September 1–7, 2025
Call for Applications (PDF)
Deadline: July 13, 2025
Marking its 10th iteration since 2006, this edition of the Curators Workshop Fugitive Acts: Art and Politics considers the place of politics within contemporary exhibition making. Politics have always been part of exhibitions, from the early world and trade exhibitions and their role within the history of colonization, for example, to the fascist or cold war propaganda shows. With the Western historical avantgardes, political engagement often became a driving force for artistic innovation, in which exhibitions emerged as a space for critical, subversive discussions.
This approach is still crucial as an ambition, defining the value—or “relevance”—of an exhibition. In contrast, with the theme Fugitive Acts: Art and Politics, this Curators Workshop seeks to explore how the format of the exhibition can be considered politically—how curatorial practice can address the exhibition format itself as a political form. This includes the way it places itself within a discussion, its relation to the public, to infrastructure and towards decisions that happen in advance of an exhibition.
In collaboration with Goethe-Institut, ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, and with the support of 13th Berlin Biennale’s Educational Partner Volkswagen Group, the Berlin Biennale invites a group of fifteen early-career curators, educators, and other practitioners to participate in this seven-day workshop.
You can find more details on the timeline and the selection committee as well as information on the application process via the Open Call (PDF).