During Berlin Art Week 2026, over 100 exhibition venues, museums, private collections , galleries and project spacesinvite you to discover contemporary art in Berlin.
Alongside the major art museums and exhibition venues, many smaller galleries are also presenting new and exciting exhibitions. You can also look forward to a supporting programme featuring guided tours, performances, music, talks and much more. As it’s not easy to choose, we’ve picked out 11 highlights for you, and many of them are free.
Tip: Most exhibitions will remain on display beyond the official Berlin Art Week dates from 9 to 13 September 2026.
Tip 1: Start your discovery tour at the Kulturforum in the Berlin Art Week Garden
To mark the 15th anniversary of Berlin Art Week, the Kulturforum will become the central meeting place for art lovers. In the Berlin Art Week Garden, you can find out about more than 100 festival partners, put together your own personalised itinerary or simply linger amongst the workshops, talks, performances and screenings.
Exciting programme highlights in the surrounding area include Maurizio Cattelan’s exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie, the ‘Perform!’ festival and the closing‘Day in the Green’on Sunday, when you can explore all the venues around the Kulturforum with a discounted ticket. You can look forward to guided tours, music and the traditional ‘Tafel im Grünen’, where you can reflect on Art Week once more with fellow art enthusiasts.
Best of all: the Berlin Art Week Garden itself is free and open to everyone.
When: 9 to 13 September 2026, all day
Where: Matthäikirchplatz, Tiergarten
Tip 2: Discover new art at the POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair
Art fair meets airport architecture: in the monumental Hangars 5 and 6 of the former Tempelhof Airport, you can discover modern and contemporary art across more than 10,000 square metres at the POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair. A total of 86 international galleries from 20 countries are taking part this time.
The special sections are also exciting: at Academy POSITIONS you’ll encounter young talent from German art colleges, FASHION POSITIONS brings together art and Berlin fashion design, and Selected POSITIONS showcases works priced up to 2,500 euros – perfect for budding collectors.
When: 10 September, 6–9 pm; 11 September, 2–8 pm; 12 September, 11 am–7 pm; 13 September 2026, 11 am–6 pm
Where: Tempelhof Airport, Hangars 5–6, Tempelhof
Tip 3: Explore Berlin’s galleries during Gallery Night
The extent to which the whole city is in an artistic mood during Berlin Art Week is particularly evident at Gallery Night . On Thursday evening, 54 galleries will open their doors and invite you to wander from exhibition to exhibition.
Along your route, you’ll encounter big names from the international art scene: discover works by the exceptional American artist Robert Rauschenberg at BASTIAN, works by the legendary fashion designer and artist Martin Margiela at the Konrad Fischer Galerie, the renowned photographer and conceptual artist Carrie Mae Weems at the Galerie Barbara Thumm, and the German contemporary artist Katharina Sieverding at the Galerie Thomas Schulte.
At the same time, you can discover emerging programmes and new voices. Put together your own personalised gallery route and explore, or simply let yourself be carried along from opening to opening.
When: 10 September, 6–10 pm; 11–13 September 2026, 12 noon–6 pm
Where: 54 galleries across various Berlin districts
Tip 4: Experience ‘Ageing Masters’ – a blend of art and performance
What happens when the Old Masters encounter the people and stories of modern-day Berlin? For ‘Ageing Masters’, Ersan Mondtag and Nadim Samman transform the Gemäldegalerie into a living tableau: 25 performers from the worlds of theatre, dance, music, art and nightlife move through the collection, exploring themes of age, transience and visibility.
The line-up includes Eva-Maria Keller, Sema Poyraz and WestBam, amongst others. You are free to move between the scenes and decide for yourselves which events you’d like to follow.
Good to know: On 13 September, performances start at 10.30 am, 1 pm and 3.30 pm. Admission is free with a valid museum ticket.
When: 11 to 13 September, depending on the performance
Where: Gemäldegalerie, Matthäikirchplatz, Tiergarten
Ageing Masters
Tip 5: Meet Arash Nassiri at ‘Meet the Artist’
Art takes on a whole new dimension when you hear the thoughts behind it directly from the artists themselves. That’s exactly what‘Meet the Artist’offers during Berlin Art Week.
One exciting example is the artist talk at Fluentum: Arash Nassiri will be speaking with director Raoul Klooker about his exhibition “A Bug’s Life”.
The focus is on Nassiri’s film of the same name (not to be confused with the Pixar film of the same name), which uses a lavish villa in Beverly Hills as a backdrop to weave together stories of the Iranian diaspora, architecture, social mobility and marginalisation. Do come along, have a listen and discover the exhibition from the artist’s perspective.
Good to know: The talk will be held in English; admission is free and no booking is required. Seating is limited.
When: 12 September 2026, 4.00 pm (exhibition runs from 10 September to 12 December 2026)
Where: Fluentum, Clayallee 174, Dahlem
A Bug’s Life
Tip 6: Support artistic freedom with “Beware of Democracy!”
