Berlin Art Week 2026 Explores Diaspora and Displacement Across Citywide Exhibitions
In September, the 2026 Berlin Art Week (WAB) focused on the issues of diaspora and displacement. Notable highlights were the Positions fair at the old airport and the seventh Hallen festival. At Gropius Bau, Vlassis Caniaris's 1980 piece, Kind, was part of the Kreuzberg: Art and Migration since 1960 exhibit. Contemporary Fine Arts Berlin displayed Leiko Ikemura's De Sensu, depicting her experiences in Berlin. Mirae kh Rhee showcased Hand-Me-Down at the Humboldt Forum, a new take on a cabinet of curiosities. Galerie Wedding featured Mae Nan Guk Juk's Diasporic Memories Formed in Clay, while Neurotitan presented Astro y Fe, which aids Venezuela post-earthquake, and works by Alessandro Balteo-Yazbeck. Other highlights included Jean-Luc Mylayne's Reflection at Sprüth Magers and a group installation by 26 artists at Deutsche Künstlerbund.
Key facts
- Berlin Art Week 2026 took place in September with a focus on diaspora and displacement.
- Vlassis Caniaris's Kind (1980) was shown at Gropius Bau in the exhibition Kreuzberg: Art and Migration since 1960.
- Leiko Ikemura's De Sensu at Contemporary Fine Arts Berlin traced her moves from Japan to Spain, Switzerland, and Germany.
- Mirae kh Rhee's Hand-Me-Down at Humboldt Forum featured the Wunderkammerkori, inspired by Samuel Quiccheberg's 1565 taxonomy.
- Mae Nan Guk Juk's Diasporic Memories Formed in Clay at Galerie Wedding explored Korean-German family histories through ceramics and films.
- Astro y Fe at neurotitan served as a relief mechanism for Venezuela after the June 2026 earthquake in Carabobo state.
- Jean-Luc Mylayne's Reflection at Sprüth Magers included photographs taken during a residency in Marfa, Texas.
- Wallpaper at the Deutsche Künstlerbund project space involved 26 artists answering 'Why do I make art?' in an evolving installation.
Entities
Artists
- Vlassis Caniaris
- Leiko Ikemura
- Mirae kh Rhee
- Mae Nan Guk Juk
- Valentina Alvarado Matos
- Alessandro Balteo-Yazbeck
- Jean-Luc Mylayne
- Mylène
- Kerim Seiler
- Ivana de Vivanco
- Samuel Quiccheberg
Institutions
- Gropius Bau
- Contemporary Fine Arts Berlin
- Humboldt Forum
- Galerie Wedding
- neurotitan
- Sprüth Magers
- SEXAUER
- Deutsche Künstlerbund
- UdK
- Positions
- Hallen
- Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw
- Galerie Peter Kilchmann
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Japan
- Cuba
- Spain
- Seville
- Switzerland
- Cologne
- Swiss Alps
- South Korea
- California
- United States
- Venezuela
- Carabobo
- Maracaibo
- Barcelona
- Caracas
- Toronto
- New York
- Marfa
- Texas
- Bern
- Geneva
- Hamburg
- Cairo
- Zurich
- Chile
- Atacama Desert
- Lisbon
- Peru
- Ecuador
- Paris