The 13th edition of the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, opening on June 13, 2025, has announced its title: “passing the fugitive on.” Curated by Zasha Colah, this year’s Biennale presents a provocative examination of how art functions under systems of lawful violence, displacement, and militarization. The international exhibition will be staged across four dynamic venues in Berlin—KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Sophiensæle, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, and a former Courthouse on Lehrter Straße in the Berlin-Moabit district.
Over 60 artists will exhibit more than 170 works, engaging with diverse geographic contexts and media. The title, “passing the fugitive on,” reflects art’s potential to defy unjust systems by creating its own rules and languages, allowing suppressed messages to persist and be shared orally, visually, and physically.
According to curator Zasha Colah, the Biennale calls on audiences not merely to view the artworks but to embody them—to act as “fugitives” who spread the meaning of the works “from mouth to mouth” until these messages materialize in collective action. The concept embraces unpredictability, where individual imagination can evolve into shared momentum.
This year’s edition emphasizes fugitive modes of transmission, including performances, reading groups, public walks, spoken word, and scientific and theatrical events. These forms foster immediate, embodied communication between artwork and viewer. Audiences are invited to become active participants in shaping and circulating the messages conveyed by these works, from serious tribunals and lectures to stand-up comedy and urban walks, challenging the usual boundaries of art engagement.
The official press preview will take place on June 12 and 13, ahead of the public opening. Members of the press can register online for access. The press conference is scheduled for June 12 at 11 AM at Sophiensæle’s Festsaal, with accreditation open through May 25.
The Biennale, directed by Axel Wieder and organized by KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e.V., will run from June 14 to September 14, 2025. Valentina Viviani serves as Assistant Curator. The event is funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation), which operates under the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
