Press Releases
Immersion 2020: “Down to Earth” from 13 August to 13 September 2020 at Gropius Bau
From 13 August to 13 September the Berliner Festspiele‘s Immersion programme presents the art, performance and discussion project "Down to Earth" at the Gropius Bau. This four week unplugged programme has been inspired by the eponymous essay on climate change by Bruno Latour.
25 June 2020
Otobong Nkanga: There’s No Such Thing as Solid Ground
From 10 July to 13 December 2020, the Gropius Bau presents the exhibition There’s No Such Thing as Solid Ground by Otobong Nkanga. The complex and shifting relationship between humans, land, and corresponding structures of repair is a central premise of Otobong Nkanga’s exhibition at the Gropius Bau. Addressing global systems of exploitation and extraction, her work turns a poetic and critical eye toward the circulation of people, flora and fauna as well as natural resources, especially minerals.
24 June 2020
Coronavirus / Orquesta Experimental de Instrumentos Nativos can Return to Bolivia
After two-and-a-half months of quarantine spent at the Music Academy Rheinsberg in Brandenburg, the 25 musicians of the Bolivian Orquesta Experimental de Instrumentos Nativos (OEIN) can finally set out on their flight home to Bolivia, thanks to the efforts of the organisation team of the soloists’ ensemble PHØNIX16, the Goethe-Institut, the Federal Foreign Office as well as the Bolivian Embassy. The artists are very relieved at the thought of seeing their families and friends in Bolivia and would like to thank their hosts and the German authorities.
29 May 2020
“10 Days of Iranian Cinema” from 12 to 21 June 2020 on the online platform Berliner Festspiele on Demand
Cultural Impressions of Regions affected by Political Conflict: This film series, consisting of 11 films that cover nearly five decades and background conversations with film makers and experts on Iranian cinema, will give a varied impression of the country’s culture, history and realities of life. The series’ curator is the German-Iranian producer Afsun Moshiry.
14 May 2020
Berliner Festspiele: The first ever virtual Theatertreffen was concluded today by the traditional final jury discussion
For the first time in its 57-year history, the Theatertreffen took place exclusively in the virtual realm from 1 to 9 May 2020. The various streaming options were accessed more than 120,000 times.
9 May 2020
General Refurbishment of Haus der Berliner Festspiele – June 2020 to February 2022
This June, the final phase of technical and energy-related general refurbishments of the Haus der Berliner Festspiele at Schaperstraße 24, which were initiated in 2010, will begin. Due to the finalisation of these measures, it will be necessary for the festival and event operations to be carried out in external venues.
8 May 2020
Open again from 11 May 2020
The Gropius Bau will reopen to visitors on Monday, 11 May 2020. The exhibition Akinbode Akinbiyi: Six Songs, Swirling Gracefully in the Taut Air has been extended until 19 July; Lee Mingwei’s solo exhibition 禮 Li, Gifts and Rituals will be on view for the first time on 11 May and presented until 12 July 2020. There will be extended opening hours until 31 July 2020: the Gropius Bau will be open from Saturday to Wednesday from 10am to 7pm and Thursday and Friday until 9pm; the building is closed on Tuesdays.
4 May 2020
Welcome to the Virtual Theatertreffen – Programme Updates
This is the first ever Theatertreffen in the digital space. The special festival edition will begin at 20:00h tonight: After a welcome by the festival’s director Yvonne Büdenhölzer, we will provide a streaming option of 3sat’s television recording of Johan Simons’ staging of “Hamlet” from Schauspielhaus Bochum – available for a period of 24 hours on the online platform Berliner Festspiele on Demand, the zdf/3sat-Mediathek, on nachtkritik.de and on the website of Schauspielhaus Bochum. Our website also provides a series of barrier-free additional programmes.
1 May 2020
“Starke Stücke” at the 57th Berlin Theatertreffen / 3sat-Award for Director Alexander Giesche
Theatre director Alexander Giesche will receive this year’s 3sat-Award, which comes with a prize of 10,000 Euro, for his production of “Der Mensch erscheint im Holozän (Man in the Holocene)” at Schauspielhaus Zürich. Since the 57th Berlin Theatertreffen will not be able to take place, the award ceremony will be held at a later date. 3sat-coordinator Natalie Müller-Elmau congratulates Alexander Giesche in a video message today (27 April).
