres and geographies. Can we trust authors? Or do the most reliable narrators set subtle traps that pull us deeper into the story, holding us captive until the very last page? On the forecourt of the Berlinische Galerie, contributors Jayrôme C. Robinet, Sandra Gugić, and Stefanie De Velasco will read from their texts and discuss their work together.

All three writers are known for seeking out new paths and imagined worlds in their storytelling. Jayrôme C. Robinet and Stefanie De Velasco explore alternative ideas of family and gender. Robinet’s novel Sonne in Scherben traces these themes through a personal lens, while De Velasco’s Das Gras auf unserer Seite raises the question of what motherhood can mean today. The reading is part of the BG Summer Festival, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Berlinische Galerie. Through September, the museum’s forecourt transforms into a public garden of encounters. Designed by the landscape architecture collective atelier le balto, this living sculpture becomes a stage for performances, concerts, and readings throughout the season.

Text: Laura Storfner / Photos: URSUS, Eden Jetschmann, Thi Thuy Nhi Tran

BG Garten, Alte Jakobstr.124-128, 10969 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map

Spiel – An Evening with Delfi: Magazine for New Literature 02.07.2025 19–22h. Entry is free.

@delfi_mag
@berlinischegalerie

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FOUR VENUES & INFINITE ART — DISCOVERING THE EPHEMERAL AT THE BERLIN BIENNALE

FOUR VENUES & INFINITE ART — DISCOVERING THE EPHEMERAL AT THE BERLIN BIENNALE

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

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POLYPHONIC & CLOSE: STRING QUARTET REIMAGINED AT SOMEHOW WE CAN

POLYPHONIC & CLOSE: STRING QUARTET REIMAGINED AT SOMEHOW WE CAN

How does closeness sound? What happens when music is not just played, but shared between musicians and audience, between past and present? With Somehow We Can, the Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop opens up a space for connection at the Radialsystem. Not a classical concert, it’s curated by composer Ethan Braun, uniting eleven compositions and twelve performers who further the string quartet genre as a living network of relationships, as a collective expression of art and society. The program moves between tonal delicacy, formal deconstruction, and political relevance. It allows marginalized voices to be heard in the canon of new music (such as BiPoC and LGBTQ+ composers), where the quartet is a place where differences are celebrated, not squashed. Alvin Singleton explores coexistence without the pressure for harmony, Yuri Umemoto brings pop-cultural references, and Sarah Davachi transforms microtonality into a sensual experience. Together, they show how new music can be polyphonic, political, and accessible. Listen, it resonates — a space of possibility.

Text: Inga Krumme / Photos: Julian Blum, Romanos Lioutas, Sonja Müller

Radialsystem, Holzmarktstr.33, 10243 Berlin–Friedrichshain; map
Somehow We Can – 11 String Quartets. Tickets (pay what you can) can be purchased here.

@radialsystem_berlin
@solistenensemble.kaleidoskop

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GALLERY MEETS KIOSK MEETS CULTURE — THE PALAST KIOSK ON STEINPLATZ

GALLERY MEETS KIOSK MEETS CULTURE — THE PALAST KIOSK ON STEINPLATZ

For years, Elena Höller and Nicola Schüschke had their eyes on a small architectural gem: the kiosk on Steinplatz. Empty since the pandemic and recently released for temporary use, the two seized the opportunity. With a concept rooted in art education, a revival of kiosk culture, and a little luck, not to mention the help of friends, fellow students, and the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district office, they were able to open the Palast Kiosk in April 2025. The kiosk is one of the few remaining designed by Alfred Grenander (1863–1931), an architect who once shaped the streetscape of Charlottenburg. Another of his designs still stands on Savignyplatz, now home to a sausage stand. Grenander’s designs are unique, proportioned, functional, and distinctly colored – in the case of Steinplatz, a mint green that has become iconic.

While many of these kiosks have been demolished or altered, this one has remained mostly intact. After a year of approvals and renovations, the Palast Kiosk now shines once again, refreshed but faithful to its original character. But this isn’t your average kiosk. Alongside the classics – sweets, sparkling, and still refreshments – the Palast Kiosk offers a curated mix of postcards, journals, fanzines, artist books, and limited-edition prints. Nestled under the kiosk’s roof is the “in-house” Palast Galerie, presenting a new artist each month. The debut artist is illustrator Greta Cazzola, known for her work with Le Monde Diplomatique. Beyond the shelves, the space becomes a stage. Readings, concerts, cooking sessions, drawing, and ceramics workshops invite passers-by to stop and stay a while. A quiet monument becomes a lively art venue. And just like that, summer at the kiosk begins.

Text: Milena Kalojanov / Photos: Ruby Watt

Palast Kiosk, Steinplatz 5, 10623 Berlin–Charlottenburg; map

@palastkiosk

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FIGHT OR FLIGHT II: ON MONEY, STRESS & SURVIVING AS AN ARTIST

FIGHT OR FLIGHT II: ON MONEY, STRESS & SURVIVING AS AN ARTIST

Money makes the world go round, especially in art. Very few artists are able to make a living from their art alone. Mediocre day jobs are often the only financial support for artistic practice. At the same time, the art world can feel like a bubble where everyone seems to have money. Amid dwindling funding across Berlin’s cultural landscape, Julie Legouez and Evelina Reiter are opening the next edition of their exhibition series Fight or Flight tonight (12.06.2025). The theme is money. 33 FINT* (women, inter, non-binary and trans) artists will present their work. “Fight or flight” is a term from biology that describes the body’s stress response in dangerous situations. It prepares us to react by fighting the threat or fleeing from it. For the two curators, it’s a broader metaphor for the stress many people carry: especially women*, artists, and anyone living with systemic pressure. That’s why they invite a lot of people to their shows. After all, networks don’t form on their own, they have to be built.

In 2022, Julie Legouez started an exhibition by inviting five artists from her network and five strangers via Instagram. One of them was Evelina Reiter. That exchange became a collaboration, and today, they curate together through open calls. An Exhibition About Money is the second in the series. Last year’s debut focused on fear — and few shows have left such a lasting emotional impression. I saw too much of myself in works about panic walking home at night, partner violence, and catcalling. This time, too, it’s about lived realities: poverty and social background, side jobs and the frustration of applying for support, the gender pay gap, family roles, classism, psychological strain, rent, subsidies, fear, and anger. Just like last time, a strong supporting program is even more reason to visit — from a K-Pop concert with Mizi Lee to workshops, readings, and an auction on 19.06. (bring cash). Let’s talk about money.

Text: Inga Krumme / Credit: Karo Kuchar, Kunstdokumentation; Dana Lorenz, VG Bild-Kunst Bonn; Julie Legouez, VG Bild-Kunst Bonn

Stadtwerkstatt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Mehringdamm 20, 10961 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map

@fightorflight.berlin

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