Berghain reopened as an art gallery today

Starting today, Berlin’s Berghain club has reopened as an art gallery.

The move was first announced a few weeks ago. Since then, staff have been retrained as exhibition guides and the front of the club has been draped with a banner that says “Morgen ist die frage” (“tomorrow is the question”) created by Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija.

The current exhibition is called Studio Berlin, highlighting work from artists who live in the German capital and put together by art collectors Christian and Karen Boros, along with art curator Juliet Kothe. It’s due to run through December, though it may last longer.

As The Guardian reports, among the other works featured are a video college of photographs by Wolfgang Tillmans—a noted fan and regular attendee of the club—a sound installation from Sam Auinger and Hannes Strobl (pictured below), polaroids of flowers purchased during the lockdown by Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili and a painted carpet by Thea Djordjadze.

Petrit Halilaj and Alvaro Urbano have created a canvas flower that sits at the exact point in the club where they first met ten years ago. (They’re now engaged to be married.)

While the club retains its mythical no-photos policy during the Studio Berlin exhibition, Olafur Eliasson’s installation of mirrors in the corners of the building marks the first time that mirrors have ever been installed at the club.

“You’ll be leaving this gallery with a head full of memories and ideas, not with pictures to adorn your social media feeds,” collector and curator Christian Boros told The Guardian.

Berghain exterior photo: Andreas Gerhke

Berghain interior photo: Felipe Trueba