Under the Patronage of the Federal President – FREIRAUM KUNST. Akademie der Künste Goes Bellevue

As the seat of the head of state, Bellevue Palace is a symbol of our liberal democracy—and thus not a neutral exhibition space.

The artistic works are deliberately placed in a dynamic relationship with the site, which stands for liberal, democratic representation and political symbolism.

This unique exhibition is made possible because Bellevue Palace must be vacated prior to its renovation, and the Federal President is making the temporarily vacant spaces available to the arts.

The building itself thus becomes the actual exhibit. In its vacated state, it appears as a historical and political space. The artistic contributions respond to this context. They can engage with it, shift its meaning, and open up new interpretations.

The following members of the Academy of Arts, among others, are participating in the exhibition:

Peter Badel, Rosa Barba, Carola Bauckholt, Ann Cotten, Alexandra Bircken, Monica Bonvicini, Jürgen Böttcher, Ayşe Erkmen, Jochen Gerz, Katharina Grosse, Hanna Hartman, Bjørn Melhus, Boris Mikhailov, Karin Sander, Matthias Sauerbruch, Hanns Schimansky, Gregor Schneider, Chiyoko Szlavnics, Wolfgang Tillmans, Manos Tsangaris.

The project’s initiators are also participating:

Christian Awe, El Bocho, and Christopher Lehmpfuhl.

Overall curation is by Anh-Linh Ngo, Vice President of the Academy of Arts, and Cécile Wajsbrot, Deputy Director of the Literature Section.

The “Office of Public Affairs,” curated by Academy President Manos Tsangaris, is an artistic-discursive format that sees itself as an open space where artistic perspectives break down social polarization.

About Bellevue Palace

Since 1994, Bellevue Palace has served as the primary official residence of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. Built in 1786 in Berlin’s Tiergarten, the neoclassical building is one of the city’s oldest surviving palaces. It will remain completely closed during the extensive renovation, which begins in the summer of 2026.

About the Academy of Arts

The Academy of Arts was founded in 1696 and will celebrate its 330th anniversary in 2026. As an international community of around 400 artists from the fields of visual arts, architecture, music, literature, performing arts, and film and media art, it sees itself as a place of artistic freedom and social debate.

• Free admission with a time-slot ticket: Bookable online starting May 18, 2026