30 years for refugees!

Over 50 works of contemporary art—including pieces by Leiko Ikemura, Alicja Kwade, Santiago Sierra, Olaf Holzapfel, Isa Melsheimer, and Amélie von Heydebreck—will go under the hammer.
In addition, the neighbors of the Kulturforum will participate with exclusive art events that can be purchased by the highest bidder – including backstage insights into the Gemäldegalerie, a manuscript exhibition of Bach's Mass in B minor at the State Library, a dress rehearsal of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and a guided tour of the newly emerging berlin modern next to St. Matthew's Church.
This year, there will be two auctioneers at the podium: Fares al Hassan, who has been the auctioneer for the EKBO art auction for many years, and Elena Sánchez y Lorbach as guest auctioneer from the Grisebach auction house, which is this year's cooperation partner.

All proceeds will go to church-based social welfare projects and initiatives that work for and with female migrants.
Specifically, this will take the form of professional counseling services on asylum issues and the right of residence, the creation of meeting places, assistance with language acquisition, and support for cultural projects such as the “Mediterranean Monologues,” which promote understanding for refugees and their situation.

These days, voices are being raised that primarily focus on the problems of migration. Refugees are being defamed. Simple answers are being given to complex questions about the reception and protection of people, which prevent objective discussion and stir up sentiment against those seeking protection. Neither rejections nor deportations solve fundamental problems in our country. Against this backdrop, it is all the more important that the church and social welfare organizations are clearly recognizable as a countervoice and uphold the dignity of every human being in their attitudes and actions.

The works will be presented to the public at St. Matthäus Church starting Thursday, November 20, 2025.
A catalog will be published for the auction.

During the exhibition period, there will be an accompanying program on the topic of flight and displacement:

• November 20, 7 p.m.: “Mediterranean Monologue” by Michael Ruf
  
• November 23, 6 p.m.: hORA church service on the theme of “Flight and Displacement”;
  
• November 25, 7 p.m.: Reading and discussion “Human Dignity” by PEN. Germany with Gülges Deryaspi, Mohammadreza Hajrostambegloo, Collen Kajokoto, and Astrid Vehstedt.
  

Saturday, November 29, 2025, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
EKBO art auction
with a welcome by Bishop Dr. Christian Stäblein and Margarita Broich, Pastor Hannes Langbein, and Pastor Matthias Puppe.

The art auction will be led by Matthias Puppe, regional pastor for migration and integration (management), and Pastor Hannes Langbein, EKBO art representative and director of the St. Matthäus Foundation (artistic direction). A jury was responsible for selecting the participating artists. The jury members were: Fares Al-Hassan, auctioneer, Heidi Bischoff-Pflanz, founding member of EKBOart, Lutz Henke, cultural scientist & curator, head of the cultural department at visitBerlin, Jan Kage, presenter, author, musician, curator, Keumhwa Kim, curator and exhibition organizer, Dr. Sabine Kroner, director of the Berlin Mondiale festival, Hannes Langbein, art representative of the EKBO and director of the St. Matthäus Foundation, Katharina Martinelli, certified restorer, managing director of Roeck Restaurierung, Matthias Puppe, Regional Pastor for Migration and Integration of the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO), Dr. Christina Thomson, Head of the Graphic Design Collection at the Art Library, Berlin State Museums, Verena Tafel, art historian.



The patrons are Bishop Dr. Christian Stäblein and actress and photographer Margarita Broich. This year, the auction is being held in cooperation with the Grisebach auction house and the Diakonisches Werk der EKBO (Social Welfare Organization of the EKBO).