April in Berlin
April is here – spring is in full bloom, the spring art season has kicked off and there’s loads to do in the city! Here’s the best of April, Berlin-style:
April 1
Tehching Hsieh
The Taiwan-born artist Tehching Hsieh is famous for his durational performances, and for the next three months the NNG will be showing his most renowned work: One Year Performance 1980–81. As the artist punches in a time clock every hour for a year, exhaustion and delirium soon set in.
- Neue Nationalgalerie, through July 30, details
April 2
Ghosts of Landwehr Canal
Inspired by the idea of Rosa Luxemburg’s ghost (whose executed body was dumped in the Landwehrkanal), this new work, tailored specifically to the industrial riverside location of Alte Münze, asks the bizarre question: what feelings and history do the living and the dead in Berlin have in common?
- Berliner Ringtheater, 20:00, also Apr 3-5, details
April 2
Beethoven’s Missa solemnis
As part of the Festtage 2023, renowned French conductor Jérémie Rohrer takes to the Staatsoper’s rostrum for the very first time. Having conducted some of the most distinguished international orchestras, Rohrer now brings together the Staatskapelle and the Staatoper’s choir in a mighty rendition of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, one of the composer’s most significant works.
- Staatsoper Unter den Linden, 20:00, also Apr 7, details
April 6
Indigo Waves and Other Stories
A host of contemporary artists including Oscar Murillo and Jennifer Teewill be exhibiting works that shed light on the cultural connections between Africa and Asia. With its focus on the land masses surrounding the Indian ocean, this is a chance to explore the historic, mercantile movements that so profoundly affected this region of the world.
- Gropius Bau, through Aug 13, details
April 7
Unholy
Hive Festival brings the bass, as their debauched, hedonistic lineup promises to keep you dancing until the sun rises. This no-jeans-policy party is a nonstop, hands-in-the-air, thrill-a-minute fest for those who feel Berghain is a bit too soft.
- Astra Kulturhaus, 21:00, details
April 7
The Language of Porn in Expressions of Love
Head to a.p. bookstore for a conversation between poet Nadia de Vries and and filmmaker Sophie Lee. They will discuss intimacy in the digital age – especially in the context of their respective work. Both artists’ work focuses on the relationship between the artist and the viewer – and the morality implied in this relationship, especially in the light of gender disparities.
- a.p. bookshop, 19:00, details
April 8
Easter Knights Festival
Looking to travel back to the Middle Ages this Easter? Take your kids to this fun-filled fair, where you can taste authentic mead, watch knights jousting, browse stalls and pop into the exhibitions currently on at the Spandau Citadel (price included in the entry fee).
- Zitadelle Berlin, through Apr 10, details
April 12
Achtung Berlin Festival
In the wake of the international Berlinale, it’s time to come home: Achtung Berlin showcases local film talents from Berlin and Brandenburg with a diverse selection of films screening over eight days in kinos across the city.
- Location to be determined, Apr 12-19, details
April 13
Visionär Film Festival
Proponents of the cinema of tomorrow, Visionär shows original and visionary debut films from all over the world. Defined by its interdisciplinary and transnationality, the festival is a hotbed of new cinematic talent. Worth checking out if you want to get in at the ground floor and follow the careers of some lesser or not-yet-known talent.
- Acud Cinema, through Apr 16, details
April 14
Sandra Mujinga Tour
Sandra Mujinga’s latest video installation rises like a vast black monolith out of the main hall of the Hamburger Bahnhof. The architectural installation is an incongruous sight that contrasts sharply with the subtle content of the film work it presents, I Build Myself With Rocks, an elusive and deceptive work. On April 14, visitors will be able to meet the artist and the curator and get an exclusive tour of her installation.
- Hamburger Bahnhof, time and details forthcoming
April 14
Bedouin Burger, Taxi Kebab
Berlin presents a bold mix of West Asian & North African artists, bringing international sounds to the forefront of the party scene. Featuring the worldly synth sounds of Taxi Kebab and Ko Shin Moon, AL.Berlin have once again surpassed themselves with this fantastically curated mix of live bands and DJs.
- Gretchen, 21:00, details
April 14
Red Forest Festival 2023
A night of post, hardcore and alternative rock with an expertly curated lineup featuring some of the world’s most exciting noise talents. With Belfast-based instrumental act And So I Watch You From Afar, Japanese alt-band Bo Ningen and Norwegian noise rockers Arabrot, this is a night for the most discerning of rock-lovers.
- Astra Kulturhaus, 17:30, details
April 16
Brigitte Reimann’s Siblings
This glamorous cult author from the GDR has finally had her fiction published in English for the first time, and to great acclaim. Join EXB Books Editor Alexander Wells and translator Lucy Jones as they discuss Reimann’s fascinating life and work.
- Lettrétage, starts 20:00, detail
April 19
Power, Space, Violence: Planning and Building under National Socialism
This upcoming exhibition sheds light on 150 of the most high-profile figures involved in the construction industry during the time of National Socialism. The exhibition features a great deal of new research as well as the original Nazi model of their planned alterations to the city of Munich.
