Berlin Art Week 2025 begins today, transforming the German capital into one of the most dynamic hubs for contemporary art worldwide. Running from September 10th to 14th, the festival marks the official start of the city’s art season, drawing international audiences eager to experience a mix of major exhibitions, experimental projects, performances, and unique art events Berlin has to offer.
With over 100 museums, galleries, collections, and project spaces participating, Berlin Art Week is both a celebration and a survey of the city’s vibrant scene—bringing together established institutions, independent initiatives, and experimental formats that push the boundaries of artistic practice.
Berlin Art Week program: what to expect
The Berlin Art Week program offers a five-day immersion into the capital’s cultural landscape. From the grand openings at leading art institutions on day one, to the POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair at Tempelhof Airport, to the more intimate Gallery Night and Open Houses with private collections, the city becomes a stage for discovery and dialogue. Performances, artist talks, screenings, and guided tours provide multiple entry points for audiences to engage with contemporary art at every level.
Among the highlights this year are the return of the Featured section, showcasing the independent scene; the open-air Berlin Art Week Garten at Hamburger Bahnhof; and a performance program headlined by legendary artist Joan Jonas, alongside Yoko Ono’s participatory work Bells for Peace.
Highlights of art events Berlin 2025
While the festival spans more than 100 venues, five standout projects capture the spirit of this year’s art events Berlin:
Christelle Oyiri: Dead God Flow
LAS Art Foundation
At CANK in Neukölln, artist, DJ, and producer Christelle Oyiri presents her first Berlin installation. Through video works like Hauntology of an OG and Hyperfate, Oyiri explores the myth-making around rap culture and the canonization of deceased musicians as modern-day saints. Her work examines how music, memory, and ritual intersect to create alternative forms of architecture and identity.
Mark Leckey: Enter Thru Medieval Wounds
Julia Stoschek Foundation
British Turner Prize–winning artist Mark Leckey unveils one of his largest solo exhibitions to date, featuring more than 40 works. His practice interrogates the influence of media on memory and desire, from rave culture archives to contemporary digital life. By weaving together class, pop culture, and technology, Leckey reflects on the shifting landscapes of youth and identity.
kennedy+swan: The Red Queen Effect
Schering Stiftung
At Schering Stiftung, artistic duo kennedy+swan take a critical look at how technology penetrates the human body. Their exhibition reflects on data-driven diagnostics, surveillance, and the biological race to adapt, referencing Lewis Carroll’s Red Queen allegory. The project imagines how art can counterbalance technological acceleration with new forms of imagination.
PERFORM! 2025
Neue Nationalgalerie
Now in its fourth edition, this performance festival unfolds on the museum terrace. Highlights include Joan Jonas revisiting her iconic Mirror Piece I & II, Isaac Chong Wai’s Falling Reversely—a moving response to racist violence—and Yoko Ono’s participatory Bells for Peace. New commissions, such as vAL’s Bellied, ensure that the festival remains a vital platform for experimentation.
Selin Davasse: Corpus Iuris Artis: III. The Appeal
Pickle Bar
In a Berlin courtroom, artist Selin Davasse stages a playful yet incisive trial of the art world itself. By inventing charges like Performative Allyship and Deceitful Victim-Playing, Davasse critiques the politics of representation and privilege. Her performance speculates on how legal norms could be reimagined to reflect the contradictions of cultural production.
Berlin Art Week: a citywide stage
From monumental venues like Hamburger Bahnhof to intimate project spaces such as Pickle Bar, Berlin Art Week 2025 underscores the city’s unique blend of global stature and grassroots experimentation. With artists ranging from Patti Smith to Issy Wood, and projects that span painting, performance, video art, and sound, this year’s festival once again confirms Berlin’s role as a leading destination for contemporary art.
Whether you’re drawn to the avant-garde, the institutional, or the unexpected, the Berlin Art Week program promises five unforgettable days of discovery.
Probe (2), 2025
Hauntology of an OG, video still, 2025
MIT FREUNDLICHER GENEHMIGUNG DER KÜNSTLER:INNEN, LAS ART FOUNDATION, AMANT AND PINAULT COLLECTION
© CHRISTELLE OYIRI and NEVA WIREKO
Corpus Iuris Artis: I. The Deposition, 2025, curated by SOFT POWER at MOUCHES VOLANTES, Cologne
Photography by DIRK ROSE
A still from Loophole, a film available to view at FLUENTUM as part of Dissonance
Image courtesy of LOOPHOLE