The exhibition by Julius Pristauz combines physical and spatial experience with concrete social realities. It aims to encourage visitors to engage with the tangible and invisible dynamics and forces that surround them. In the exhibition, wind becomes a force that shapes, slows down movements, changes directions, challenges, drives progress or hinders it.
The museum presents well-known and lesser known aspects about Berlin’s Mitte district – from the historic past to the present day – in exhibition spaces organized according to different themes.
The exhibition freihand. Writing, School, Community presents work by students from Berlin’s Mitte district, created almost one hundred years apart: calligraphies by students in an art course at Herbert Hoover School, and twenty handwritten booklets that children at the 308th Municipal School at Leopoldplatz wrote, drew and bound themselves between 1926 and 1928. In both cases, the students decided what appeared on the page.
The artist Qusay Awad is invited to carry out an artistic research project to delve further into the annual theme Heimsuchungen/Hauntings. In view of the upcoming anniversary year 2027, the research project will aim to examine and reflect on the 10-year exhibition history in relation to the architecture and history of the Bärenzwinger. Throughout the year, interim updates of the research project will be presented and starting in October, the result of the project will be exhibited.
»매난국죽 Mae Nan Guk Juk: Diasporic Memories Formed in Clay« – An exhibition by Frank Jimin Hopp
With Mae Nan Guk Juk: Diasporic Memories Formed in Clay, Korean-German artist Frank Jimin Hopp explores the memories of the first generation of South Korean labour migrants in Germany. Through interviews, video works and collaboratively created ceramic objects, the exhibition brings together stories of migration, care work, loss and new beginnings. It presents diasporic memory as a living archive, continuously shaped through storytelling, encounters and artistic practice. The title refers to the Four Gentlemen of East Asian art—plum blossom, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo—symbols of resilience, dignity and perseverance.
Lang ist es nicht her. Und jetzt ist es soweit. – Susanne Kerckhoff
The exhibition at the Mitte Museum is dedicated to the writer and journalist Susanne Kerckhoff (1918–1950), one of the defining voices of Germany’s early post-war period. Between 1948 and 1949, Kerckhoff published a series of fictional portraits in the Berliner Zeitung that addressed pressing questions facing post-war society: guilt, denazification, antisemitism, and democracy. For the first time, the exhibition offers a comprehensive exploration of this body of work while asking what these texts can tell us about Germany today.
The solo exhibition by Nina Paszkowski, titled “Furore”, refers to the spectacle that has long shaped the Bärenzwinger: the principle of display and staging—whether through living animals, ideologically charged urban identity, or contemporary art. “Furore” describes a form of public attention that moves between fascination and unease. What attracts and excites can also turn into indignation or anger. Paszkowski approaches this anger through mythological figures whose name resonates in the exhibition title: the Furies. In Greek mythology, they appear as furious avengers who, through an act of mercy, undergo a process of becoming human and transform into the benevolent Eumenides.
is a site-specific installation by Nazanin Noori at the Klosterruine Berlin. It connects the historical space of the former religious building with questions of religious affiliation, power structures, public perception, and diverse conceptions of the divine. As a relic of a sacred site, the Klosterruine points to the political and social systems that have historically emerged from religious organisation. For centuries, the Berlin Franciscan monastery functioned as a space in which spiritual practices—both aesthetic and performative—were closely intertwined with urban order and political authority. At the same time, the ruin stands as a marker of repeated destruction and transformation.
The workshop, held at the Bärenzwinger, approaches ekphrasis – the written description of images – not as a literary genre, but as a method: a practice of translation between senses, media, and forms of attention. Taking Stevie Wonder’s The Secret Life of Plants as its starting point – a soundtrack created from written descriptions of a documentary film that Wonder himself had never seen in its entirety – we ask: What happens when one sense passes its information on to another? And what is inevitably lost, transformed, or reinvented in this process?
n his concert at the Bärenzwinger exhibition space, C.D. Noé combines fragments from his latest album with unreleased musical sketches. The performance engages with the exhibition’s theme, responding musically to the works on display.
SONOKI is a DJ from Chiba, Japan, based in Berlin. Moving between house and techno, he explores an experimental sonic spectrum that weaves together minimalist, dubby, and psychedelic textures. His sets unfold gradually through an interplay of tension and space. A subtle, driving energy draws listeners deeper into the sound, blurring their sense of time.
Free admission! More Info about the Bärenzwinger and the artistic programme here
Teddy Bear explores the relationship between captive animals, gentrification, body politics, and the commodification of female artists. The piece exposes a culture that only loves wild femininity when it remains behind bars. On stage, this cage is gilded: Tess resists the objectifying gaze while simultaneously having to turn herself into an object in order to master her craft. By reclaiming what the world labels crazy, she transforms labels and judgments into strength, liberating her emotional body. As part of Act III, Nowhere Will World Be, But Within, of the artistic live programme at the Bärenzwinger, the work marks a gentle return to her own wildness.
