Dear readers

“The present is not only conditioned by the past; the past continues to live on in the present,” wrote Max Horkheimer once. 80 years of the weissensee school of art and design berlin invite us not only to consult chronicles, but also to examine a rich material and immaterial heritage. What ideological traces, what forces of resistance, what ruptures and new beginnings have been inscribed into architecture, spaces, design objects, archives and traditions? How do they shape our aesthetic judgment and understanding of ourselves today? While the Weimer case is currently sparking heated debates about which culture may be funded and how artistic freedom can and must be defended, looking at a legacy shaped by different political systems sharpens our awareness of democratic achievements and freedom.

With this in mind, the lecture series “Weißensee in situ. Archaeologies of an Art School” adopts a shift in perspective and asks through lectures, conversations, lecture performances, and an exhibition: What is stored in our cupboards, what do the objects whisper, what do the sites tell us? The exhibition “RELATIONS” also explores the kinds of relationships created through the material and visual elements that surround us. The exhibition “Designing for Berlin” at the Werkbund Archive – Museum of Things takes visitors through the design history of our university. And the 3rd Sustainability Day builds a bridge toward a responsible future.

Join us in looking back and forward. We look forward to welcoming you!

Your weissensee school of art and design berlin

Exhibitions

RELATIONS
Multidisciplinary group exhibition of KHB x UDK x OKS

How connected are we to our neighbours or the trees on our street - do we even know their names? How do gender and culture shape our connection to ourselves and others? What does our relationship with nature (shaped by love or exploitation) reveal about us? What kinds of relationships emerge through our material and visual surroundings?

19 artists from the Ostkreuz School of Photography, the weissensee school of art and design berlin, and the Berlin University of the Arts engage with different forms of dialogue and, through interdisciplinary formats, address politics, society, the environment, and social interaction. The spectrum ranges from photography and video, sculpture and installation, performance and textiles, to painting and drawing.
9–12 April 2026, Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz

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Digital Decoding

The exhibition “Digital Decoding” brings together female artists and designers from the Berlin University of the Arts, the weissensee school of art and design berlin and the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin and highlights the value of cross-institutional and interdisciplinary artistic research for the development of critical perspectives on contemporary technological culture.

In this collaborative, research-based exhibition, positions from sound design, object design and textile design come together. The works explore how digital technologies both conceal and reveal the material realities, work processes, and power structures on which they are based. The artistic approaches range from AI speech recognition and human–machine co-creation to virtual environments, digital infrastructures, and traditional craftsmanship. 1521 April 2026, transmediale studio, silent green

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Designing for Berlin – Design from the weissensee school of art and design berlin

Whether a Berlinale poster or the lettering for the Kino International, subway or bicycle, World Clock or energy-efficient facades, firewalls or stage posters: generations of students, teachers, and graduates from Weißensee have shaped Berlin’s urban spaces, culture, and mobility - in short, everyday life in Berlin. “Designing for Berlin”- a cooperation between the Werkbund Archive - Museum of Things and the weissensee school of art and design berlin - highlights, on the occasion of our 80th anniversary, the education of designers and brings together both historical and contemporary works in product design and graphic design. At the same time, it asks: What does it mean to study design today? 16 April 202622 February 2027, Werkbund Archive – Museum of Things

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Lectures and discussions

greenlab Symposium –
RE:LOKAL: closing cycles

On the third Sustainability Day of the weissensee school of art and design berlin, greenlab – the Laboratory for Sustainable Design Strategies - is organising the symposium RE:LOKAL - closing cycles. It marks the beginning of an interdisciplinary design project that investigates how regional resources and production methods can contribute to sustainable, circular economic and lifestyle models. Along the three focal points of cellulose, wool, and microorganisms, experts from design, research, and practice will discuss approaches ranging from paludiculture and plant-based raw materials to new processes for local wool and work with microorganisms in fermentation, dyeing, and material development. Admission is free; registration is required. 9.30 a.m. on 9 April 2026, Auditorium, weissensee school of art and design berlin

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Weißensee in situ. Archäologien einer Kunsthochschule

Lecture series for the 80th anniversary of the weissensee school of art and design berlin

The rich history of the 80-year-old weissensee school of art and design berlin is, for the most part, well known. But what happens when the perspective changes and we begin to ask questions from the viewpoint of its material and visual cultures - its (disappeared) places and archives? What do the locations of the art school tell us about it, what is stored in its cupboards, and what do its objects whisper? What does AI make of “in situ” (on site) at the weissensee school of art and design berlin? The lecture series organised by the Department of Theory and History for the university’s 80th anniversary focuses on these questions and answers them through lectures and discussions, lecture performances, and exhibitions. Thursdays, 5–7 p.m., Auditorium, weissensee school of art and design berlin

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Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee
Veronika Breuning
Bühringstraße 20
13086 Berlin
Deutschland

03047705222
presse@kh-berlin.de