Kicking off at 7pm tonight (Friday, 27 June) with an opening at Galerie im Körnerpark, the 27th edition of the festival centres around the theme “WTF – What the Fact”, with works examining the blurry line between perception and truth, asking who shapes our reality – and how.
With so much happening, the festival can be a bit of a maze – but don’t worry, we’ve done the legwork and picked out a handful of must-see events and projects to guide you through the weekend.
Festival opening
Wondering where to start during the 48-hour festival weekend? How about the opening party at the beautiful Körnerpark gallery – sip a spritz in the sun, exchange plans with fellow festival-goers and maybe even get some insider tips for the rest of the weekend.
- Galerie im Körnerpark, Schierker Str. 8, Neukölln, details.
PETRO-MASCULINITY
Artist Susanne Schmitt unpacks the link between masculinity and fossil fuels in this exhibition, exploring everything from the “Daddy” archetype to the car-obsessed social media profiles of far-right trolls. Inspired by Cara Daggett’s book Petro-masculinity: Fossil Fuels and Authoritarian Desire, she looks at how fossil fuels shape identity and power.
- Cank, Karl-Marx-Str. 95, Neukölln, details.
Unsettled Earth
Unsettled Earth is a multidisciplinary project and exhibition, collaborating with grassroots agrarian groups in Palestine. It features installations, films, drawings and sculptures that explore land’s role in violence, memory and resistance.
- Spore Initiative, Hermannstr. 86, Neukölln, details.
Displacement
Berlin’s housing headaches are all too familiar: serviced apartments, short-term leases, sublet nightmares and (worst of all) keine Anmeldung. In her collage series Displacement, Stephanie Bock takes aim at the ongoing wave of gentrification, spotlighting how once-normal homes are being flipped into overpriced, temporary stays.
- Polymedialer Ponyhof, Kienitzer Str. 11, Neukölln, details.
Reflektor TV
Keep an eye out for Reflektor TV, streaming continuously throughout the festival at reflektortv.de and screening at venues across Neukölln – turning the district into a dispersed, interactive media zone. A highlight is WTF News, a fictional news agency hosted by alien journalists reporting live from the festival on June 28 and 29 at 18:00, exploring the theme “What the Fact? – Between Truth and Perception.”
- Various locations, details.
Ashes We Carry Like Seeds
Luïza Luz will activate their installation Flourish & Collapse’ at ‘Ashes We Carry Like Seeds – a ritual performance blending together voice and movement. Set in an ecosystem of soil, decaying plants, sculptures and paintings, the work reflects on cycles of transformation — personal, political and planetary.
- Kesselhaus KINDL, Am Sudhaus 3, Neukölln, Sun 29th, 17:00–18:00, details.
Re-search and Reflect: Multiple Faces of Reality in Migration
Mediterranea Berlin e.V. presents an interactive exhibition, which challenges the usual stories told about migration. Through video, drawings and sculptures, it explores the sea as a place of both hope and danger. The show asks visitors to rethink the “facts” they know and see migration through a more human, complex lens.
- Oblomov, Lenaustr. 7, Neukölln, details.
Berliner KiezChor
From ‘90s classics to German pop and alt-rock, Berliner KiezChor is bound to put on an incredible show. Founded in 2018, the 30-member group is known for energy-filled performances that turn casual listeners into enthusiastic participants. Start warming up those vocal cords – singing along is very much encouraged.
- Berliner Berg Brauerei, Treptower Str. 39, Neukölln-Treptow, Sun 29th (18:00–18:45), details.
Check out the 48 Hours Neukölln website to see the full programme, and follow @48stundennk.
