To mark its 30th anniversary, KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V. is inviting artists to revisit the institution’s seminal role in the production and dissemination of contemporary art with a year-long program of exhibitions and special commissions, an art auction, an elaborate publication, and a celebratory weekend in its courtyard and neighborhood.
NEW DATES FOR UPCOMING ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
Katharina Sierverding, Deutschland wird deutscher | April 27—May 6, 2021 | Billboard installation across Berlin and KW (on view throughout the Summer)
Art Auction | June 11 and December 3, 2021 | Grisebach Auction House, Berlin
Celebratory Weekend | September 17—19, 2021 | KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin
Courtyard of Kunst-Werke Berlin, 1991. Photography by Uwe Walter. Courtesy of KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin.
April 28, 2021 (Berlin, Germany) – KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V., the support association of the KW Institute for Contemporary Art and the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, announces its ongoing celebratory program on the occasion of the institution’s 30-year anniversary. Reflecting its pivotal role in the production, display, and dissemination of contemporary art, KW looks back on three decades of exhibitions and events, which established it as a pioneering space for progressive practices within the Berlin and international art scenes, and significantly contributed to the development of Berlin as an international center for contemporary art.
To mark the anniversary, KW Institute for Contemporary Art presents a range of exhibitions featuring artists Renée Green, Leonilson, Michael Stevenson, and Amelie von Wulffen, group exhibitions co-curated by artists Iman Issa and Ghislaine Leung, and a new performance piece by Michele Rizzo as well as a program of commissions, an art auction, and a celebratory weekend in its courtyard and neighborhood.
The Anniversary Program
Launched on January 15, 2021 KW’s extensive anniversary program features a series of new commissions, including Susan Philipsz’s sound installation in KW’s courtyard in homage of political activist Rosa Luxemburg on the anniversary of her execution, which was created during Philipsz’s residency at KW in 2002. On view from April 27—May 6, 2021, the re-installation of Katharina Sieverding’s monumental print Deutschland wird deutscher (1993) is to be displayed in the entranceway of KW as well as on billboards across Berlin. Furthermore, artist Sissel Tolaas will create a limited edition of soap carefully composed from particles she collected at the KW building, a former margarine factory.
Complementing this anniversary program, KW Friends e.V., the sponsoring association of KW and the Berlin Biennale, will organize a major two-part art auction, in collaboration with renowned Berlin-based fine art auction house Grisebach. Taking place on June 11 and December 3, 2021, works by over 60 artists who have significantly shaped the history of KW and the Berlin Biennale will be featured. The annual program’s key event will be a weekend-long celebration on September 17–19, 2021, featuring an extensive program of events, performances, and the launch of the first publication retracing the history of KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e.V..
The full 30-year anniversary program can be found here.
The history of the KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V.
Founded on July 1, 1991 by Klaus Biesenbach, Alexandra Binswanger, Philipp von Doering, Clemens Homburger, and Alfonso Rutigliano, KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V. set its roots in a derelict former margarine factory located on Auguststraße 69 in the Berlin-Mitte district. Through pivotal exhibitions, starting with the project 37 Räume (1992), artistic director Klaus Biesenbachpositioned the KW Institute of Contemporary Art internationally. In 1996, a group around him founded the now internationally renowned Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, which first took place in 1998. In 2002, Gabriele Horn took over the directorship of the Berlin Biennale and from 2004 acted as the director of KW and the Berlin Biennale, which since lie under a joint support association. While Gabriele Horn remained director of the Berlin Biennale, Krist Gruijthuijsen succeeded her as new director of KW Institute for Contemporary Art in July 2016.
In its thirty years, KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V. has considerably shaped the development of contemporary art by critically examining current tendencies and discourses within society. Exhibitions, commissions, and multidisciplinary events, which feature distinctive collaborations with artists and institutions, continue to underline and refine current focal points as part of a national and international discourse in arts and culture.
KW’s national and international significance continuously grows, cemented by thematic shows as tekkno turns to sound of poetry(1995); Stand der Dinge (2000); Territories (2003); Zur Vorstellung des Terrors: Die RAF-Ausstellung (2005); Into Me / Out of Me (2006); One on One (2012/13); Fire and Forget. On Violence (2015); and The Making of Husbands: Christina Ramberg in Dialogue (2019/2020).
Many outstanding artists have presented significant solo exhibitions at KW, among which Absalon, Kader Attia, Kate Cooper, Keren Cytter, Anna Daučíková, Ceal Floyer, Cyprien Gaillard, Beatriz González, Douglas Gordon, Judith Hopf, Channa Horwitz, Carsten Höller, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Hanne Lippard, Renata Lucas, Hiwa K, Annette Kelm, Adam Pendleton, Mika Rottenberg, Christoph Schlingensief, Hassan Sharif, Anri Sala, Wael Shawky, Santiago Sierra, Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch, and Ian Wilson.
Over the years, the program of KW has been developed together with decisive curatorial voices, including Anselm Franke, Susanne Pfeffer, Ellen Blumenstein, Anna Gritz, and many others.
You can also visit the anniversary’s dedicated website here and learn more about the history of KW and the Berlin Biennale.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Auguststraße 69
10117 Berlin
www.kw-berlin.de
KW Institute for Contemporary Art is institutionally supported by the Senate Department for Culture and Europe, Berlin.
The 30 Years of KW art auction takes place in cooperation with Grisebach GmbH. KW, A History will be published by DISTANZ and is generously supported by Volkswagen AG and KW Freunde. KW’s celebratory weekend is generously supported by Olafur Eliasson and Julia Stoschek.
The exhibitions and projects in the 2021 program take place in collaboration with and/or are supported by:
Titles and exhibition dates are subject to change.
In the interest of everyone’s safety, we kindly ask you to inform yourselves about the current COVID-19 hygiene measures and precautions when visiting our exhibitions and events.
As of: April 20, 2021