2026

Kunst für das Land at OSTEN Festival
September 12–27, 2026
Installation in Public Space in Bitterfeld-Wolfen
Comeniusstr. 40 / Edeka / Entrance / lks—across from Dessauer Allee
& Zschornewitz Power Plant

As part of Art on Common Ground / Kunst für das Land, large-format art posters by renowned artists invite people to rediscover art in everyday life—in public spaces throughout Bitterfeld-Wolfen and at the festival grounds at the Zschornewitz Power Plant, featuring works by Villa Aurora alumnae Viktoria Binschtok, Sonya Schönberger, and Luise Schröder. For all three artists, engaging with “the East” plays a central role within their artistic work. 
Kunst für das Land is a project initiated and financed by Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House, in cooperation with Festival OSTEN.

In her artistic poster design, Luise Schröder explores the independent women’s and lesbian movement of the 1980s and 1990s in the GDR. The poster is located in the immediate vicinity of the women’s center “Frauen helfen Frauen e. V.,” which continues to actively advocate for the interests of women and girls to this day in the area.

The image detail used for the art poster, as well as the accompanying quote, are taken from the GrauZone collection of the Robert Havemann Society e. V. / Archive of the GDR-Opposition. The chosen typeface, Kis Antiqua, was designed by Hildegard Korger and adapted by Reymund Schröder.

GUIDED TOUR AND DISCUSSION
Sunday, September 20th, 1 pm
At the Zschornewitz Power Plant (Festival OSTEN grounds)
Guided tour followed by a discussion with Viktoria Binschtok, Sonya Schönberger, Luise Schröder & Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V.
More infos about the tour and discussion

Project Overview with locations and routes
About the installation
More works at Kraftwerk Zschornewitz

Courage: Schwestern im Geiste (Courage: Sisters in Spirit)
Sep 4th, 2026–Jan 3rd, 2027
Prater Galerie, Kastanienallee 7–9, 10435 Berlin
Opening: Thursday, Sep 3rd, 2026, 6 pm
Opening hours: Wed–Mon 12 pm–8 pm, Tue closed

The municipally run Prater Galerie has been located on Kastanienallee in Prenzlauer Berg for many decades, with only a few interruptions. The Galerie am Prater was an important venue for presenting contemporary art in East Berlin. There was a lively exchange between the staff of the Center for Art Exhibitions of the GDR (ZfK) and the artists at the Galerie am Prater. Here, contemporary art was looked at, discussed, selected and acquired for ZfK exhibitions, so it is not surprising that the ZfK’s collection included numerous works by artists who had solo exhibitions at the Galerie am Prater. What is striking—and at the same time typical of that era—is that artistic practices by women were underrepresented. The exhibition Courage reverses this balance: it features exclusively artistic practices by women. The focus is on artists who critically reflected on the present and who openly resisted—and continue to resist—both in their private lives and in their art.

With works by Yevgenia Belorusets, Christa Jeitner, Magdalena Jetelová, Lesia Pcholka, Luise Schröder, Gundula Schulze Eldowy, Natalia Vatsadze and Eva Vent

The exhibition Courage – Schwestern im Geiste is part of the ifa’s exhibition series: Publik Machen. Across six chapters, the exhibition explores the work of the Center for Art Exhibitions of the GDR (ZfK), whose graphic arts collection was transferred to the ifa—Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations—in 1991. The project is organized in collaboration with the Kunsthaus Dresden and the ifa Gallery Berlin, Schloss Biesdorf, KVOST, the Prater Galerie, and the Galerie im Turm in Berlin.

Curated by Katharina von Hagenow, Lena Prents and Susanne Weiß 

Event on the Prater Gallery website

FOTOTREFF #47 Strömungen in Bewegung (Currents in Motion)
Book presentation and discussion with eyewitnesses on the independent women’s and lesbian movement in the GDR

Tuesday, June 16th, 2026

7:00 – 9:00 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm
Fotoforum Dresden, Neustädter Markt 12, 01097 Dresden



The artist’s book Strömungen in Bewegung addresses both strategies of feminist self-empowerment and practices of resistance with a focus on East German women’s* history. This is where our discussion begins with a local perspective: Who were the key figures in Dresden? What issues did they raise, and what influence do their activities continue to have today? This evening will focus on both the writing of East German women’s history and the significance of archives and literature.


Guests: Luise Schröder and Jayne-Ann Igel
Moderator: Irène Mélix

Jayne-Ann Igel (born 1954 in Leipzig) is an author and editor. She completed an apprenticeship in academic librarianship in Leipzig and subsequently worked at the German National Library in Leipzig and in the book trade. Since her debut in 1989 (Poesiealbum and S. Fischer Verlag), she has collaborated with visual artists (Erika Enders, Claudia Reh, Tobias Stengel). Since 2011, she has been co-editor of the Neue Lyrik series published by Poetenladen. In 2026, she received the Berlin Art Prize for Literature. Her most recent publications include: wir ländern uns fort (dto, 2022) and wolken hinterm rollo (gutleut 2024).

