Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien

Exhibitions at Bethanien, without admission and open every day

Bethanien on Mariannenplatz is an event from the outside alone: a brick building with two pointed towers, formerly a hospital, today a house for art, with a wide grand staircase where half of Kreuzberg sits when the weather is good. Inside is the Kunstraum Kreuzberg, which makes things incredibly easy for visitors. Admission costs nothing, and the doors are open every day of the week, including those early days of the week when the city’s large institutions remain closed. The profile is clearly defined: group and thematic exhibitions on contemporary social and cultural processes are shown, and the focus is explicitly on the classification of projects, on diversity, internationality, and local connections. So, if you expect a gallery with sales interests, you are wrong – this is an exhibition house with curatorial standards, just without a cash register at the entrance. For an area where almost every address now costs something, this is a surprisingly generous exception, making spontaneous visits possible for which one would otherwise first have to check one’s wallet.

Guided Tours, Artist Talks, and a Scholarship to Istanbul

The program includes more than just the exhibition itself. There are guided tours in German and English, including with the curators, as well as artist talks and round-table discussions where the themes of the respective show are further explored. Individual participatory workshops take place in the satellite space alpha nova and galerie futura. On the first floor of Bethanien, there is also Room 139, which is linked to a scholarship for artists living in Istanbul, awarded jointly with nGbK and DEPO Istanbul – a detail that shows how internationally Kunstraum Kreuzberg operates. Most recently, there was a video station on Analivia Cordeiro and Computer Dance, as well as a major solo exhibition by Tanja Ostojic titled ENCOUNTERS, which deals with bodies, borders, and resistance. The building and exhibition spaces are barrier-free. Getting there is straightforward, as Kottbusser Tor subway station is within walking distance, and bus lines 140 and M29 stop nearby. Those who wish to extend their visit will find enough around Mariannenplatz for an entire afternoon, and the way to Landwehrkanal and Görlitzer Park is just a short walk.