Metaxy : Between Destruction and Reconstruction

It affects social relationships, living environments

and historical contexts. Without coming to terms with this destruction, reconstruction merely perpetuates violence by other means. Its crucial questions must therefore be addressed before any building work even begins.

This is the starting point of the exhibition ‘Metaxy: Between Destruction and Reconstruction’. It is dedicated to the ‘in-between’.

Metaxy, the ancient Greek word for ‘between’, refers to the space in which societies negotiate the past and the future, guilt and responsibility. Here, reconstruction is not a return to a previous state, but a political decision to uncover the connections that violence has destroyed or concealed.

Taking the Academy building on Hanseatenweg – an exemplary site of post-1945 reconstruction – as its starting point, the exhibition traces the history of the Academy of Arts’ location in the Hansaviertel and presents perspectives from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Israel, Yemen, Palestine, Poland, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and the USA.

Through their works, international artists and spatial practitioners demonstrate that reconstruction can only be just where the traces of violence and loss are laid bare, without pitting different experiences against one another or trivialising them.

An event space forming part of the exhibition invites visitors to take part in discussions, talks and performances. The programme of events explores the exhibition’s key themes of ‘Floors’, ‘Times’ and ‘Houses’ in greater depth. ‘ZWISCHENSTÜCKE’ (Interludes) expand upon the event contributions by adding a musical and performative dimension. An educational programme featuring guided tours and lecture-performance walks, as well as an issue of ARCH+, explores the exhibition’s themes in greater depth.

Participating artists and spatial practitioners:

Hala Alnaji, Archigrest, Marina Tabassum Architects, Maja Bajević, Karim Bingöl, Centre for Documentary Architecture, Kees Christiaanse, Tiffany Chung, Co-Haty, Salma Samar Damluji, Nir Evron, Ola Hassanain, Paul Hübner, Anton Kolomyeytsev, Omer Krieger, V. Mitch McEwen, megouem, Kioomars Musayyebi, Marina Naprushkina/Neue Nachbarschaft Moabit, Open Group, Ute Richter, Sasha Marianna Salzmann, Immanuel Schumacher, Arinjoy Sen, Nurit Stark, Syrbanism, topoScape, Feda Wardak, Eyal Weizman, Ines Weizman, Julita Wójcik, Lebbeus Woods, Ina Wudtke

‘Metaxy: Between Destruction and Reconstruction’ is a project by the Academy of Arts in collaboration with ARCH+. As part of Berlin Art Week 2026

Funded by the Federal Cultural Foundation, with support from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The programme of events and the musical interventions ZWISCHENSTÜCKE are being realised with the support of and in cooperation with the KfW Foundation.

Further supporters:

Society of Friends of the Academy of Arts, Hans Sauer Foundation

Co-organisers:

German National Commission for UNESCO e. V.; IBA Ukraine; OFFEN FÜR KULTUR / Hansabibliothek (Berlin-Mitte Municipal Library); Royal College of Art; SCHAUSTELLE Post-War Modernism; Spreepark Art Space; Ukrainian Institute in Germany