Politics and Poetics from the Sickbed
Nothing is as closely associated with illness as lying in bed. The special exhibition “Horizontal – The Sickbed and the World from a Reclining Perspective” explores how perception and our relationship to the world change when the bed becomes the center of our lives.
Historical objects and archival materials, artistic works, activist perspectives, and the voices of those affected engage in a dialogue that spans from the 19th century to the present day. The result is a multifaceted portrait that depicts the hospital bed not only as a site of medical intervention but as a space where fundamental questions of our time converge—questions of participation, care, solidarity, and the conditions for rest in an exhausted society.
With artistic contributions by Angela Alves, Annabelle, Annett Gröschner, Aron Neubert, Bed Zine, Black Power Naps (Navild Acosta and Dr. Shadow F. Sosa), Gritli Faulhaber, Katharina Sabernig, Katharina Sophia Scharff, Käthe Kollwitz, Liz Orton, Wilhelm Müller, Nightstand Collective (Emma Jones), Paula Kempker, Poppy Nash, Rosy Lilienfeld, Benôit Piéron, and Philipp Veit.
Additional information
Hours:
- Monday, closed
- Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Wed, Sat, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Open on the following holidays during regular hours:
- International Women’s Day, March 8
- Good Friday & Easter Sunday
- Ascension Day
- Pentecost Sunday & Pentecost Monday
- German Unity Day, October 3
Closed
- Christmas Eve, December 24
- Christmas Day, December 25
- New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day December 31 & January 1
- Labor Day May 1
Accessibility
The museum is accessible to visitors with limited mobility. The museum building, as well as all exhibition and event spaces, are generally wheelchair-accessible.
The entrance is accessible via a ramp. The ticket counter is not wheelchair-accessible, but communication while seated is possible.
The exhibition spaces can be reached via a wheelchair-accessible elevator. The doors open with a push-button. An accessible restroom is located in the museum’s basement next to the coat check.
Wheelchairs, walkers, and portable folding stools can be borrowed free of charge at the ticket counter. Service dogs are permitted in the museum.
Quiet Hours – Visit the exhibition in a calm and low-stimulus atmosphere
- Saturdays 10 a.m.–12 p.m.: June 6, August 8, October 10, December 5, 2026
- Wednesdays 5–7 p.m.: July 1, Sept. 2, Nov. 4, 2026