Irène Mélix is an artist and cultural worker who explores queer themes, political history/stories, and border spaces. She studied art and cultural studies in Hildesheim, Dresden, Paris, and Krakow and works in multimedia at the intersection of social and aesthetic issues. In 2025, she participated in the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York. Her dissertation on artistic methods of queer historiography at the Bauhaus Weimar was submitted in the summer of 2025.

Book by Luise Schröder
Event on the Fototreff Website

A collaboration between Weiterdenken I Heinrich Böll Foundation Saxony and x FOTOTREFF Berlin

FOTOTREFF #47 will be held in German.
The venue can accommodate a maximum of 40 visitors.

Productive Unrest
An exhibition on art and the public at art exhibitions in the GDR in the 1980s

May, 21 — July 26, 2026
Opening Wednesday: May 20, 2026
Robotron-Kantine, Lingnerallee at the skatepark, 01069 Dresden
Opening Hours: Wed–Fri 4pm–7pm, Sat & Sun 12pm–6pm
Admission free

As in many places, the 1980s in Dresden were a turbulent and restless period, full of contradictions, conflicts and new beginnings. Which forms of artistic expression gained a foothold, and of which quality were the new relationships which emerged between the arts and their audience, both within and beyond state control? The exhibition Productive Unrest takes a closer look at selected works of art, photography and alternative culture from this period, which seem to resonate the emerging social changes. 

The 9th and 10th Art Exhibitions form the point of departure, the largest and most visited representative exhibitions of Art in the GDR, in which the immense diversity of artistic activity at the time was already reflected. The exhibit also features selected alternative practices in art and culture, which were at the time already establishing their own paths beyond state-controlled channels.

With works by Bernd Bankroth, Falko Behrendt, Sibylle Bergemann, Christian Borchert, Anna Bromley, Klaus Dennhardt, Michael Freudenberg, Freunde der Italienischen Oper, Reinhard Dietrich, Manuel Frolik, Hubertus Giebe, Hermann Glöckner, Dieter Goltzsche, Eberhard Göschel, Hans-Hendrik Grimmling, Herta Günther, Angela Hampel, Andreas Hegewald, Christian Heinze, Christine Heitmann, Ernst Hirsch / Gartenfest Heinz Wittig, Olaf Holzapfel, Wilhelm Klotzek, Sylvie Kürsten, Gerda Lepke, Werner Lieberknecht, Peter Makolies, Martin Maleschka, Yana Milev, Henrike Naumann, Helga Paris, A. R. Penck, Johannes Peschel, David Polzin, Günther Rechn, Núria Quevedo, Ruth Wolf-Rehfehldt, Jürgen Schieferdecker, Hanns Schimansky, Werner Schinko, Jürgen Schön, Luise Schröder, Klaus Schwabe, Sabine Slatosch, Wolfgang Smy, Erika Stürmer-Alex, Ulrich Tarlatt, Alfred Thiele, Max Uhlig, Norbert Wagenbrett, Arnold Walter, Suse Weber, Claus Weidensdorfer, Horst Weisse, Olav Westphalen, Leoni Wirth, Karla Woisnitza, Ruth Wolf-Rehfehldt, Willy Wolff, Ulrich Wüst, Fotis Zaprasis

A joint exhibition organised by the Kunsthaus Dresden and the ifa – Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, in cooperation with the Wüstenrot Foundation. Other partners include Kunstfonds / Dresden State Art Collections and Art in Networks – a research project run by the Chair of Visual Studies and Art History at TU Dresden.

Curated by Susanne Weiß and Christiane Mennicke-Schwarz, with contributions by Sylvie Kürsten, Robert Thiele, Julianne Csapo, Lars Hiller, Laura Schulze. 

Link to the exhibition on the Kunsthauses Dresden Website

DIE KUNST IST KEIN ZIEL FÜR SICH (ART IS NOT AN END IN ITSELF)
In relation with constructivist Asja Lācis
Exhibition – Discourse – Performance
Saturday, April 1st–Sunday, June 28th, 2026
Opening: Friday, April 10th, 5 pm
Kunstraum XBerg, Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin
Open: Daily 10 am–8 pm
Free admission
Curated by Konstanze Schmitt and Mimmi Woisnitza

Art is not an end in itself connects the avant-garde practices of Latvian theater maker, educator, and revolutionary Asja Lācis with contemporary artistic, scientific, and activistperspectives. A rich program of discoursive and performative events and workshops brings the exhibition to life during its course.

