Musical Theatre Workshop II:
Scenes from Eugen d’Albert’s “Tiefland”

Whether we are talking about well-known repertoires, unfamiliar works or rarely performed operas – they all serve in the Musical Theatre Workshop as an experimental field for our students of stage and costume design. In cooperation with students of directing, vocal studies and production dramaturgy from the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin, selected scenes are developed for the stage.

The Musical Theatre Workshop II will premiere at 7 p.m. on 17 January 2026, with an additional performance at 5 p.m. on 18 January 2026, in the studio hall of the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin. It will focus on the now rarely performed opera “Tiefland” by the British-Swiss composer Eugen d’Albert. First performed in Prague in 1903 under the direction of Leo Blech, the opera was among the most popular works of German verism until the middle of the 20th century and tells the story of the dependence of ordinary people on a landowner in the Catalan Pyrenees at the end of the 19th century.

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SIZE

Students of painting at the weissensee school of art and design berlin, under the guidance of Pia Linz and Petra Trenkel, explored the concept of scale in artworks from various perspectives. It quickly became evident that a large-format canvas does not necessarily guarantee a “great” work of art, and that in the context of the attention economy, small-format works can possess considerable explosive potential. Engaging with diverse artistic positions (including Sol LeWitt, Giorgio Morandi, Caroline Kryzecki, and Pedro Boese) highlighted the productive interplay between small- and large-scale approaches and brought renewed attention to the significance of the marginal and the processual.

In the exhibition SIZE, students now present their own works - developed independently of this colloquium over the course of the winter semester - within the reference framework of small ↔ large.

Opening: 6–8 p.m. on 3 February 2026 in the Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz.

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CLASS IN WEISSENSEE!
Wolfgang Peuker and his Students

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Wolfgang Peuker’s death, the Stiftung KUNSTFORUM of the Berliner Volksbank is honouring his artistic legacy with the exhibition “Class in Weißensee! Wolfgang Peuker and his Students.” Peuker was not only a significant figure in the GDR art scene, but also profoundly shaped subsequent generations of artists as a professor at the weissensee school of art and design berlin.

The exhibition focuses on the artistic legacy of this accomplished painter, who consistently offered critical commentary on contemporary events in his work, and presents four of his most renowned former students: Stefanie Hillich, Sibylle Prange, Philipp Schack, and Christian Thoelke.

The exhibition is a collaboration between the Stiftung KUNSTFORUM of the Berliner Volksbank and the weissensee school of art and design berlin as part of the university’s 80th anniversary celebrations.

Exhibition period: 11 February 2026 to 5 July 2026

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Permeations: What’s Next for Artistic Research?

Artistic research in Berlin is facing a decisive change of course – both politically and institutionally. Following the discontinuation of the Berlin Programme for Artistic Research, attention has now shifted to the planned hybrid promotion of the four Berlin universities of art and music. These changes raise questions about how research in the fields of art and design will develop, where it will be conducted and in what contexts. These are all issues addressed in the volume “Permeations – Intersections between Artistic Research and Aesthetic Theory” (Spector Books, 2025).

An event on 16 January 2026 at the nGbK – neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst [New Society for Visual Art] – will bring together a book presentation, artistic contributions, and a roundtable discussion from 6 p.m. onwards, creating a reflection from a variety of viewpoints on the tensions between theory, practice and the politics of artistic research – both within and beyond art universities. Representing the weissensee school of art and design berlin will be the president Dr Angelika Richter, Prof. Dr Knut Ebling and Prof. Wilhelm Klotzek.

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Mia Seeger Prize – Carl Bahra

Product designer Carl Bahra has been awarded the prestigious Mia Seeger Prize for emerging designers for his master’s project anamnese+ [medical history +]. Over the next ten years, around 68 per cent of general practitioners in Germany will retire - especially in rural areas. With anamnese+, Carl Bahra directly addresses this problem.

His idea: anamnese+, a compact ultrasound device that is designed for use in pharmacies, schools, or shopping centres and can be operated by non-medical staff. It projects examination areas directly onto the body, provides real-time feedback on scan quality via an integrated display, and uses AI to detect artifacts (image irregularities) and deliver clear instructions for action.