»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.
umbennen? Exhibition project on the history of Berlin street names
As an inner-city district that unites former East and West Berlin boroughs, Mitte looks back on a turbulent history that is also reflected in the large number of street renamings. The regional historical focus of the “rename?!” exhibition is therefore on continuities, ruptures, and the possibilities for participation in renaming processes.
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.
As one of the last remaining witnesses to Berlin’s early history, the ruins of the Franciscan Monastery Church are among the city’s most important architectural monuments that are both open to the public and used as a cultural venue. Located in Berlin’s historic and present-day centre, the ruins are considered an outstanding example of medieval architecture. Since 2016, artists and curators have been invited each year to bring the Klosterruine into the present and open up new perspectives on this historic site.
As one of the last remaining witnesses to Berlin’s early history, the ruins of the Franciscan Monastery Church are among the city’s most important architectural monuments that are both open to the public and used as a cultural venue. Located in Berlin’s historic and present-day centre, the ruins are considered an outstanding example of medieval architecture. Since 2016, artists and curators have been invited each year to bring the Klosterruine into the present and open up new perspectives on this historic site.
Tag des offenen Denkmals – Denkmalhistorische Führung
Die Ruine der Franziskaner Klosterkirche gehört als eines der letzten erhaltenen Zeugnisse der Gründungsgeschichte Berlins zu den wichtigsten Baudenkmalen der Stadt, die öffentlich zugänglich sind und kulturell genutzt werden. Gelegen im historischen und heutigen Zentrum Berlins gilt sie als ein herausragendes Denkmal mittelalterlicher Baukunst. Seit 2016 werden jedes Jahr Künstler*innen und Kurator*innen eingeladen, die Klosterruine ins Licht der Gegenwart zu rücken und neue Perspektiven zu öffnen.
neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst (nGbK) |
Community Space
18.9.26, 18:00h
Get-together – Urbane Künste ERbeLEBEN – The (Non-)Olympic City
From 15 to 20 September, Urbane Künste ERbeLEBEN presents projects at nGbK developed by students together with architects and artists over the past few months. Under the title “The (Non-)Olympic City”, the projects explore from different perspectives what the Olympic Games could mean for a city like Berlin.
»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 Women’s Quarter Around Berlin Central Station – A Guided Tour with Trille Schünke-Bettinger
To this day, far more streets are named after men than after women. When an entirely new district was planned around Berlin Central Station, a conscious effort was made to change that: many of the newly created streets were named after women.
Mitte Museum |
Ausstellung, Museumsevent, Rundgang
16.9.26, 18:00h – 19:00h
Guided Tour of the Exhibition “umbenennen?!” with Curator Tabea Thielmann (german)
A street name is rarely neutral. It commemorates, honours, obscures—and sometimes does all of these things at once. In this guided tour, curator Tabea Thielmann takes visitors through the exhibition, uncovering the stories behind Berlin’s street signs, explaining how renamings come about, and exploring why some names remain unchanged.
Klosterruine Berlin invites visitors to a public tour of the historic monument every third Thursday of the month from May to September. Together with Alin Daghestani, Program Coordinator and Curatorial Assistant at Klosterruine, visitors will gain insights into the history of the former Franciscan monastery as well as the current site-specific artistic works presented on site. The tour is followed by an opportunity for conversation and exchange.
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.
umbennen? Exhibition project on the history of Berlin street names
As an inner-city district that unites former East and West Berlin boroughs, Mitte looks back on a turbulent history that is also reflected in the large number of street renamings. The regional historical focus of the “rename?!” exhibition is therefore on continuities, ruptures, and the possibilities for participation in renaming processes.
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
Klosterruine |
Konzert
11.9.26 19:00h - 22:00h
poems with tibslc, Eve Matin
On Friday, September 11, 2026, poems invites you to an evening of live music at Klosterruine Berlin.
As one of the last remaining witnesses to Berlin’s early history, the ruins of the Franciscan Monastery Church are among the city’s most important architectural monuments that are both open to the public and used as a cultural venue. Located in Berlin’s historic and present-day centre, the ruins are considered an outstanding example of medieval architecture. Since 2016, artists and curators have been invited each year to bring the Klosterruine into the present and open up new perspectives on this historic site.
As one of the last remaining witnesses to Berlin’s early history, the ruins of the Franciscan Monastery Church are among the city’s most important architectural monuments that are both open to the public and used as a cultural venue. Located in Berlin’s historic and present-day centre, the ruins are considered an outstanding example of medieval architecture. Since 2016, artists and curators have been invited each year to bring the Klosterruine into the present and open up new perspectives on this historic site.
Mitte Museum |
Ausstellung, Museumsevent, Rundgang
16.9.26 18:00h - 19:00h
Guided Tour of the Exhibition “umbenennen?!” with Curator Tabea Thielmann (german)
A street name is rarely neutral. It commemorates, honours, obscures—and sometimes does all of these things at once. In this guided tour, curator Tabea Thielmann takes visitors through the exhibition, uncovering the stories behind Berlin’s street signs, explaining how renamings come about, and exploring why some names remain unchanged.
Klosterruine Berlin invites visitors to a public tour of the historic monument every third Thursday of the month from May to September. Together with Alin Daghestani, Program Coordinator and Curatorial Assistant at Klosterruine, visitors will gain insights into the history of the former Franciscan monastery as well as the current site-specific artistic works presented on site. The tour is followed by an opportunity for conversation and exchange.
neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst (nGbK) |
Community Space
18.9.26 18:00h
Get-together – Urbane Künste ERbeLEBEN – The (Non-)Olympic City
From 15 to 20 September, Urbane Künste ERbeLEBEN presents projects at nGbK developed by students together with architects and artists over the past few months. Under the title “The (Non-)Olympic City”, the projects explore from different perspectives what the Olympic Games could mean for a city like Berlin.
The Women’s Quarter Around Berlin Central Station – A Guided Tour with Trille Schünke-Bettinger
To this day, far more streets are named after men than after women. When an entirely new district was planned around Berlin Central Station, a conscious effort was made to change that: many of the newly created streets were named after women.