All the best spring-time exhibitions are opening during Gallery Weekend Berlin. Established in 2007 it has become a staple on the global contemporary art calender. Many renowned galleries, museums and private collections are inviting the international art scene to visit Berlin and see the best the city has to offer right now. It's an absolute must for collectors, curators, and art lovers. We've created this list of must-see exhibitions to help you navigate the weekend like an Oh So Arty local.
Thursday, April 26th
The weekend starts early with an exhibition opening at Julia Stoschek Collection Berlin. The private art collection presents Emissaries a new solo show of Ian Cheng’s work.
From April 25th to the 26th, the New York Times is hosting the inaugural Art Leader Network Conference in Berlin. Make sure to catch a lecture hosted by this event coinciding with Gallery Weekend. At the leadership conference distinguished experts will examine the impact of the rapidly changing art market on the contemporary art scene and cultural institutions. For a list of speakers visit the event site here.
Friday, April 27th
Gallery Weekend Berlin officially starts on Friday evening. All 47 participating galleries will be open to visitors from 7 to 9 pm. We recommend kicking off the weekend at Chert Lüdde for the opening reception of Patrizio Di Massimo’s installation, Inside Me dealing with ideas of sexuality and spirituality. Another great exhibition opening Friday night is Claudia Comte's, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth at König Gallery.
Claude Comte, studio view, 2018. Courtesy of the artist.
If you’d rather skip the opening night gallery crowds then we recommend seeing Hello World. Revising a Collection at Hamburger Bahnhof. In this exhibition the museum looks critically at its own western centric collection and examines cross-cultural exchanges from the late 19th century to today.
Mladen Stilinović, An Artist Who Cannot Speak English Is No Artist, 1992
Saturday, April 28th
On Saturday participating galleries will be open from 11 am to 7 pm. There are myriad exhibitions to choose from but the first two on our list are at Esther Schipper and Sprueth Magers. Catch me if you can! AA Bronson + General Idea, 1968–2018 at Esther Schipper Berlin is a striking photography presentation not to be missed. Sprueth Magers will unveil three separate exhibitions by the artists Andro Wekua, Senga Nengudi and Kara Walker. While all three are sure to be impressive we're most looking forward to viewing Walker's video Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi’s Blue Tale, 2011.
Kara Walker, Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi’s Blue Tale, 2011.
Make your way over to Berlinische Galerie at 6 pm for a reading and screening with Cryill Lachauer. He will be discussing his latest exhibition at Berlinische Galerie, What Do You Want Here?
Unwind with a drink on Saturday night at the Outset after party at Kino International starting at 11 pm.
Andro Wekua, Levun Portrait, 2017
Sunday, April 29th
Spend your Sunday visiting these four galleries who are participating in Gallery Weekend Berlin for the first time. Dittrich & Schlechtriem presents the first solo show in their gallery of works by Andrea Greiner. For his show Hybrid Matter Greiner has created new works that reflect on mankind's relationship with nature. Also new to gallery weekend are Lars Friedrich exhibiting work by German artist Peter Wächtler and Gillmeier Rech who will be presenting Stockholm-based painter Jim Thorrell. The final newcomer is Alexander Levy with a promising show by Julius von Bismarck, Immer noch der Lauf der Dinge. For this exhibition Bismark has installed a moving walkway covering the entire floor of the gallery which forces the visitors to be in constant motion.
JuliusVonBismarck, Immer noch der Lauf der Dinge, 2018