The Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, established in 1996 and organized by KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V., is one of the most important biennial events for contemporary art in Europe. Since its first edition, it has promoted experimentation and artistic positions free from market constraints or collecting interests.
Launched on June 13, 2025 to the public, the 2025 edition is entitled “Passing the fugitive on”, curated by Zasha Colah, with Valentina Viviani as assistant curator. The exhibition takes place in four emblematic venues of Berlin’s urban fabric: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Sophiensæle, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart and a former courthouse on Lehrter Straße in Moabit.
More than half of the approximately 170 works presented, created by over 60 international artists , are works commissioned specifically for this Biennale.
The symbolic image of the curatorial program is the urban fox: a figure that embodies art’s ability to act outside of power structures, offering moments of suspension and other ways of thinking beyond imposed norms. The idea is that of a “fugitive” art that creates spaces for equal exchange between subjects, challenging unjust laws and institutional violence.
The exhibition itinerary is conceived as an urban itinerary: from the KW to the former courthouse, passing through the historic rooms of the MOABIT, the places themselves bear traces of violence, protests and cultural reappropriation. This approach makes the Biennale an action of “recommunication” of spaces, transformed into living places of experimentation and artistic resistance.
The Biennale 2025 strengthens connections with Berlin’s cultural scene through partnerships with institutions such as ERIAC (European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture), Filmrauschpalast Moabit, Sophiensæle and SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA. These collaborations represent the organization’s commitment to fostering creative networks anchored in the city and its communities.
The Berlin Biennale 2025, with its theme of reflection on the concept of fugitiveness and urban recomposition, confirms itself as an avant-garde artistic laboratory. It is a unique opportunity to discover new artistic practices capable of intervening in the political and social present. Visiting this edition means immersing yourself in a global dialogue, hosted by places full of history and transformation.
Visit and practical
informationThe Biennale will be open to the public until September 14, 2025. The timetable and the complete program – including performances, workshops and collective dialogue meetings – are available on the official website and online from 12 June. Access to the exhibitions is available with a ticket that can be purchased through the official webshop.
INFO: Berlin Biennale