27 April 2020
The virtual Theatertreffen from 1 to 9 May 2020 on the online platform “Berliner Festspiele on Demand”
Due to the corona pandemic, the Theatertreffen will not be able to take place for the first time in its 57-year-long history. As an alternative, Berliner Festspiele will present a nine-day virtual Theatertreffen with on-demand presentations of theatre performances, a discourse programme on the topic of “Digital Practice in the Theatre” as well as talks and the final jury-session
24 April 2020
Digital launch of Lee Mingwei: 禮 Li, Gifts and Rituals
The Gropius Bau announces the digital launch of 禮 Li, Gifts and Rituals, an exhibition by Lee Mingwei. Originally scheduled to open to the public at the Gropius Bau in Berlin on 27 March, in response to measures taken to protect our public in light of COVID-19, the exhibition is launching with a series of digital activations. The programme includes video introductions to the exhibition as well as virtual activations of selected artworks and two new works created for the digital realm. Installation views, catalogue excerpts and exhibition texts will also be available on the Gropius Bau website.
3 April 2020
A Festival for Beethoven and the Music of our Times
The complete programme of this year's festival issue is published on berlinerfestspiele.de. The advance ticket sales for concerts starts today, 2 April at 2 p.m.
2 April 2020
Programme Announcement on 24 March / Press Briefing Cancelled
The complete programme of this year’s Musikfest Berlin will be announced online on 24 March 2020 on the website of Berliner Festspiele. Due to current developments, the press briefing on the festival, which was planned to take place at the Philharmonie on 24 March 2020, will unfortunately have to be cancelled.
16 March 2020
Cancellation: 2020 Theatertreffen and Theatertreffen der Jugend
In connection with the measures taken to contain a further spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), this year’s 57th Theatertreffen (1 to 17 May 2020) – including the formats Stückemarkt, International Forum as well as ceremonies and public viewing – and the 41st Theatertreffen der Jugend as part of the National Contest programme (22 to 30 May 2020) will unfortunately have to be cancelled.
16 March 2020
Gropius Bau will be closed from 16 March until 19 April 2020
Dear colleagues,
due to recent developments in relation to Coronavirus, we are closing the Gropius Bau to visitors and cancelling all events and exhibition openings from 16 March to 19 April. We are thereby following the current guidelines and recommendations of the public administrations of Berlin for dealing with the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
13 March 2020
Cancellation of all events from now until 9 April 2020
With great regret we are cancelling all events from 11 March to 9 April, following the current guidelines and recommendations of the public administrations for dealing with the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
11 March 2020
The actor Ursina Lardi is the juror for the 2020 Alfred Kerr Acting Award
This award includes a sum of 5,000 Euros and distinguishes an outstanding achievement by a young actor in one of the 10 remarkable productions invited to the Theatertreffen. The prize will be awarded at the conclusion of the Theatertreffen, on 17 May 2020 at 14:00 at Haus der Berliner Festspiele. Admission to the award ceremony is free.
5 March 2020
The Cool and the Cold. Painting from the USA and the USSR 1960–1990 Ludwig Collection
In 1989 the Wall came down and in 2020 Germany will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the reunification of East and West. The Gropius Bau takes this occasion to present a comprehensive exhibition drawn to reflect the dialogue and competition between East and West from an art historical perspective, uniting masterpieces from the two global centres of political power that emerged during the Cold War.
3 March 2020
“Sundays for Hong Kong II” – Continuation of the film series at Gropius Bau with free admission
Between 15 March and 26 April 2020, Berliner Festspiele will continue the second edition of the film series “Sundays for Hong Kong II” on Sundays at 16:00 in the cinema at Gropius Bau. The series is an initiative of the Berliner Festspiele and a sign of solidarity in view of the violent conflicts in Hong Kong since summer 2019. The selection of extraordinary feature and documentary films from Hong Kong will unfold some of the multiple-layered backgrounds of the culture, history and reality of the city. Admission is free.
3 March 2020
Immersion 2020: Art, Climate and Discourse unplugged - “Down to Earth” from 26 June to 12 July 2020 at Gropius Bau
From June, 26th, until July, 12th, 2020, the Berliner Festspiele present an exhibition project on the topic of climate change as part of the series Immersion, at the Gropius Bau. It is located between art and discourse, and on the topic of climate change. Its title, “Down to Earth”, has been inspired by Bruno Latour. The two-week unplugged programme will bring together artists and experts in sustainability and of “practices of grounding”. The programme comprises visual art, live work, talks, discourses, workshops and concerts.
2 March 2020
2020 Theatertreffen: The Stückemarkt-Selection
The Theatertreffen’s Stückemarkt expanded its search for new theatre plays and projects into a worldwide competition. The jury has selected five works that will be presented in an appropriate format during the festival. Together with the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb), the festival will award a commission to one of the invited artists to produce a new work at Schauspiel Dortmund under the direction of Julia Wissert.
2 March 2020
MaerzMusik - Festival for Time Issues 2020: The Beginning of Time
From 20 to 29 March 2020 the Berliner Festspiele will present “MaerzMusik – Festival for Issues”, which this year focuses on the beginning of time and will be present in different parts of the city.