ACT III: Amazons at the Bärenzwinger: An Artistic Walk Through Köllnischer Park
The Furies, the Amazons, and the Greek heroes are among the many protagonists of ancient classical mythology, whose diverse narratives offer different and complex perspectives on our relationship with the more-than-human world. Through conversations, somatic exercises, and an immersive audio experience, we will explore the various roles that animals play in these legendary narratives.
The exhibition by Julius Pristauz combines physical and spatial experience with concrete social realities. It aims to encourage visitors to engage with the tangible and invisible dynamics and forces that surround them. In the exhibition, wind becomes a force that shapes, slows down movements, changes directions, challenges, drives progress or hinders it.
Queer and Jewish under the “Third Reich” and Beyond
In Holocaust research, persecuted queer people are generally considered non-Jewish, while Jewish victims are implicitly assumed to have been heterosexual. On 22 October 2026, four speakers will present the life stories of people who were both: queer and Jewish — from the Berlin-based painter Gertrude Sandmann, who survived the Holocaust in Berlin, to the lived experiences of gay and lesbian Jews in Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
The museum presents well-known and lesser known aspects about Berlin’s Mitte district – from the historic past to the present day – in exhibition spaces organized according to different themes.
The exhibition freihand. Writing, School, Community presents work by students from Berlin’s Mitte district, created almost one hundred years apart: calligraphies by students in an art course at Herbert Hoover School, and twenty handwritten booklets that children at the 308th Municipal School at Leopoldplatz wrote, drew and bound themselves between 1926 and 1928. In both cases, the students decided what appeared on the page.
Exhibtion Opening: freihand. Writing, School, Community
The exhibition freihand. Writing, School, Community presents work by students from Berlin’s Mitte district, created almost one hundred years apart: calligraphies by students in an art course at Herbert Hoover School, and twenty handwritten booklets that children at the 308th Municipal School at Leopoldplatz wrote, drew and bound themselves between 1926 and 1928. In both cases, the students decided what appeared on the page.
The artist Qusay Awad is invited to carry out an artistic research project to delve further into the annual theme Heimsuchungen/Hauntings. In view of the upcoming anniversary year 2027, the research project will aim to examine and reflect on the 10-year exhibition history in relation to the architecture and history of the Bärenzwinger. Throughout the year, interim updates of the research project will be presented and starting in October, the result of the project will be exhibited.
Moderation: Yolanda Kaddu-Mulindwa, Milena Mercer: Zwei Bustouren, eine U-Bahn-, eine Tramtour und ein Spaziergang führen jeweils zu vier bis fünf Galerien in einem oder mehreren Bezirken.
»매난국죽 Mae Nan Guk Juk: Diasporic Memories Formed in Clay« – An exhibition by Frank Jimin Hopp
With Mae Nan Guk Juk: Diasporic Memories Formed in Clay, Korean-German artist Frank Jimin Hopp explores the memories of the first generation of South Korean labour migrants in Germany. Through interviews, video works and collaboratively created ceramic objects, the exhibition brings together stories of migration, care work, loss and new beginnings. It presents diasporic memory as a living archive, continuously shaped through storytelling, encounters and artistic practice. The title refers to the Four Gentlemen of East Asian art—plum blossom, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo—symbols of resilience, dignity and perseverance.
Lang ist es nicht her. Und jetzt ist es soweit. – Susanne Kerckhoff
The exhibition at the Mitte Museum is dedicated to the writer and journalist Susanne Kerckhoff (1918–1950), one of the defining voices of Germany’s early post-war period. Between 1948 and 1949, Kerckhoff published a series of fictional portraits in the Berliner Zeitung that addressed pressing questions facing post-war society: guilt, denazification, antisemitism, and democracy. For the first time, the exhibition offers a comprehensive exploration of this body of work while asking what these texts can tell us about Germany today.
How much autonomy was possible for a woman writer in the post-war literary world? Susanne Linzer reads from her biographical essay on Susanne Kerckhoff, which traces her life through letters, conversations and historical documents.
The solo exhibition by Nina Paszkowski, titled “Furore”, refers to the spectacle that has long shaped the Bärenzwinger: the principle of display and staging—whether through living animals, ideologically charged urban identity, or contemporary art. “Furore” describes a form of public attention that moves between fascination and unease. What attracts and excites can also turn into indignation or anger. Paszkowski approaches this anger through mythological figures whose name resonates in the exhibition title: the Furies. In Greek mythology, they appear as furious avengers who, through an act of mercy, undergo a process of becoming human and transform into the benevolent Eumenides.
is a site-specific installation by Nazanin Noori at the Klosterruine Berlin. It connects the historical space of the former religious building with questions of religious affiliation, power structures, public perception, and diverse conceptions of the divine. As a relic of a sacred site, the Klosterruine points to the political and social systems that have historically emerged from religious organisation. For centuries, the Berlin Franciscan monastery functioned as a space in which spiritual practices—both aesthetic and performative—were closely intertwined with urban order and political authority. At the same time, the ruin stands as a marker of repeated destruction and transformation.
