The programme of Reflexes &amp; Reflections 2026.

Reflexe & Reflexionen

Reflexes &amp; Reflections

28 to 30 August 2026Exhibition of the work by pupils from OSZ Lotis, Nelson Mandela School, Rosa Luxemburg Gymnasium and the Sports School in Poelchau Olympic Park&nbsp;

World Order of the Future?!

Advance ticket sales will start on 10&nbsp;June at 14:00.

Tickets may occasionally become available even when events are marked as sold out. It is therefore worth checking in the <a href="https://tickets.kbb.eu/kbb.webshop/webticket/shop?production=923&amp;language=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">webshop</a> at regular intervals. Any remaining tickets will also be available at the evening box office.

Three-channel HD video, colour, sound, environment, 47:23 min, 2019Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze, Hito Steyerl, Miloš Trakilović&nbsp;– Script and Coproduction Mikk Madisson&nbsp;– Sound Direction and Music Jaan Marabu&nbsp;– Window Foil Design Manuel Reinartz – Installation (design, construction)Special thanks to Iván Brito and Robert Nikolajev Courtesy the artists, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York and Esther Schipper, Berlin/Paris/Seoul

The video work “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: BELANCIEGE” by Hito Steyerl, Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze and Miloš Trakilović, created in 2019, is now more topical than ever: referencing the fashion labels Balenciaga and Vetements, the artists investigate how data analysis practices within the fashion industry are used in targeted advertising on social media. How much this manipulation of the media endangers our democracy has been demonstrated, among other things, by the re-election of Donald Trump on 5&nbsp;November 2024. What future do democratic systems have when the public sphere can be bought and sold and is flooded with false statements based on identity politics?

Ausstellung

Exhibition

Reflexe & Reflexionen 2025

Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Oberes Foyer

Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Upper&nbsp;Foyer

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MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: BELANCIEGE

74th Berlin International Film Festival

Past Events

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Calendar

Reflexe und Reflexionen

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As part of “Reflexes and Reflections”, the Berliner Festspiele organise artistic-discursive theme days at irregular intervals, which deal with social problems and controversial topics.

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Reflexe & Reflexionen 2026

Today’s Events

Video Installation

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Key Visual Reflexe & Reflexionen 2026

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4-Day Focus curated by Saba-Nur Cheema and Meron Mendel

The Great Disorder

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In “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: BELANCIEGE”, Hito Steyerl, Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze and Miloš Trakilović investigate how data analysis practices within the fashion industry are used in targeted advertising on social media and what dangers thus arise for liberal democracies.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: BELANCIEGE

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In “Freedom Sonata”, dance artist Emanuel Gat, together with a group of dancers of diverse heritage and styles, re-examines the form of the sonata. He creates complex scores, which the dancers make their own live on stage.

Freedom Sonata

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Max Uthoff, political cabaret artist and host of the ZDF programme “Die Anstalt”, teams up with Enissa Amani, comedienne and activist. Together, they discuss the snap election results and explore the question: what’s left to laugh about?

German Federal Election 2025. What’s Left to Laugh About?

Artistic Programme

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For more than five decades, Gabriele St&ouml;tzer has been grappling with questions of justice, gender and self-determination. Opening at Gropius Bau in June 2026,&nbsp;Dabei sein und nicht schweigen&nbsp;(Showing up and Not Remaining Silent)&nbsp;will be the artist’s largest institutional solo exhibition to date.

Gabriele St&ouml;tzer: Dabei sein und nicht schweigen

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The Musikfest Berlin brings together leading international orchestras, renowned conductors and outstanding soloists in a diverse concert programme – ranging from opera productions to contemporary works. Advance tickets are available.

Musikfest Berlin

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Marina Abramović presents Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition at Gropius Bau, marking her first major solo show in Berlin since the 1990s. The show traces her ongoing engagement with ritual, eroticism, death and the body as a site of political resistance.

Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition

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The fourth edition of the Performing Arts Season focuses on myths and rituals – with works by international artists such as Marina Abramović, Marie Chouinard and Dumb Type. Advance ticket sales start on 18 June.

Performing Arts Season

More Berliner Festspiele

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103 ensembles from all 16&nbsp;federal states have submitted their productionsfor the 47th&nbsp;Theatertreffen der Jugend 2026. The focus is on the invited productions and exchange among young performers and their directors.&nbsp;

Theatertreffen der Jugend

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In the exhibition Persistence of Vision, Peter Hujar’s photographs are interspersed with contemporary works by New York City-based artist Liz Deschenes, opening up an intergenerational dialogue on photography.

Peter Hujar / Liz Deschenes: Persistence of Vision

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In 2026 the Berliner Festspiele celebrate their 75th&nbsp;anniversary. A selection of events programmed throughout the entire year engage take the anniversary as their theme or mark the occasion with works at various locations across the city.&nbsp;

75 Years of the Berliner Festspiele

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Reflexes &amp; Reflections 2026

Advance ticket sales for this year’s edition of Reflexe &amp; Reflexionen begin on 10&nbsp;June at 14:00.

