The exhibition Lumen brings together 30 diverse artistic styles from the Netherlands and Germany. The artistic positions showcase an extraordinarily varied spectrum of different media and perspectives in painting, photography, site-specific installations, video works and performances.
Image gallery
Sylvie-Zijlmans-&-Hewald-Jongenelis_The-Magnetic-North_2015.jpg Sylvie Zijlmans & Hewald Jongenelis The Magnetic North (Video still) 2015 HD video
Toshihiko-Mitsuya_The-aluminium-garden_2022.jpg Toshihiko Mitsuya The aluminum garden -structural studies of plants- 2022 Aluminium foil 0.2mm (Mirror polished surface)
Lumen is derived from Latin and means ‘light’ or ‘opening’. In physics, the abbreviation lm stands for the unit of visible luminous flux, while in anatomy it refers to the interior of a vessel – an image of permeability. Lumen thus also becomes a metaphor for what becomes visible in the space between.
The exhibition focuses on the theme of light in all its manifestations: as sunlight or artificial light, technological innovation or atmospheric moment. Light creates presence, casts shadows, sets accents. It is both material and carrier of meaning – sensual, poetic, experimental or speculative.
The theme of the exhibition ties in particularly well with the exhibition venue, Schloss Biesdorf: the late-classical villa in eastern Berlin was once the summer residence of Werner Siemens, one of the key pioneers of electrification in the 19th century. In his spirit of technical innovation and social transformation, Lumen invites us to understand light as a cultural, physical and aesthetic force. The architecture of the building, surrounded by a listed park, creates a resonance space in which past and present, nature and technology enter into dialogue with one another.
With:
Sonja Alhäuser, Aljoscha, Deniz Alt, Emanuel Bernstone, Marc Bijl, Irina Birger, Sascha Boldt, Stephen Chambers, Sven Drühl, Marcus Eek, Thomas Fischer, Wineke Gartz, Daphne Glasmacher, Gregor Hildebrandt, Klaus Jörres, Elena Karakitsou, Hanna Mattes, Toshihiko Mitsuya, Jirka Pfahl, Römer + Römer, Femke Schaap, Sandra Schlipkoeter, Tracey Snelling, Veerle Thoben, Lukas Troberg, Atelier Van Lieshout, Jonas Vansteenkiste, Peter Vink, René Wirths, Sylvie Zijlmans & Hewald JongenelisThere will be an extensive accompanying programme for the exhibition. This year's Schlossrevue on the evening of 6 September 2025 will also take up the theme of the exhibition with a musical and performative programme entitled Into the Light. Information about the revue and other events at the palace will soon be available on the Biesdorf Palace website.
The exhibition is curated by the painter duo Römer + Römer and arose from an inspired exchange with Amsterdam-based light artist Peter Vink.
- Opening reception with Klaus Estermann (poet and singer): 3 August 2025, 6 p.m.
- Castle revue Into the Light: 6 September 2025, 6 p.m.
- Finissage with magic show by Tobias Dostal: 2 November 2025, 4 p.m.
The Lumen exhibition is sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and supported by the Exhibition Fund for Municipal Galleries Berlin of the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.
Opening hours
Daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Closed on Tuesdays