Artistic Positions: Chto Delat, Cinéma Copains, Contra Filé, Alice Creischer, Zhenya Efros, Inga Gaile, Anton Kats, Kollektiv Lauratibor, Karlheinz Mund, Mirja Reuter & Florian Gass, Elske Rosenfeld & Olia Sosnovskaya, Konstanze Schmitt, Luise Schröder, Andreas Siekmann, Theater o.N., Theater X.

Performances by Anna Stiede mit Panzerkreuzer Rotkäppchen, Bühnen zu Baustellen | Baustellen zu Bühnen, Christian Filips & Margarita Breitkreiz, Lauratibor Kiezchor, Meckerchor

Lectures & Workshops with Inga Gaile, Federico Geller, Tatjana Hofmann, Susan Ingram, Ewa Majewska, Olga Martynova, Luise Meier, Simone Niehoff, Beata Paškevica, Florian Thamer & Tina Turnheim u. a.

Movie program Krista Burāne, Payal Kapadia, Yulia Lokshina, Karlheinz Mund, Erwin Piscator, Marta Popivoda

Events within the exhibition

April 10–12, 2026
ANTIFASCIST WORKERS’ THEATRE Today

April 23–25, 2026
Sliktā māte/Bad Mother: A feminist retrospective on Asja Lācis

June 4–5, 2026
Lācis & Co.: Female Acteurs – Transit – Narratives

June 25–27, 2026
A Rebelião Das Crianças/The Kids are Outside

April 16–June 11, 2026
Film evenings with discussions (Thursdays)

April 16th/May 7th/May 21st, 5 pm – Curator's tour (D/E)

Link to the Event on the Kunstraum XBerg Website

AXËL WANTS TO GO WITH SARA
Exhibition
Kontor 80, Torgauer Str. 80, 04318 Leipzig
March 1st–29th, 2026
Opening hours: Thurs/Fri 4–8 pm, Sat/Sun 1–6 pm
Finissage: Sunday, March 29th, 1–6 pm

What is realism in contemporary art? AXËL WANTS TO GO WITH SARA is part of a series of concept shows that constitutes an attempt of self-criticism of contemporary art. It pursues the essential questioning of the common sense prevailing in the contemporary art sphere as well as in its dominant phenomena.

An event by Mailand / Innenhof
Artists: Bea Camacho, Christian Jankowski, Cinthia Marcelle, Hein-G. Petschulat, Luise Schröder & Anna Baranowski, Mailand / Innenhof

Link to the Event on the Mailand / Innenhof Website
PDF of the exhibition

Friday, January 23rd, 2026
Labor Neunzehn, Kiefholzstr. 19/20, 12435 Berlin
Screenings at 2 pm, 4 pm and 6 pm (same program in all sessions)
Admission with donation: 5 €

Labor Neunzehn and AVARIE present KAMERA Series | Retrospective 2021–2025, a one-day screening program bringing together international artists who have participated in the KAMERA Series over the past five years.
It is presented as part of Vorspiel, a city-wide initiative supported by transmediale and CTM Festival, connecting independent project spaces, galleries, and cultural actors across Berlin in a shared program dedicated to experimental artistic practices, sound, technology, and critical discourse.
Kamera Series presents a selection of moving images and cinematic approaches that engage in a dialogue with books and printed matter, opening a space for critical exchange on contemporary image-making.
Kamera Series is curated by Valentina Besegher Scotti (Labor Neunzehn) and Giuliana Prucca (AVARIE).

The retrospective features works by: Lina Selander, Pauline Julier, Ion Grigorescu, Maria Iorio & Raphaël Cuomo, Louise Crawford & Stéphan Guéneau, Andrea Dojmi, Sergej Vutuc, Luise Schröder, Peter Downsbrough, Helga Fanderl, Christine Gedeon.

More info and program on the Labor19 Website
Kamera Series Website

A film evening with Christina Karstädt, author of the film
Viel zu viel verschwiegen (Too Much Concealed)
Curated and moderated by Luise Schröder

January 22, 2025, 7 p.m.
neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst (nGbK)
Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 11/13
10178 Berlin

Free Admission, Language German

The documentary film Viel zu viel verschwiegen (1992) by Christina Karstädt and Anette von Zitzewitz is dedicated to the life stories of lesbian women in the GDR. Fourteen of them talk about their relationships with women, experiences of exclusion, and experiences with the Stasi. They openly discuss strategies of resistance, dealing with discrimination, and their commitment to political visibility. On this evening, artist Luise Schröder is invited by Stadmuseum/Nikolaikirche as part of the current exhibition: Heute noch, morgen schon (Today yet, Tomorrow surely) to talk with Christina Karstädt about the film's origins. The focus will be on the film's significance as a historical document, but it will also address references to the present. Afterwards, the audience is invited to join in a discussion.

Link to the Event on the website of Stadtmuseum Berlin
Link to the Event nGBK Website

Filmstill: Viel zu viel verschwiegen, Fotografie © Bettina Dziggel