Advance Ticket Sales

Reflexes &amp; Reflections 2026 will take place from 27&nbsp;August to 30&nbsp;August.The Berliner Festspiele are a cultural institution closely connected with the changing history of Berlin and the partition of Europe. But what marks out the present state of the world? What are the political, social and cultural consequences derived from a global order that is increasingly shaped by wars, imperial power grabs and multipolar lines of conflict? The four-day focus Reflexes &amp; Reflections Die gro&szlig;e Unordnung (The Great Disorder) will examine the effects of these developments on liberal democracies and international co-operation. A special highlight is the conversation with former Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel on the evening of 29&nbsp;August&nbsp;2026. She will discuss the challenges of the current geopolitical shifts for open societies together with the curators of Reflexes and Reflections, Saba-Nur Cheema and Meron Mendel. Prominent speakers from the worlds of politics, academia and the arts – including Adam Tooze, Meera Nanda and Steffen Mau – will shed light on the future of liberal institutions and alliances, the continuity of colonial violence, lines of conflict within Germany’s post-migrant society as well as artistic and curatorial reactions to a world in disorder.&nbsp;

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The “Reflexes &amp; Reflections” theme days are a programme series organised by Berliner Festspiele. In times of increasing polarisation of social debates, it aims to create open and controversial spaces for discussion. “Reflexes &amp; Reflections” brings together artistic and discursive positions to negotiate social problems and contentious issues.

About Reflexes &amp; Reflections

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Impressionen Reflexe & Reflexionen 2025

Impressions 2025

Impressions 2025

Certainly since the re-election of Donald Trump it has become clear that a violent, multipolar world order is evolving. Autocratic tendencies that are now also manifesting themselves in former liberal democracies are converging with returning fantasies of great imperial power. Meanwhile East-West and North-South axes are gradually becoming less significant in charting political relations in a radically changing world.As a result, the legacy of liberal institutions and international co-operation is being questioned. A postcolonial perspective, fed by criticism of Western policy, is also insufficient to describe current geopolitical conflicts. At the same time, major global conflicts impact Germany’s postmigrant society and threaten social harmony.The third edition of Reflexes &amp; Reflections, again curated by the political scientist <a href="${link:{uuid:{d68c7e9b-05aa-428b-aeb7-563012c11ddc},repository:{artists},path:{/bfs-mediathek/C/saba-nur-cheema}}}">Saba-Nur Cheema</a> and the historian <a href="${link:{uuid:{6750d4bb-3e82-4177-bcf9-b29e55fd9a39},repository:{artists},path:{/bfs-mediathek/M/meron-mendel}}}">Meron Mendel</a>, also marks the 75th&nbsp;anniversary of the Berliner Festspiele. As a cultural institution that is linked to Berlin’s eventful history, in their anniversary year the Berliner Festspiele will examine the consequences of the current geopolitical upheaval for open societies.Where should socially and culturally engaged individuals and institutions now turn? Which new co-ordinates offer a degree of orientation? In considering these problems, among the prominent speakers from the fields of politics, academia and culture, the voices of Berlin schoolchildren will also be heard for the first time.

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On the future of debate culture: The videos of the second edition of “Reflexes &amp; Reflections” with lectures, discussions and a late-night programme are available in the Media Library.

Reflexes &amp; Reflections in the Media Library

Public disputes today are louder, more intense and more hostile than ever. Right-wing and authoritarian parties are gaining increasing support. Many people feel they are not being heard. Others complain of being unable to express their opinions. And in many parts of society, trust in the mediating power of state institutions and established media is declining.n view of this imbalance, Berliner Festspiele assessed the current state of affairs: How is our culture of debate failing? What role do social media, inequality and ideological conflicts play in this? And how can a lively praxis of public debate be encouraged? These questions were considered in the second edition of “Reflexes &amp; Reflections” in March 2025, which was once again curated by political scholar Saba-Nur Cheema and historian Meron Mendel. This time, the focus was on the future of debate culture.On three packed days devoted to this theme, prominent speakers discussed in a series of panel discussions, lectures and workshops the possibilities of liberating public discourse from its enduring but unproductive state of arousal. Participants included Jeffrey Goldberg, Alice Hasters, Yasmine M’Barek, Hasnain Kazim, Gilda Sahebi, Mithu Sanyal, Stefan Niggemeier and Deniz Y&uuml;cel.Artistic perspectives on processes of social negotiation were offered by the dance piece <a href="${link:{uuid:{ef75b370-61ac-4141-a551-683781849dc2},repository:{website},path:{/bfs-de/reflexe-und-reflexionen/programm/2025/kalender/freedom-sonata}}}">“Freedom Sonata”</a> by Emanuel Gat and the video installation <a href="${link:{uuid:{65c2a467-f3cc-42dd-b854-94f63ee521c5},repository:{website},path:{/bfs-de/reflexe-und-reflexionen/programm/2025/kalender/mission-accomplished-belanciege}}}">“MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: BELANCIEGE”</a> by Hito Steyerl, Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze and Miloš Trakilović. Alongside all the serious questions that were discussed as part of “Reflexes &amp; Reflections”, there was also room for a sense of humour: shortly after the 2025 German Federal election, comedian <a href="${link:{uuid:{c46e2e10-63d3-4b2b-aad5-7080f06aeb99},repository:{website},path:{/bfs-de/reflexe-und-reflexionen/programm/2025/kalender/bundestagswahl-2025-was-gibts-noch-zu-lachen}}}">Max Uthoff</a> and comedienne and activist <a href="${link:{uuid:{c46e2e10-63d3-4b2b-aad5-7080f06aeb99},repository:{website},path:{/bfs-de/reflexe-und-reflexionen/programm/2025/kalender/bundestagswahl-2025-was-gibts-noch-zu-lachen}}}">Enissa Amani</a> commented on the election results. They asked themselves: what’s left to laugh about?

