The Artsy Guide to Gallery Weekend Berlin
As Gallery Weekend Berlin descends upon the German capital, artists and gallerists collaborate to deliver an incredible, sprawling program, taking full advantage of the opportunity run wild on their own turf. At once a celebration of the city’s idiosyncratic, spectacular spaces—take PSM, Blain | Southern, Tanya Leighton, Baudach, and Sprüth Magers, for example—and the artists who thrive within their walls, the annual event, which turns 10 this year, is unmissable.
1. When? Where? How?
Gallery Weekend Berlin takes place May 2nd through 4th, across Berlin. Visitors are best off venturing into the West, Potsdamderstrasse, Mitte, and Kruezberg neighborhoods. Gallery openings are free and open to the public, and particularly notable about the weekend is that they will all be open on Sunday, May 4th, an exceptional situation.
2. What is Gallery Weekend Berlin?
The tradition of Gallery Weekend Berlin began 10 years ago, as an event organized by a community of Berlin galleries, in an effort to coordinate top-tier openings to attract a wider audience and raise awareness surrounding the burgeoning Berlin art scene. A decade later it has become a premiere art world event, and an occasion for galleries to showcase some of their strongest shows and artists.
3. Why visit?
Gallery Weekend Berlin offers a unique opportunity to experience the true spirit of the Berlin art scene, which is first and foremost dedicated to celebrating art and artists. While some of the participants are familiar, many are not; the occasion prompts discovery of a host of young and emerging artists, who will be showing at fresh and innovative galleries. The weekend effectively makes the city’s art accessible and digestible for residents and visitors alike, while disseminating the latest talents and trends.
4. What galleries are participating?
Of the 400+ galleries in Berlin, 50 participate in Gallery Weekend Berlin, representing the entire gambit of what Berlin has to offer—from established galleries like Aurel Scheibler and Moeller Fine Art, to the new “Blue Chip” names like CFA, Galerie Neu, and neugerriemschneider, to strong young contenders like Croy Nielsen, PSM, and Kraupa-Tuskany Ziedler.
5. Other Openings
In tandem with the weekend, many galleries who aren’t participating also put together major openings that are not to be missed. Some highlights this year include: Julian Opie at Krobath; Henning Strassburger at Soy Capitain; Viktoria Binschtok at Klemm’s; and Gareth Moore at Lüttgenmeijer.
6. Museum Exhibitions in Berlin
Several major museum exhibitions also coincide with or have their final days during the weekend. Some must-see shows include: Susan Phillipsz at Hamburger Bahnhof; Judith Hopf at PRAXES Center for Contemporary Art; Ai Wei Wei and Hans Richter at Martin-Gropius-Bau; Marsden Hartley at Neue Nationalgalerie; and “The 8 of Paths: Art in Beijing” at Uferhallen.
7. Programming
A rich program of talks, performances, and tours will take place throughout the weekend, at galleries and around the city. Highlights include:
Film Screening: “Philip Guston. A Life Well Lived” at Hackesche Höfe Kino, May 1st–7th, 3pm and at filmkunst 66, May 3rd, 1:30pm & May 4th, 11am.
Performance: Société and Lisson Gallery present the German premiere of Dances For The Electric Piano at the Berliner Philharmonie. Friday, May 2nd, 4pm.
Performance: Boychild at Isabella Bortolozzi. Friday, May 2nd, 8pm.
Collectors Talk: Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo at Me Collectors Room. Saturday May, 3rd, 3pm.
Artist Talk and Book Launch: Pinar Yoldas, Regine Hengge, Ingeborg Reichle at Schering Stiftung. Sunday, May 4th, 3pm.