- Akademie der Künste, through Jul 16, details
April 19
FIND
Berlin’s Festival of International New Drama lives up to its name with the German premiere of productions from eight countries. Don’t miss the work of Elizabeth LeCompte’s famed Wooster Group or Cédric Djedje’s postcolonial play, Vielleicht.
- Schaubühne, through Apr 30, details
April 20
Blazing Worlds
Inspired by Margaret Cavendish’s wild 1666 work about a woman-led empire beyond the North Pole where the boundaries between animal and human blur, this dance performance—choreographed by Sergiu Matis—imagines the utopian possibilities of hybrid bodies.
- Radialsystem, 20:00, also on Apr 21-23, details
April 23
The Zodiac Club Revisited
The Zodiac Club was a short-lived but wildly influential electronic arts and music venue in West Berlin. Inspired by the ethos and legend of the Zodiac Club, artists and writers will gather at the a.p. bookshop to perform a combination of text and music, and explore the materiality of language.
- a.p. bookshop, 19:00, details
April 21
Siegfried & Joy – Las Vegas for children
Regardless of your age, this glitter-clad magician duo is bound to amaze you. Their family-friendly show is packed full of magic tricks – floating objects, mystifying illusions and the reading of audiences’ minds.
- Heimathafen Neukölln, also on Apr 22 and 23, details
April 22
Adam Linder: Loyalty
With the haunting music of post-industrial group Coil, Adam Linder—who first achieved acclaim by translating the movements of housework into Some Cleaning (2013)—attempts to rework classical ballet’s vocabulary in this postmodern performance.
- HAU2, starts 20:00, also Apr 23, details
April 22
Werder Tree Blossom Festival
The tree blossom festival in Werder is a Berlin tradition stretching back over 100 years. It started when the fruit growers in Werder invited curious Berliners to enjoy the blossoming of fruit trees in the spring and enjoy fresh fruits. Today, the festival invites thousands of people enjoy the charming town, nice spring air and especially the famous fruit wines that accompany the festival.
- Werder an der Havel, through May 1, details
Apr 23
Haubrok Foundation Collection
Krist Gruijthuijsen, the director of KW’s Institute of Art, will be sifting through the large and significant Haubrok Foundation and making a selection all of his own. Featuring works by Rosemarie Trockel, Franz West and Wolfgang Tillmans.
- Fahrbereitschaft Berlin, through Oct. 29, details
April 25
The Real Show!
A Berlin staple, The Real Show! (free of charge, donations welcome) entertains a small crowd at this Ukrainian-owned bar every Tuesday. Supported by a live band (front-manned by Dave Adams), 10 amateur comedians get around four minutes of stand-up time.
- Space Meduza, starts 20:30, details
April 26
Arab Film Festival Berlin
Through its three sections, this festival showcases some of the most regarded and revered cinema from the Arab diaspora, both past and present. This year, the Selection widens the scope on Palestinian cinema with screenings of films like Jumana Manna’s Foragers, Maha Haj’s Mediterranean Fever and Firas Khoury’s Alam, as well as a panel discussion dedicated to this topic.
- Cinemas across Berlin, check website for full list, through May 2, details
April 27
EXB and Dussmann English present: Ryan Ruby
One of the world’s foremost English-language literary critics just happens to call Berlin home. Join him at this intimate evening to hear about the life of the critic today, the book he’s currently working on – and what we should all be reading.
- Dussmann English Bookshop, 19:00, details
April 27
House of Lunacy: Surrealist Masquerade
This is arguably Berlin’s best sex-positive event series. It puts performance and theatrics front and centre as well as providing a safe space for people to express their sexuality. Taking over the whole of Wilde Renate, the DJ lineups are always perfectly curated, and the performers bring a strong serving of sensual magic. Dressing up is mandatory – without an adequate outfit you will be denied entry. This ensures that everyone there has made a real effort and is a key participant in the extravaganza. The theme for this edition is Surrealist Masquerade, and for outfit ideas and for house rules and guidelines visit their website.
- Wilde Renate, 21:00, details
April 28
Gallery Weekend
A highlight in the international art calendar and a must for those who call themselves art connoisseurs: each spring, the Gallery Weekend showcases the works of around 80 international contemporary artists across 55 galleries, welcoming guests from Berlin and beyond.
- Various galleries, planned for Apr 28–Apr 30, info
April 28
Duotopia
Anyone with an interest in the metaverse and the interactions between human and machine consciousness should visit the upcoming show by Cao Fei. The Chinese artist has been exploring what it means to be human in the 21st century and these works have never before been seen outside China.
- Sprüth Magers, through Aug 19, details
April 29
The Material Revolution
The former power station will be showing three films by the legendary American land artist artist Agnes Denes. It includes Wheatfield, a film about a two-acre wheatfield she planted on empty landfill next to the World Trade Center. A work that has even more pertinence now with the climate emergency than it did back in 1982.
- E-WERK Luckenwalde, through Jul 1, details