Reflexes &amp; Reflections 2025

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As part of ‘Reflexes and Reflections’, the Berliner Festspiele organise artistic-discursive theme days at irregular intervals, which deal with social problems and controversial topics.

Festivals & Programme Series

Upcoming

The Berliner Festspiele organise a range of festivals and art exhibitions, concerts, dance and theatre performances, readings, lectures, debates and much more throughout the year. These events are presented at a range of locations across Berlin but are concentrated primarily at their own two venues: the Gropius Bau and the Haus der Berliner Festspiele.

Berliner Festspiele

Reflexes &amp; Reflections 2026 takes place from 27 to 30 August 2026.

Programm 2026

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Programme 2026

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Programme

Reflexes & Reflections

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Ganzj&auml;hrig realisieren die Berliner Festspiele eine Vielzahl von Festivals, Ausstellungen und Einzelveranstaltungen in ihren zwei H&auml;usern – dem Haus der Berliner Festspiele in der Schaperstra&szlig;e und dem Gropius Bau nahe des Potsdamer Platzes – sowie an anderen Orten der Stadt.

Newsletter

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In 2026 the Berliner Festspiele celebrate their 75th anniversary. A selection of events programmed throughout the entire year engage take the anniversary as their theme or mark the occasion with works at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, the Gropius Bau, the Philharmonie, on Berlin’s Ringbahn and at other locations in the city. Outstanding international that liberal societies and their cultural institutions face in a new, multipolar world order. artists such as Marina Abramović, Gabriele St&ouml;tzer and Akira Takayama will set the agenda both thematically and aesthetically. Entitled “Die gro&szlig;e Unordnung” (The Great Disorder), the four-day focus Reflexes &amp; Reflections will also enquire about the challenges.

75 Years of the Berliner Festspiele

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The massacre, hostage-taking and rocket attacks by Hamas have shaken us deeply. The grue-some attack on Israel on 7&nbsp;October left us stunned and initially lost for words.

The Berliner Festspiele on Current Events in Israel, Gaza and Germany

With this letter of intent, we, the signing cultural organizations, express our intention to welcome, host and stage Ukrainian theatre artists in our venues, to make Ukrainian dramatic work visible to the European community.

Support of the Ukrainian Cultural Scene

Key Visual Theatertreffen der Jugend 2026

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Tickets still available

Productions, Concert, Readings, Party

Key Visual Musikfest Berlin 2026

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The complete programme is online; ticket sales are on.

Major Orchestras and Vocal Ensembles as Guests in Berlin

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A total of 62 ensembles from 16&nbsp;federal states applied with their works for the 13th&nbsp;Tanztreffen der Jugend. This year, the productions on the shotlist represent the full spectrum of production contexts within young dance-making. The nominated works include those from schools, independent theatre companies, municipal and state theatres, as well as dance schools and dance centres.

Tanztreffen der Jugend

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In June 2026, Sasha Waltz &amp; Guests will be performing the productions Beethoven&nbsp;7 and In&nbsp;C at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. Sasha Waltz &amp; Guests will also be staging a special evening to celebrate the 75th&nbsp;anniversary of the Goethe-Institut.

Sasha Waltz &amp; Guests

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In August 2026, the festival Tanz im August will return to the Haus der Berliner Festspiele with several productions. Tickets for Sounding Light are already available. The other productions will be published in June.

Tanz im August

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The third edition of Reflexes &amp; Reflections, again curated by the political scientist Saba-Nur Cheema and the historian Saba-Nur Cheema, marks the 75th&nbsp;anniversary of the Berliner Festspiele. As a cultural institution that is linked to Berlin’s eventful history, in their anniversary year the Berliner Festspiele will examine the consequences of the current geopolitical upheaval for open societies.

Reflexes &amp; Reflections