Disappearing Berlin 2021

The urban architecture of growing cities like Berlin is rapidly changing. Open spaces make room for new residential or office buildings, iconic and distinctive buildings of urban life are closed off to the public by privatisation, while others disappear completely. With the project “Disappearing Berlin”, the Schinkel Pavilion presents artistic interventions which direct attention to such extraordinary urban spaces which are at risk of vanishing forever. In this way, the art association wishes to investigate models which strengthen urban social awareness of and commitment to such sites and productively engage in debates on gentrification in order to promote a more cautious approach to urban development.

The Schinkel Pavilion has invited internationally renowned artists to stage artistic interventions at locations which are acutely threatened by this transformation, some of which will no longer exist in 2022. Among many others, the choreographer and martial arts artist Florentina Holzinger, the transgender DJ Honey Dijon and the Swedish artist Éva Mag will focus on disappearing places like the vacant, futuristic-looking tower restaurant “Bierpinsel” in Berlin-Steglitz, the garden of the Kronprinzenpalais or the Spreewaldplatz swimming pool.

Artistic director: Nina Pohl
Artists: Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff, Honey Dijon, MJ Harper, Bendik Giske, poligonal, Reference Studios, Éva Mag, Hania Rani, Florentina Holzinger, Alex Baczynski-Jenkins, Billy J. Bultheel with Viviana Abelson and Leila Hekmat