Annika Kahrs: Off Score

Berlin-based artist Annika Kahrs presents the most comprehensive selection of her works to date at Hamburger Bahnhof, exploring the intersection of art and music.

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  Annika Kahrs, Le Chant des Maisons, 2022, 4K Video und Sound Installation, Auftrag für die 16. Ausgabe der Biennale de Lyon

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  Annika Kahrs, Portrait

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  Annika Kahrs, Strings, 2010, HD-Video, Farbe, Ton

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  Annika Kahrs, how to live in the echo of other places, 2022, Installationsansicht: Videoprojektion, Hamburg

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  Annika Kahrs, La Banda, 2024 (Filmstill, Detail)

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The exhibition features more than ten video works, sound installations, and performances from the past 15 years, displayed in selected locations throughout the museum.

Kahrs investigates the cultural and social functions of music, as well as its communicative dimensions and formal structures. Working with music as a material and collaborating with individuals from various fields and disciplines are integral aspects of her art. The exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof creates resonant spaces through video and sound installations in the East Wing and historical passageways, as well as live performances in the historic hall, continuously surprising visitors as they move through the museum.

Annika Kahrs (born 1984 in Achim, Germany) explores the boundaries of what is commonly understood as music in her artistic practice. Her performances, films, and sound installations highlight the significance of music and sound—acoustic information—within various social, cultural, and political structures. Kahrs has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the 16th Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art (2022); LAXART, Los Angeles (2021); Flat Time House, London (2019); Savvy Contemporary, Berlin (2018); Hamburger Kunsthalle (among others, 2017); the 5th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art (2015); KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2012); Bienal Internacional de Curitiba, Brazil (2013); and the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn (2011). She has received numerous awards and grants, including the Villa Aurora residency in Los Angeles (2023) and the George Maciunas Prize (2012), established by René Block.

Performance Series

A performance series on the occasion of the exhibition and celebrating the museum’s 30th anniversary will take place throughout the city in February 2026.

Exhibition Catalogue

A publication in the exhibition catalogue series of Hamburger Bahnhof, published by Silvana Editoriale Milano, accompanies the exhibition.

Curator

The exhibition is curated by Ingrid Buschmann, curator at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart.

The exhibition is made possible by the Freunde der Nationalgalerie. In cooperation with Musikinstrumenten-Museum. With support by LIMES Media GmbH.

A special exhibition of the Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Runtime: Fri, 14/11/2025 to Sun, 03/05/2026

Price info: Hamburger Bahnhof Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart + temporary exhibitions

Price: €16.00

Reduced price: €8.00

Reduced price info: Children and young people up to the age of 18 are admitted free of charge.

Takes place here:

• Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart

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