Top 5 Art Spaces in Berlin - WÄHÄLÄ - Your Art & Design Blog from Berlin

Creating a guide for Berlin’s best art spaces

We can all agree that it can feel overwhelming to find your way around Berlin’s bustling art scene. I met up with fellow art lover and aspiring gallerist Antonia Stausberg to create a shortlist of her top five art spaces in Berlin to guide you through the autumn season.

Before we start, let’s talk a little about the Berlin art scene in general. How do you feel it is being affected by the ongoing “international boom”?

I would say that the ´problem´ with Berlin is that there are almost too many galleries and art spaces. In addition, you have a bunch of blue chip galleries which dominate the market. Many smaller galleries struggle to survive alongside them.

Berlin with its building cranes is a telling sign of the booming international real estate market – but what does it mean for local art scene?

We all see how Berlin has become a very popular city. Of course real estate is becoming more expensive too. As a consequence, more artists rely on creative residency programmes for housing and studios.

Moreover, most German collectors are not really from Berlin either. Many are from the Rhineland area, from Bavaria or from Baden-Württemberg. Yet being the capital I see the dynamics are shifting. With an increase in collectors establishing their art collections/art spaces in Berlin I feel that all in all the city has a great creative future.

Now, tell us what you have down as your five favourite art spaces in Berlin then?

So yes, I created a little shortlist of five options after you’ve seen “the obvious choices”. These five never stop to surprise me.

1. CFA – Contemporary Fine Arts.

The first one has to be CFA – Contemporary Fine Arts. It’s a classic gallery based in Charlottenburg in a building designed by David Chipperfield.

The gallery represents an array of quality artists. Shows have included artists such as Katja Strunz, Georg Baselitz, Daniel Richter, or funky ones like Dash Snow. That they will be getting a new show on any day now. The Julian Lethbridge show ends 2nd September 2017.

This is a beautiful shot of the Chipperfield exterior of CFA from the Instagram account of architect Robert Leevd. Photo © Robbert Leevd

2. Akira Ikeda Gallery.

Also Akira Ikeda Gallery is a really interesting place. Represented in Japan and the US, it is based in the former brewery complex am Pfefferberg. In addition, it’s right around the corner from Studio Olafur Eliasson.

Mostly Akira Ikeda host a programme of international artists. However, for this autumn the gallery will showcase works by German born artist Hartmut Böhm between 8th September – 18th November 2017.

Outside view of Akida Ikeda Gallery in the old Pfefferberg brewery complex.

3. Gallery Hubertushoehe Art + Architecture.

I also like Gallery Hubertushoehe Art + Architecture. This gallery is a cultural project which acts as a destination for experiencing architecture, art and landscape.

They had a great photographic show last year on Iggy Pop and David Bowie when these two legends were both living in Berlin. This autumn they have an exhibition on Anja Schwörer from 7th October – 5th November 2017.

The Expressionist Brewery that now hosts the KINDL Centre for Contemporary Art. Photo © Jens Ziehe

4. KINDL Center for Contemporary Art.

I love the KINDL Center, a former brewery in Berlin’s Neukölln district, and now a non-profit organisation for contemporary art. All proceeds go to support the exhibition programme there.

The buildings and grounds were originally built between 1926-30. Now a Swiss-German couple turned it into a cultural centre in 2011, so it is a relatively new player in the Berlin art scene.

Despite renovations, I really like that they stayed true to the unique Expressionist architecture of the space. In German the style is sometimes called “Backsteinexpressionismus”. I’d recommend a visit even just to admire the building alone.

5. Amerika Haus C/O Berlin.

This spring I was blown away by an exhibition at the C/O on the German photographer Hart Zimmermann, who was a student of Arno Fischer. He is a well-known photographer whose DDR imagery remains absolutely iconic!

One of the upcoming exhibitions this autumn that I especially look forward to is the opening of Danny Lyon’s show on 15th September 2017. This American photographer and filmmaker is known for his documentation of the civil rights movement and other social realities being waged in America’s post-war society.

Finally, I should say there will be a ticketed artist talk and film screening with Lyon and fellow photographer David Campany on the opening night as well. So book yourself a slot before it is sold out!

Top 5 Art Spaces in Berlin
An Exhibition Guide by Antonia Stausberg

Creating a guide for Berlin’s best art spaces

Before we start, let’s talk a little about the Berlin art scene in general. How do you feel it is being affected by the ongoing “international boom”?