In our Kultur Mitte newsletter we inform you about the latest in the fields of art, culture, media and education.
Additionally you receive information on Open Calls, opportunities for funding, concerts, readings, film screenings, guided tours and our program for families and young people in our institutions.
The Department of Art, Culture and History is an important point of contact for key cultural projects and initiatives. The department advises on approval and application procedures for funding and art projects in public space, supports the public promotion of art and remembrance projects on both a regional and supra-regional scale, facilitates networking and transcultural exchange and has for years successfully coordinated cultural education work aimed at predominantly young people.
Events
Bärenzwinger |
Artist talk, Ausstellung
8.10.26 18:00h - 20:00h
Furore: Eröffnung eines neuen Ausstellungskapitels
Die Ausstellung Furore von Nina Paszkowski versteht sich als prozesshafte Arbeit, die sich fortwährend verändert, verschiebt und neu konstituiert. Nach einem Umbau öffnet sich ein neues Kapitel der Ausstellung. Anlässlich der Kunstwoche laden wir gemeinsam mit der Künstlerin zu dieser Eröffnung ein.
How much autonomy was possible for a woman writer in the post-war literary world? Susanne Linzer reads from her biographical essay on Susanne Kerckhoff, which traces her life through letters, conversations and historical documents.
Exhibtion Opening: freihand. Writing, School, Community
The exhibition freihand. Writing, School, Community presents work by students from Berlin’s Mitte district, created almost one hundred years apart: calligraphies by students in an art course at Herbert Hoover School, and twenty handwritten booklets that children at the 308th Municipal School at Leopoldplatz wrote, drew and bound themselves between 1926 and 1928. In both cases, the students decided what appeared on the page.
As part of the exhibition “매난국죽 Mae Nan Guk Juk – Diasporic Memories Formed in Clay,” artist Frank Jimin Hopp will be on site and invites visitors to an open discussion about the exhibition, its creation, and the stories behind the works. A small, open ceramics workshop will also take place. Visitors can work with clay themselves, create small ceramic forms and objects, and engage in conversation with the artist. No prior experience is required. Feel free to stop by, check out the exhibition, and try your hand at working with clay.
Moderation: Yolanda Kaddu-Mulindwa, Milena Mercer: Zwei Bustouren, eine U-Bahn-, eine Tramtour und ein Spaziergang führen jeweils zu vier bis fünf Galerien in einem oder mehreren Bezirken.
ACT III: Amazons at the Bärenzwinger: An Artistic Walk Through Köllnischer Park
The Furies, the Amazons, and the Greek heroes are among the many protagonists of ancient classical mythology, whose diverse narratives offer different and complex perspectives on our relationship with the more-than-human world. Through conversations, somatic exercises, and an immersive audio experience, we will explore the various roles that animals play in these legendary narratives.
n his concert at the Bärenzwinger exhibition space, C.D. Noé combines fragments from his latest album with unreleased musical sketches. The performance engages with the exhibition’s theme, responding musically to the works on display.
SONOKI is a DJ from Chiba, Japan, based in Berlin. Moving between house and techno, he explores an experimental sonic spectrum that weaves together minimalist, dubby, and psychedelic textures. His sets unfold gradually through an interplay of tension and space. A subtle, driving energy draws listeners deeper into the sound, blurring their sense of time.
Free admission! More Info about the Bärenzwinger and the artistic programme here
Teddy Bear explores the relationship between captive animals, gentrification, body politics, and the commodification of female artists. The piece exposes a culture that only loves wild femininity when it remains behind bars. On stage, this cage is gilded: Tess resists the objectifying gaze while simultaneously having to turn herself into an object in order to master her craft. By reclaiming what the world labels crazy, she transforms labels and judgments into strength, liberating her emotional body. As part of Act III, Nowhere Will World Be, But Within, of the artistic live programme at the Bärenzwinger, the work marks a gentle return to her own wildness.
The workshop, held at the Bärenzwinger, approaches ekphrasis – the written description of images – not as a literary genre, but as a method: a practice of translation between senses, media, and forms of attention. Taking Stevie Wonder’s The Secret Life of Plants as its starting point – a soundtrack created from written descriptions of a documentary film that Wonder himself had never seen in its entirety – we ask: What happens when one sense passes its information on to another? And what is inevitably lost, transformed, or reinvented in this process?
Queer and Jewish under the “Third Reich” and Beyond
In Holocaust research, persecuted queer people are generally considered non-Jewish, while Jewish victims are implicitly assumed to have been heterosexual. On 22 October 2026, four speakers will present the life stories of people who were both: queer and Jewish — from the Berlin-based painter Gertrude Sandmann, who survived the Holocaust in Berlin, to the lived experiences of gay and lesbian Jews in Sachsenhausen concentration camp.