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Contemporary Art at the Humboldt Forum
Ansicht der vom chinesischen Architekten Wang Shu gestalteten Deckenkonstruktion im Modul Hofkunst Chinas des Museums für Asiatische Kunst im Humboldt Forum – Ansicht der vom chinesischen Architekten Wang Shu gestalteten Deckenkonstruktion im Modul Hofkunst Chinas des Museums für Asiatische Kunst im Humboldt Forum
© Wang Shu, Amateur Architecture Studio / Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst / Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss / Foto: Alexander Schippel
Installation "Indignation" von Justine Gaga im Modul "Koloniale Verflechtungen: Das Kameruner Grasland" des Ethnologischen Museums im Humboldt Forum – Installation "Indignation" von Justine Gaga im Modul "Koloniale Verflechtungen: Das Kameruner Grasland" des Ethnologischen Museums im Humboldt Forum
© Justine Gaga / Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum / Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss / Foto: Stefanie Loos
Whether in the staircase hall, on the roof terrace or in the middle of the exhibition spaces - the areas of the Berlin Humboldt Forum are home to numerous works of contemporary art, some of which take up large spaces.
In four competitions for seven locations in the Humboldt Forum, for example, artists were invited to address the history of the site, its future use as an exhibition and event centre, as a place of education and science in the context of Humboldt's ideas, or the external appearance of the building.
Seven works of art-on-building were realised that deal with the history of the site, with the Humboldt Forum as a "place of the world", of encounter and exchange, that make reference to colonialism and coloniality or pay tribute to the namesakes, the brothers Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt.
These include:
- Dellbrügge & de Moll The Architects (ground floor Small Foyer, in front of Halls 1 + 2)
- Stefan Sous ZEITMASCHINE (2nd floor foyer in front of the Berlin exhibition)
- An Seebach/Christiane Stegat GLOBAL BAROCC - CCORAB LABOLG (2nd floor Ethnological Collections, 2nd + 3rd floor stairwell)
- Tim Trantenroth Untitled (2nd floor Ethnological Collections, 2nd + 3rd floor stairwell)
- Kang Sunkoo Statue of Limitations (2nd floor Central Staircase)
- Antje Schiffers / Thomas Sprenger Insurgentes Sur (Roof Terrace)
- Emeka Ogboh The Cosmos - Things Fall Apart (Roof Terrace)
Works by artists from various societies of origin also enrich the collections of the Ethnological Museum, the Museum of Asian Art and the Land Berlin.
Whether Ai Wei Wei's Teahouse under a contemporary interpretation of a Chinese pagoda roof by Pritzker Prize winner Wang Shu or the modern interpretation of a teahouse by the architectural firm URA Architects & Engineers, all works invite exciting discussions.
To be discovered are, for example:
- Untitled by fashion designer Cynthia Schimming in the Namibia Collections
- Township Walls by António Ole in the Africa section
- "Codex Humboldt Fragment 1 / Codex Azoyú Reverso by the artist Mariana Castillo Deball in Mesoamerica
- the installation Indignation by Justine Gaga in the module Colonial Entanglements
- the 375 m² mural: New York Urban Artists How and Nosm (Berlin Global)
In addition to these examples, there are many other exciting works to be discovered. Except for the exhibitions, all areas in the Humboldt Forum are accessible free of charge. Go on a tour of discovery!
In four competitions for seven locations in the Humboldt Forum, for example, artists were invited to address the history of the site, its future use as an exhibition and event centre, as a place of education and science in the context of Humboldt's ideas, or the external appearance of the building.
Seven works of art-on-building were realised that deal with the history of the site, with the Humboldt Forum as a "place of the world", of encounter and exchange, that make reference to colonialism and coloniality or pay tribute to the namesakes, the brothers Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt.
