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  6. Kreuzberg: Voices and Stories

Kreuzberg: Voices and Stories

Perspectives Beyond the Exhibition

The online magazine extends the exhibition Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960 (Art and Migration since 1960) into the digital space. Structured around the exhibition’s eleven galleries, it brings together the works of over 40 featured artists, whose diverse perspectives on the neighbourhood are reflected in paintings, drawings, sculptures, moving-image works, installations and performances. Complemented by texts, images, interviews, quotes and other materials, it forms a growing archive that makes the exhibition’s diverse artistic positions accessible beyond the museum. At the same time, the magazine offers additional perspectives on the themes, stories and contexts explored throughout the exhibition.

Black-and-white photograph of a residential street. In the foreground, four children walk along the sidewalk in front of an apartment building.

Esther Friedman, Kreuzberg, 1978/2026

© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026

Introduction

The exhibition Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960 (Kreuzberg: Art and Migration since 1960) at Gropius Bau, located on the edge of Kreuzberg, presents artistic perspectives on migrant life in the district. It focuses on artists who arrived in West Berlin during the 1970s and 1980s through scholarships, studies or due to political, economic or family circumstances. Their works address themes such as migration, exile, experiences of racism, housing crises as well as the living conditions of so-called guest workers and their systematic recruitment, especially from Turkey, but also from Greece, Italy, South Korea and the former Yugoslavia. The exhibition simultaneously narrates stories of self-empowerment, resistance, solidarity and community and showcases how individuals use their own images to challenge societal labels. Alongside paintings, sculptures, films and photographs from that era, the display features commissioned works by younger artists reflecting on this history and drawing connections to present-day Kreuzberg.

Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960 offers insight into the district’s dynamic history: after the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, Kreuzberg was pushed to the edge of West Berlin. Vacant housing, low rents and political neglect transformed it into a place for those who found little space elsewhere, including labour migrants, students, squatters and artists. Consequently, the district served both as a springboard and vibrant stage for artistic expression. Local developments as in Kreuzberg reflected broader societal shifts shaping West Germany. This exhibition showcases the neighbourhood as a space of artistic possibility where the lived experiences of migration, gender and class were transformed into images, voices and perspectives that resonate to this day.

Artist Interviews

Exhibition views

  • Exhibition with portraits in a glass case and on the wall.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Sculpture group of six seated people in clothing on a bench, painting on the wall.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Three people viewing paintings and objects in an exhibition space with a large glass front.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Exhibition space with black-and-white photo of working people, wooden floor, child figure with bicycle in foreground.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • People observing art pieces in a gallery, large black-and-white photograph, drawings, and paintings.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Exhibition with painting, wooden door, and an installation in the background.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Orange fabric arches with black patterns in gallery in front of paintings and a sculpture.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Two artworks on a white wall: a painting with figures and a collage under glass.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installations view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Exhibition with dark sculpture in the foreground, paintings on the wall, and people observing the artworks.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, exhibition opening, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Painting and a small black box with golden spheres, observed by five people in an exhibition space.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, exhibition opening, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Museum exhibition with people viewing paintings. Green portrait on the left, dark painting on the right.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, exhibition opening, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Exhibition with portraits in a glass case and on the wall.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Sculpture group of six seated people in clothing on a bench, painting on the wall.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Three people viewing paintings and objects in an exhibition space with a large glass front.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Exhibition space with black-and-white photo of working people, wooden floor, child figure with bicycle in foreground.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • People observing art pieces in a gallery, large black-and-white photograph, drawings, and paintings.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Exhibition with painting, wooden door, and an installation in the background.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Orange fabric arches with black patterns in gallery in front of paintings and a sculpture.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Two artworks on a white wall: a painting with figures and a collage under glass.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installations view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Exhibition with dark sculpture in the foreground, paintings on the wall, and people observing the artworks.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, exhibition opening, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Painting and a small black box with golden spheres, observed by five people in an exhibition space.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, exhibition opening, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Museum exhibition with people viewing paintings. Green portrait on the left, dark painting on the right.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, exhibition opening, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Exhibition with portraits in a glass case and on the wall.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Sculpture group of six seated people in clothing on a bench, painting on the wall.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Three people viewing paintings and objects in an exhibition space with a large glass front.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Exhibition space with black-and-white photo of working people, wooden floor, child figure with bicycle in foreground.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • People observing art pieces in a gallery, large black-and-white photograph, drawings, and paintings.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Exhibition with painting, wooden door, and an installation in the background.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Orange fabric arches with black patterns in gallery in front of paintings and a sculpture.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installation view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Two artworks on a white wall: a painting with figures and a collage under glass.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, installations view, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Exhibition with dark sculpture in the foreground, paintings on the wall, and people observing the artworks.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, exhibition opening, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Painting and a small black box with golden spheres, observed by five people in an exhibition space.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, exhibition opening, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

  • Museum exhibition with people viewing paintings. Green portrait on the left, dark painting on the right.

    Kreuzberg: Kunst und Migration seit 1960, exhibition opening, Gropius Bau, 2026

    © Gropius Bau, photo: Rosa Merk

Through the Exhibition

With works by: Alexis Akrithakis, Mehmet Aksoy, Atiye Altül, Ararat‑Verlag, Eduardo Arroyo, Paolo Baratella, Akbar Behkalam, Kaya Behkalam, Cecilia Boisier, Vlassis Caniaris, Nuray Demir, Grazia Eminente, Kerem Ergün, Harun Farocki, Mathèos Florakis, Esther Friedman, Abuzer Güler, Sarah Haffner, Kim Min-ki / Lee Hye-kyung, Azade Köker, Evelyn Kuwertz, Stathis Logothetis, Colette Lumiere, Mihály Moldvay, Mehrangis Montazami-Dabui, Pınar Öğrenci, Aras Ören und Friedrich Wilhelm Zimmermann, Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Eduardo Paolozzi, Minh Duc Pham, Caroline Pinger, Jannis Psychopedis, Aykan Safoğlu, Ludmila Seefried‑Matějková, Sohrab Shahid Saless, Monika Sieveking, Antonio Skármeta, Hyun-Sook Song, Metin Talayman, Filiz Taşkın, Evanthia Tsantila, Mehmet Ünal, Natascha Ungeheuer, Irena Vrkljan, Hanefi Yeter and Serpil Yeter

 

Imprint

Editors: Sonja Borstner, Isabel Eberhardt, Luise Göttel
Video production: Luis Kürschner