November 24th to 27th 2015

Further dates will be announced in time.

The program to each “Decode” is unique, depending on the actual state of the scene in the city. It depends on what is on and who is in town, so our visits need to be adjusted fast because things happen fast on the Berlin scene.

However, there are some point we always cover.

We talk to people who have been active in the scene for decades and recognize the changes and directions of the present. We also talk to some people who are new and have just a few years of experience in the city, but thus know about the possibilities and also of the challenges posed to the newcomers.

Art institutions are the foundations of any art scene and we certainly visit some of them and talk to the people creating their program, but we emphasize the unique Berlin take on them, which makes some institutions more important and others not, that might not be so obvious at first.

Artists’ studios are eventually the source of anything that is happening in an art scene. We make a selection of a few artists of different generations and backgrounds to offer a personal introduction to their practice and experiences in the city. The both amusing and relaxing, but also informative and exciting visits give everybody a chance to see art as it is being created and meet the artists in person.

Galleries are the places that make the market live. There are many galleries in Berlin making it very tiresome to have a go at them without knowing which ones to visit. We make a selection according to what real people in the city talk about, but we also make a cross cut in order to give the participants an overview of different groups. There are the “blue chip” international galleries presenting the works of the international stars selling at auctions. There is also e very large group of mid range commercial galleries that make up for most of the daily life of the city’s gallery scene and there are the young start-ups bringing in the new life. We visit a selection of each and talk to the gallerists to hear why they chose this particular city and how they work.

Berlin has a very vibrant scene of non commercial project spaces that seems to be expanding every day and that is, unlike some other big international art scenes, being taken very seriously. We visit some of the self organized, pop up, temporary places where the newest work can be discovered without the commercial limitations and see art at its most experimental level.

Apart from all that we offer even more in the evenings if you can still take it. We go together to art scene hang-outs like bars and street food joints but also to delicate restaurants with refined menus. We also always plan breaks during the days to allow for a rest, a drink or a snack as you need.

The precise program will be mailed to the participants directly.