17 February 2020
Lee Mingwei: 禮 Li, Gifts and Rituals
In spring 2020, the Gropius Bau presents the first mid-career survey in Europe by the artist Lee Mingwei (*1964, Taiwan). The exhibition 禮 Li, Gifts and Rituals proposes a new way of looking at the artist’s work: as an exploration of art’s ability to act as a transformative gift, rooted in the space of intimate experiences and encounters with others.
10 February 2020
Theatertreffen of Berliner Festspiele: The Selection of 10 Productions
At a press conference at Haus der Berliner Festspiele today, 28 January 2020, the Theatertreffen-jury presented their selection of ten remarkable productions of the season that have been nominated for the 57th Theatertreffen (1 to 17 May 2020).
28 January 2020
CONNECT, BTS: Rituals of Care
The Gropius Bau will host a series of performances as it begins its 2020 programme: an ongoing exploration of themes with particular contemporary urgency, including land and the Anthropocene, violence and repair.
14 January 2020
MaerzMusik - Festival for Time Issues 2020: The Beginning of Time
From 20 to 29 March 2020 the Berliner Festspiele will present “MaerzMusik – Festival for Issues”, which this year focuses on the beginning of time and will be present in different parts of the city.
14 January 2020
Akinbode Akinbiyi: Six Songs, Swirling Gracefully in the Taut Air
The 2020 exhibition programme at the Gropius Bau begins with Six Songs, Swirling Gracefully in the Taut Air, a photography exhibition showcasing works from various long-term series composed by Berlin-based Nigerian photographer Akinbode Akinbiyi over four decades.
2 January 2020
Open Call Theatertreffen-Blog 2020
Starting immediately, the Theatertreffen of Berliner Festspiele is looking for emerging arts journalists and authors to join their Blog-team for the coming festival edition. The deadline for applications is 2 February 2020.
3 December 2019
Musikfest Berlin 2020: First Programme Highlights Released
The Berliner Festspiele will stage the Musikfest Berlin 2020 from 29 August to 27 September in cooperation with the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation.
28 November 2019
Exhibition Programme 2020
The 2020 exhibition programme continues to explore themes of global and historic urgency: land, the Anthropocene, boundaries, global resources, trauma and their relation to the body.
7 November 2019
Open Calls for the Exhibition Lee Mingwei 2020
Lee Mingwei’s artistic practice is primarily concerned with rituals of giving and receiving. From 27 March to 7 June 2020, the Gropius Bau will present a solo exhibition by the artist, showing his installations and performances from the last thirty years. Central to the exhibition is an exploration of art’s potential to be a transformative gift.
23 October 2019
Applications for Stückemarkt and International Forum welcome
Every year, the Berliner Festspiele’s Theatertreffen supports a new generation of international theatre makers, artists and journalists. The formats Stückemarkt, International Forum and Theatertreffen-blog offer a platform for artists from various disciplines.
8 October 2019
Wu Tsang: There is no nonviolent way to look at somebody
Wu Tsang’s solo exhibition There is no nonviolent way to look at somebody presents films in dialogue with her sculptural practice, working with the interaction of glass, light and text, and including a new stained-glass commission conceived for the Gropius Bau.
14 August 2019
Walking Through Walls
Walking Through Walls marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, one of the most symbolic events of the 20th century, interrogating the experience of vulnerability and anxiety caused by power structures that thrive on confinement and segregation.
8 August 2019
Gropius Bau Autumn 2019 Programme
Gropius Bau announces the autumn 2019 programme with two exhibitions, both responding to the unique architecture of the building, a solo presentation of film and site-specific sculpture by artist Wu Tsang along with a group show bringing together an array of international artists marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
24 June 2019
System Issues
The 2019 Theatertreffen will present performances of the ten selected productions and host the Stückemarkt as well as numerous other events, many of them with free admission. The discourse programme “TT Context” will pick up on existing issues, examine theatre systems and new forms of production and investigate the repercussions of Germany’s reunification on the theatre. “Burning Issues Meets Theatertreffen“, a conference on gender (in)equality will take place from 17 to 19 May.
From 2020, Theatertreffen will implement a female quota for a period of two years: At least 50% of the selection of ten productions will be directed by female directors or predominantly female collectives.
30 April 2019
2019 Programme Highlights
The 2019 programme sees the Gropius Bau bring together local and international artists who push forward some of the most important conversations of our time, opening our minds to new possibilities.We start and end the programme with exhibitions that share a profound connection with the Gropius Bau’s heritage as an institution that is deeply rooted in the development of creativity in Berlin.