Whether you’re a fan of classical art or an enthusiast of digital, modern works, you can experience it all in Berlin. Throughout the year, the city offers exciting exhibitions that reveal centuries-old works for the first time or present digitality in its latest form. Contemporary art is becoming increasingly prominent on the scene, and one of the most important representatives in this category will soon be presenting a unique exhibition in Berlin. In spring/summer 2026, the Gropius Bau will show the exhibition “Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition” by Marina Abramović.
Photo: @anothermagazine & @abramovicinstitute (Instagram)
The exhibition is part of the 75th anniversary of the Berliner Festspiele and will be presented in two acts: the exhibition at the Gropius Bau (April 15 to August 23, 2026) and a new stage version lasting several hours at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele (from October 2026). At the heart of “Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition” is Marina Abramović’s longstanding interest in Balkan rituals and folk customs, in eroticism as spiritual energy, in death and transformation, and in the body as a political and spiritual place. “Balkan Erotic Epic” is based on traditional Balkan rituals in which sexuality is not primarily considered private or taboo, but is understood as a cosmic force connected to nature. Abramović interweaves film installations, sculptures, photographs (including from the 2005 series), and live performances.
Photo: © Marina Abramović. Courtesy of the Marina Abramović Archives / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026
Typical motifs include women beating their chests in lamentation or massaging their breasts —a traditional ritual against natural disasters such as hail. Naked bodies also appear in connection with skeletons as symbols of life and death, and physical gestures as forms of incantation, protection, or energetic transformation. Eroticism is not staged voyeuristically here, but understood as a form of energy that can fuel creativity, spirituality, or even aggression.
Quote from the Serbian artist:
All energy we have in our body is sexual energy. We can use it for creativity, for spiritual matters, or it becomes aggression, war, anger.