If the Berlin Wind Blows My Flag delves into the artistic scenes in West Berlin before the fall of the Berlin Wall, based on the history of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program. Launched in 1963, the residency program brought international artists to West Berlin as a signal against the “cultural isolation” of the city. An exhibition in three chapters – at Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), daadgalerie, and Galerie im Körnerpark – accompanied by events at Akademie der Künste and other venues examines the role of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program in nurturing artistic practices and networks during the Cold War and investigates the program’s cultural and political orientation. The focus is on the activities of the Artists-in-Berlin Program, which was initiated 60 years ago by the U.S. Ford Foundation and subsequently continued by DAAD from 1965 onward, particularly with regard to the political motivations that drove efforts to internationalize the art scene in West Berlin.

The exhibition at n.b.k. focuses on key exhibitions and art movements of the 1970s and 1980s in Berlin, presented in dialogue with contemporary artists (Ieva Epnere, Kasia Fudakowski, Isaac Chong Wai). Through an examination of historical projects in public space (such as ADA – Aktionen der Avantgarde, Hotel Room Event, and actions by Daniel Buren, Endre Tót, and Milan Knížák), paintings by proponents of West Berlin Critical Realism (Bettina von Arnim, Maina-Miriam Munsky) and by Maija Tabaka from the former Soviet Union, and the international network connected to Jürgen Schweinebraden’s EP Galerie in East Berlin, the exhibition unravels the interplay of artistic movements within and beyond the borders of the divided city.

Curator Melanie Roumiguière (Head of Visual Arts Berliner Künstlerprogramm des DAAD) will guide visitors through the exhibition chapter at n.b.k. and will be available for questions afterwards.

In German

Free admission