October 17, 2026 – January 10, 2027
Susan Hiller – Bad Dreams
The artist's first major survey in Berlin, with works from five decades on dreams, spirituality and the uncanny in media and everyday culture.
KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Exhibition venue for contemporary art in a former margarine factory in Berlin-Mitte and home base of the Berlin Biennale.
Opening hoursAdmission from €10 Partially accessible Restaurant
Current exhibitions
October 17, 2026 – January 10, 2027
KOO JEONG A – OUSSSEAN
Retrospective featuring key works since the 1990s that use light, magnetism, scent and temperature to create sensory spaces.
October 17, 2026 – January 10, 2027
Rafik Greiss – The City and the City
First institutional solo exhibition of the Egyptian artist, with a new film, black-and-white photographs and a specially composed soundtrack.
December 5, 2026 – January 10, 2027
BPA// Exhibition 2026
Annual exhibition by ten participants of the Berlin mentoring program BPA//, with works from their two-year program period.
About the museum
KW was founded in 1991, when a small group of young artists around Klaus Biesenbach began using a vacant margarine factory on Auguststraße for exhibitions. The ensemble consists of a listed front building from the late 18th century and factory buildings from the 1870s. The initiative shaped the flourishing art scene of the Spandauer Vorstadt neighborhood after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
After the Lotto-Stiftung Berlin acquired the site in 1995, the buildings were renovated and converted. In 1999, a glass café pavilion designed by the artist Dan Graham was built in the courtyard, and a remodeled cross wing created another large exhibition hall. The Berlin Biennale emerged from KW's circle in 1996, and its editions have regularly taken place in the building since 1998.
KW has no collection of its own; instead, it presents changing solo and group exhibitions of international contemporary art, accompanied by events, performances and education programs. The founding director was followed by Gabriele Horn and Krist Gruijthuijsen; Emma Enderby has headed the institution since 2024. It is run by the association Kunst-Werke Berlin.
Highlights
- Changing exhibitions of international contemporary art
- Home base of the Berlin Biennale
- Former margarine factory with a listed front building
- Café pavilion "Bravo" designed by Dan Graham
- Monthly Free Thursday with free admission until 21:00
- Free admission up to and including age 18
- Founded
- 1991
- Operated by
- Kunst-Werke Berlin e. V.
- Director
- Emma Enderby
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €6Students, apprentices and trainees, volunteer service participants, BBK members, recipients of unemployment benefit (ALG I), people with disabilities (degree of disability/GdB of 50 or more), holders of the Berlin Ehrenamtskarte (volunteer card), members of the Verband Deutscher Kunsthistoriker |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Free admission up to and including age 18 |
| Seniors | –No senior discount listed |
| Visitors with disabilities | €6companion free · Degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more |
| Students & apprentices | €6Students of Weißensee Kunsthochschule and UdK Berlin free |
| Berlin WelcomeCard | €6Reduced €4.50 |
Free admission: Free admission on one Thursday per month ("Free Thursday") 16:00–21:00
Tickets only on site and cashless. Many events are included in the exhibition ticket. Also free for members of KW Friends, holders of the KW Lover card, recipients of ALG II, holders of a Berechtigungsnachweis (formerly berlinpass), and ICOM, CIMAM and Museumsbund members.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description: no information
Only partially accessible due to heritage protection: exhibition levels 1–4, the ticket desk and the cloakroom can be reached by elevator; electric ramp to the main hall with staff assistance; step-free courtyard access. Accessible restroom with baby changing table on the fifth floor. The KW Studio can only be reached via 15 steps. Portable stools and a folding wheelchair on request; companion (GdB 50 or more) admitted free. No air conditioning. Exhibition texts in plain language.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
Kindermittwoch (Children's Wednesday) as a creative space for families with children aged 0 to 6 (Wednesdays 16:00–18:00), plus changing workshops such as a family quiz.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
S-Bahn to Oranienburger Straße or Hackescher Markt; U8 to Rosenthaler Platz or Weinmeisterstraße; U6 to Oranienburger Tor.
By car
Very limited parking; arrival by public transport recommended. Accessible parking space directly in front of the building next to the bicycle racks (during opening hours with proof).
- Accessible parking
Numerous bicycle racks at the main entrance.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
Café-restaurant "Bravo" in the Dan Graham pavilion in the courtyard (Wed–Mon 10:00–18:00) with breakfast, rotating lunch specials, and drinks. KW Bookshop with publications and editions.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Corporate events
Selected rooms available on request for short-term use for corporate events, film shoots and similar, depending on the exhibition calendar; no rental for external exhibitions. Café Bravo hosts private celebrations.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Regular overview tours of the current exhibitions (including Saturdays at 16:00, German and English). Tours for teachers and school partnerships. If you need support, registration about one week in advance is recommended. |
