Everyone was a little heartbroken when Kleines Grosz Museum closed last year. A true Berlin favorite, not least because of its café. An oasis tucked away from the buzz of Potsdamer Straße, with gravel paths, a koi pond, bamboo, and all the calming clichés (meant as a compliment). The next tenants didn’t take long to move in. For Gallery Weekend 2025, a new flat share of art, coffee, and cake moved into Die Tankstelle. Pace and Galerie Judin now share the gallery space. They take turns with their exhibitions. Tomorrow evening (27.06.2025), it’s Judin’s turn, opening Everybody’s in the Room by Ellen Akimoto. At the center of her second solo show with the gallery is a 12-meter-long painting that gives the exhibition its title. Split into six large-format canvases, with increasing space between them, the work starts in a crowded interior. From there, it shifts into a soft yellow room with a black cat, then opens onto a cast-iron balcony before finally dissolving into an uncanny mountain landscape. Floating above are ghostly silhouettes of everyday objects. Charging cables, dish towels, and uprooted houseplants hover, weightless and warped, over the balcony. This ghostly presence appears again and again in the Ghost Room, between fragmented architecture and human traces, that come together in a custom-made curtain. During her process, Akimoto spent time exploring the theories of C. G. Jung, focusing on the conscious and the unconscious. The result is a layered narrative that’s visually and emotionally complex.
While Akimoto lays a foundation in psychoanalysis, I’m especially here for the painting with the cat. No doubt about it, “Cat on a Rug 2” is the show’s highlight. If all that reflection on the inner world leaves you needing a pause, step out into the Zeit Café. It’s back with all the charm you remember, this time with a new menu. You’ll find everything you need for a quick lunch, a post-show snack or drink, or a classic coffee and cake moment. The café is now operated by ZEIT Verlag, which helped keep the spirit of the old Tankstelle alive. A small hint at the new team is the Soda Citron on the menu. Alongside the usual coffee options, you’ll find house lemonades, spritz, wine, and beer. There’s a compact lunch menu and a wide selection of sweet things. Focaccia, savory croissants, and brioche with rotating toppings. Seasonal pastries and changing cakes. Right now, gluten-free almond cake and vegan tartlets are on the menu. Wherever possible, things are kept local. Zeit Café works with Berlin-based partners and has brought in a true baking icon. Everything here comes fresh from the ovens of Gorilla. So, whether you need a break from your usual Neukölln bakery tour or a breather from your gallery marathon along Potsdamer Straße, this is the perfect excuse to head to Die Tankstelle. It’s worth it.
Text: Inga Krumme & Robyn Steffen / Photos: Robyn Steffen, Trevor Good Courtesy Galerie Judin / Credit: Ellen Akimoto
Die Tankstelle, Bülowstr.18, 10783 Berlin–Schöneberg; map
Ellen Akimoto: Everybody’s in the Room, 28.06.–24.08.2025
@ellenakimoto
@galeriejudin
@pacegallery
