About the Berlin Gallery Scene Walk in Berlin
Beginning immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, artists of all backgrounds and persuasions joined an already thriving, politically subversive artistic community on the Wall’s east side. Transforming the former East’s derelict buildings and abandoned factories into workshops and collectives and by scavenging materials and ideas from a collapsed social and economic system, these artists fashioned a new identity for the reunited city and, in doing so, formed the nucleus of what has today become the Berlin art scene.
With over 300 established contemporary art galleries and an ever-expanding network of small and temporary spaces scattered throughout the city, Berlin has clearly established itself as a cultural and creative capital of Europe. We will begin our walk in the heart of this capital on Auguststrasse, the original core of Berlin’s artistic community in the early 1990s and now home to some of the city’s most prestigious galleries. In the company of a Context docent—
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Beginning immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, artists of all backgrounds and persuasions joined an already thriving, politically subversive artistic community on the Wall’s east side. Transforming the former East’s derelict buildings and abandoned factories into workshops and collectives and by scavenging materials and ideas from a collapsed social and economic system, these artists fashioned a new identity for the reunited city and, in doing so, formed the nucleus of what has today become the Berlin art scene.
With over 300 established contemporary art galleries and an ever-expanding network of small and temporary spaces scattered throughout the city, Berlin has clearly established itself as a cultural and creative capital of Europe. We will begin our walk in the heart of this capital on Auguststrasse, the original core of Berlin’s artistic community in the early 1990s and now home to some of the city’s most prestigious galleries. In the company of a Context docent—a practicing artist or critic familiar with the scene— we will make our way down the gallery filled Auguststrasse, ducking into a few galleries on adjacent streets as well. Our itinerary will be guided both by the current exhibitions as well as by our docent’s knowledge of the galleries’ strengths and weaknesses. We will explore a number of such well-established spaces as the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Eigen + Art, and Galerie GERKEN, along with a variety of new and lesser-known galleries. Depending on the interests of the group, we might choose to make our way to Brunnenstrasse, which hosts a series of unpretentious, youthful galleries, or to the burgeoning scene on Heidestrasse, right around the corner from the famous Hamburger Bahnhof museum of contemporary art.
Whichever path we choose we will we experience the spectrum of Berlin’s contemporary art scene, from blue-chip galleries exhibiting internationally renowned artists to cutting-edge alternative spaces showcasing emerging talent. We'll see what makes the gallery scene in Berlin so different from the equivalent scenes in such art meccas as New York, Paris or London: True to its chaotic and revolutionary origins, the Berlin scene is constantly expanding, constantly re-inventing itself, and constantly seeking out new centers, spaces, and ways to push the envelope of contemporary art.
