A jewel in Mitte’s art scene crown…
KW Gallery, Auguststrasse
Berlin’s Auguststrasse isn’t short on galleries. This well known Mitte street is a main artery for contemporary art in the city, long ago earning the sobriquet “East Berlin’s art mile” for its impressive wealth of independent galleries that line both sides of the street and show everything from sculpture and fine art to photography.
Of all the street’s venues, the Kunst Werke Institute For Contemporary Arts at number 69 is perhaps the most acclaimed. The former margarine factory, built in the late 19th century, was seized as an art space in the early 1990s by Klaus Biesenbach and his posse of young art enthusiasts. It‘s opening was a major factor in the development of this area as an artistic hub, and Biesenbach and his colleagues have worked hard to maintain its reputation as one of the city’s best places to see cutting-edge works.
Pass through the (listed) 18th century façade and you’ll find yourself in a gorgeous courtyard, worn-smooth cobbles underfoot, chestnut trees dangling overhead. The modern, glass-walled building on the left is Café Bravo, designed by American artist Dan Graham and architecturally realized in collaboration with Hanne Nalbach. It’s a great place for a breakfast or lunch, even if you’re not visiting the gallery.
KW Gallery courtyard
Behind lies the restored factory-cum-art-space, which together with the white-cube style exhibition hall added by Berlin architect Hans Düttmann, consists of a whopping 2,000 square meters, extending over five floors. (Included in that figure are six artist studios, located in the front side wings).
Testament to its commitment to stay at the edgier end of art spectrum, KW has no permanent collection, but instead acts as a “testing ground” for emerging artists (many from Berlin and Germany), and as an exhibition space for international works. Over the years it has hosted a slew of major names from Doug Aitken and Dinos & Jake Chapman to Paul Pfeiffer, Santiago Sierra and Keren Cytter.
There are often additional events at KW such as talks, screenings or concerts, and the gallery enjoys close links with other international spaces with a similar ethos – the P.S.1/MoMA in New York, for example, and the Venice Biennale. In 1997 the KW initiated their own Biennale, which is still going strong. In fact the 6th edition - sponsored by KW – started on June 11th and will run until August 8th. More details on specific exhibitions and happenings can be found here.
If you feel like taking in more of Auguststrasse’s art scene, check out galleries like Eigen + ART, Galerie Gerken, Berlin Art Projects and Deschler.
KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Auguststr. 69
10117 Berlin-Mitte
Tel: 030 243 4590
Open: Tue–Sun 12–19; Thur 12– 21.
Café Bravo
Open: Mon: 9–20; Tue-Sat 9-End; Sun:10–20
Tel: 030 234 57777
About The Author
Paul Sullivan is a Berlin-based writer & travel photographer and the founder of Slow Travel Berlin. You can check out his personal website here and some of his photography galleries here.
[...] healthy bite. Being placed right at the end of Auguststrasse, The Barn is perfectly placed for some gallery-hopping before and after too. In fact, you could almost say the place is a work of art [...]