The nationwide campaign“Vorsicht Demokratie!” demonstrates just how closely artistic freedom and democracy are intertwined. Launched during Berlin Art Week 2025, it is once again bringing together art and cultural institutions with committed artists and civil society initiatives this year. Participating Berlin venues include the Akademie der Künste, the Berlinische Galerie, C/O Berlin, the HKW and the KINDL. Artists such as Hans Haacke, Rosemarie Trockel and Maria Eichhorn are providing their own creative impetus. Discover how art can spark social debates – and why a vibrant democracy needs space for critical voices.
Tip: Do have a listen to our Berlin Unboxed podcast episode on transparency in democracy. In it, we take you on an art walk through the government district.
When: during Berlin Art Week, depending on the event
Where: various art and cultural institutions in Berlin
Tip 7: Dive into the Kyiv Biennial at KW
During Berlin Art Week, the Kyiv Biennial “A Bird That Cannot Land” will take over the entire KW building, bringing together more than 40 international artistic voices. The exhibition, along with various performances and talks, centres on war, migration, memory and belonging.
Our tip for the closing weekend: in ‘soft thought’ by the Berlin-based artist duo Labour (Farahnaz Hatam & Colin Hacklander), sound, dance and performance will transform the exhibition spaces, stairwells and attic for four hours. There’s no set starting point – just turn up, wander through the building and let yourself be carried along.
When: 9 September, 11 am – 9 pm (free admission); 10–13 September, 11 am – 7 pm; ‘soft thought’: 12 September 2026, 8 pm – midnight
Where: KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Auguststraße 69, Mitte
Tip 8: Follow the Kreuzberg Art Film Festival through the city
Art comes to you: at the 1st Kreuzberg Art Film Festival “Es geht voran!” organised by berlinartfilms, video art is shown right in the heart of public spaces. A mobile moving-image sculpture brings international contemporary video art to streets and squares, asking what progress actually means today.
The tour on Friday is particularly exciting: follow the mobile exhibition from Mehringplatz via Oranienplatz to Mariannenplatz and see how passers-by suddenly become an art-loving audience and familiar places turn into temporary exhibition spaces.
When & Where:
9 September, 3 pm – 8 pm, Berlin Art Week Garden at the Kulturforum
11 September, 3 pm – 10 pm, Mehringplatz – Oranienplatz – Mariannenplatz, Kreuzberg
12 September 2026, 3 pm – 8 pm, Franckepark, Tempelhof
Tip 9: Experience the fusion of fashion and art at Art/Platte
Art, fashion and Berlin’s club culture all under one roof: to mark its fifth anniversary, PLATTE.Berlin is transforming into an open cultural space during Berlin Art Week. At the heart of Art/Platte is the group exhibition ‘Hypogeum’, curated by artist Thomias Radin, complemented by performances, sound and fashion.
A highlight: on Friday, from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm, the new collection from the Berlin label Haderlump will be showcased alongside the striking photographs of Sven Marquardt. On Saturday, from 11.00 am to 3.00 pm, up-and-coming designers from HTW Berlin will showcase their designs on the catwalk. There’ll also be croissants, coffee and music. Do come along and experience Berlin’s creative scenes coming together! Admission is free.
When: 9 to 12 September 2026, depending on the event
Where: PLATTE.Berlin, Memhardstraße 8, Mitte
Tip 10: Discover young art at ‘Under the Table’
‘Under the Table’at SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA demonstrates that students are also getting involved in Berlin Art Week. Together with Viron Erol Vert, students from the Berlin-Weißensee School of Art have created an installation that reinterprets dining cultures of the eastern Mediterranean region. Beneath a monumental table, you’ll discover soundscapes and performative rituals centred on diaspora, memory and community. At the opening, the installation will come to life with coffee grounds fortune-telling and a DJ set.
Do take the opportunity to explore SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA as well – an exciting Berlin venue for film, art and social exchange. Admission is free.
When: 10 September, 6pm–10pm; 11 September, 6pm–10pm; 12 September, 6pm–8pm
Where: SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA, Lindower Straße 20–22, Building C, Wedding
Tip 11: Spend your Sunday enjoying art at Fahrbereitschaft
To mark the finale of Berlin Art Week, the haubrok foundation invites you to an entire afternoon of exhibitions, open studios, performances and music. At “Another Sunday Afternoon”, discover, amongst other things, the group exhibition “Hardcore” featuring works by Karin Sander and Wolfgang Tillmans, as well as pieces by Seongwon Park. From 3 pm, the live programme kicks off with a guided tour, dance performances and a talk, before Big Snuff Berlin takes over with noise rock and heavy kraut. Feel free to set aside several hours and wander around the venue at your leisure – entry is free.
Good to know: exhibitions and open studios run from 2 pm to 7 pm, and the live programme from 3 pm to 9 pm. All events are free of charge and open to all without prior registration.
When: 13 September, 2 pm – 9 pm
Where: Fahrbereitschaft, Herzbergstraße 40–43, Lichtenberg
