Berlin art scene: an overview of the best current exhibitions

Let’s be honest: exhibitions in Berlin are a dime a dozen! Whether museums, galleries or exhibition spaces – the capital’s cultural landscape has an incredible amount to offer. So an overview of the current highlights is just what you need. Here you will not only find out everything about gastronomy and leisure activities, but also about the most exciting exhibitions that are currently conquering the city!

Helmut Newton: Polaroids

Legendary photographs by the icon Helmut Newton! Whether you’re a fashion fan or not, the German-Australian photographer’s works inspire everyone with their provocative and style-defining aesthetics. His works, which combine eroticism, glamor and staging, made him an important name in the fashion industry.

The exhibition “Polaroids” at the Museum of Photography, which has been on display since March 7, focuses on instant photography. In addition to Newton’s works, Polaroid photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe, David Hockney, Mary Ellen Mark and Cathleen Naundorf are also on display. The exhibition illustrates the role that Polaroids can play in the fields of landscape, still life, portrait, fashion and nude.

📍Location: Museum of Photography, Jebensstraße 2, 10623 Berlin

⌚ Dates: March 7 to July 27, 2025

Once We Were Trees, Now We Are Birds

Berlin is a city full of people from all over the world whose home is far away – and it is precisely these people who will probably be able to identify with the exhibition in particular. “Once We Were Trees, Now We Are Birds” deals with the topic of losing one’s home and the challenges of living in a new home. Posters in DIN A1 format serve as works of art, one of which each visitor can take home with them. The posters address key issues such as migration policy, anti-Muslim racism and the rise of authoritarian forces.

📍Location: ifa-Galerie Berlin, Linienstraße 139-140, 10115 Berlin

⌚ Dates: February 21 to June 08, 2025

ℹ️ More info

Vaginal Davis: Fabulous product

Punk, glamor, queer activism, black counterculture, resistance and desire – the impressive exhibition “Fabulous Product” encompasses all of these! In honor of the artist, author and performer Vaginal Davis, the Gropius Bau is presenting a comprehensive overview of her work. Installations, paintings, video and film works, zines, texts, music and performances reflect her multifaceted practice. A special highlight is the installation “Choose Mutation” by the Cheap Kollektiv, in which Vaginal Davis, Daniel Hendrickson, Susanne Sachsse, Marc Siegel and guests are involved, accompanied by photographs by Annette Frick.

📍Location: Gropius Bau, Niederkirchnerstraße 7, 10963 Berlin

⌚ Dates: March 21 to September 14, 2025

ℹ️ More info

Mark Bradford: Keep Walking

Experience Mark Bradford’s first solo exhibition in Germany, presented in the newly opened Rieckhallen. This exhibition explores significant themes such as race, gender and economic inequality. Bradford’s impressive compositions of found materials from Los Angeles unfold an artful vision and create a fascinating visual narrative. His works in painting, sculpture, installation and video particularly reflect the historical use of the exhibition building as a train station between Berlin and Hamburg.

📍Venue: Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart, Invalidenstraße 50, 10557 Berlin

⌚ Dates: September 06 to May 18, 2025

Torn Test: Art between Politics and Society

An exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin documents an era of discord somewhere between the post-war mood, the Cold War, social upheaval and the fall of the Berlin Wall. You can expect contributions from the Federal Republic of Germany, the GDR, Western Europe, the USA and the former socialist states.

📍Venue: Neue Nationalgalerie, Potsdamer Str. 50, 10785 Berlin

⌚ Dates: November 18 to September 28, 2025

ℹ️ More info

Unique insights at KÖRPERWELTEN

With over 55 million visitors worldwide, KÖRPERWELTEN is one of the most successful global exhibitions. The exhibition has been touring the globe since 1995 and has now visited over 160 cities in Europe, America, Asia, Oceania and South Africa. The exhibition also has a permanent home in Berlin – right in the TV tower! On display is an insight into the anatomy of humans and animals – illustrated with real specimens.

📍Location: Museum “Facets of Life“, Panoramastraße 1A, 10178 Berlin

⌚ Dates and times: Permanent exhibition