These include:
- Dellbrügge & de Moll The Architects (ground floor Small Foyer, in front of Halls 1 + 2)
- Stefan Sous ZEITMASCHINE (2nd floor foyer in front of the Berlin exhibition)
- An Seebach/Christiane Stegat GLOBAL BAROCC - CCORAB LABOLG (2nd floor Ethnological Collections, 2nd + 3rd floor stairwell)
- Tim Trantenroth Untitled (2nd floor Ethnological Collections, 2nd + 3rd floor stairwell)
- Kang Sunkoo Statue of Limitations (2nd floor Central Staircase)
- Antje Schiffers / Thomas Sprenger Insurgentes Sur (Roof Terrace)
- Emeka Ogboh The Cosmos - Things Fall Apart (Roof Terrace)
Works by artists from various societies of origin also enrich the collections of the Ethnological Museum, the Museum of Asian Art and the Land Berlin.
Whether Ai Wei Wei's Teahouse under a contemporary interpretation of a Chinese pagoda roof by Pritzker Prize winner Wang Shu or the modern interpretation of a teahouse by the architectural firm URA Architects & Engineers, all works invite exciting discussions.
To be discovered are, for example:
- Untitled by fashion designer Cynthia Schimming in the Namibia Collections
- Township Walls by António Ole in the Africa section
- "Codex Humboldt Fragment 1 / Codex Azoyú Reverso by the artist Mariana Castillo Deball in Mesoamerica
- the installation Indignation by Justine Gaga in the module Colonial Entanglements
- the 375 m² mural: New York Urban Artists How and Nosm (Berlin Global)
In addition to these examples, there are many other exciting works to be discovered. Except for the exhibitions, all areas in the Humboldt Forum are accessible free of charge. Go on a tour of discovery!
Runtime: from December 2022
Price info: Since October 3, 2025, the Humboldt Forum has had a new pricing model:
With just one ticket, you will have access to the permanent exhibitions and temporary presentations – and you can choose between a one-day, two-day or group ticket for maximum flexibility. All of these ticket options allow you to visit the collections of the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art, BERLIN GLOBAL, as well as other temporary exhibitions. The ticket is also valid for the special exhibition Family Matters (from 3 October) with interventions throughout the building and in the Knoblauchhaus Museum in the Nikolaiviertel.
Many areas and programmes are still accessible to you free of charge – including the Humboldt Laboratory with the new exhibition On Water. Water Knowledge in Berlin (from 10 October), the stairwell with Impressions. The Humboldt Brothers, the castle cellar, the sculpture hall, the video panorama and the presentation Traces. You can also attend numerous events and educational programmes without paying admission.
Price: €14.00
Reduced price: €7.00
Reduced price info: Admission remains free of charge for children and young people up to the age of 19, persons accompanying a severely disabled person (provided this is noted as B on the severely disabled person’s pass), persons receiving transfer payments and Berlin-Ticket-S-holders. Admission is also free of charge for Members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the German Museums Association and the Federal Association for Museum Education.
With just one ticket, you will have access to the permanent exhibitions and temporary presentations – and you can choose between a one-day, two-day or group ticket for maximum flexibility. All of these ticket options allow you to visit the collections of the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art, BERLIN GLOBAL, as well as other temporary exhibitions. The ticket is also valid for the special exhibition Family Matters (from 3 October) with interventions throughout the building and in the Knoblauchhaus Museum in the Nikolaiviertel.
Many areas and programmes are still accessible to you free of charge – including the Humboldt Laboratory with the new exhibition On Water. Water Knowledge in Berlin (from 10 October), the stairwell with Impressions. The Humboldt Brothers, the castle cellar, the sculpture hall, the video panorama and the presentation Traces. You can also attend numerous events and educational programmes without paying admission.
Price: €14.00
Reduced price: €7.00
Reduced price info: Admission remains free of charge for children and young people up to the age of 19, persons accompanying a severely disabled person (provided this is noted as B on the severely disabled person’s pass), persons receiving transfer payments and Berlin-Ticket-S-holders. Admission is also free of charge for Members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the German Museums Association and the Federal Association for Museum Education.
Takes place here:
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