Mission & History

Institution

Founded in 1991 in a derelict former margarine factory, KW Institute for Contemporary Art has played a vital role in establishing Berlin as a global center for contemporary art in the years following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

KW’s mission is to engage with the central questions of our time through the production, presentation, and discussion of art. Attuned to the evolving needs of Berlin’s artists and practitioners, KW occupies a unique position as a transnational institution deeply rooted in our local context. Without a permanent collection, flexibility and openness lie at the heart of what makes KW special, as well as creating dynamic and timely programming that resonates with our times and audience.

Under the direction of Emma Enderby, the current program explores how both the city and KW’s building can serve as a framework for a program centered on artists and their processes, local production, community and partnerships, and the social, technological, and ecological present. The program unfolds through transdisciplinary and transgenerational practices, both local and international, always working in dialogue with the ecology of the building—both its interiors and exteriors as well as the spaces in between. The building complex includes exhibition halls, apartments, offices, and event spaces, including Café Bravo in the courtyard, designed by Dan Graham in 1999.

KW Institute for Contemporary Art is institutionally supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion. Parts of KW’s program are supported by the KW Friends.

In 1995, the heritage-listed front building from the late 18th century as well as the factory building, which dates back to the 1870s, were acquired by the Berlin LOTTO–Foundation after the settlement of pending restitution claims and made available to Kunst–Werke Berlin e. V., the support association of KW, for cultural use.

Since 1998, the exhibition spaces have also been used every other year by the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art. Founded through a private initiative in 1996, the Berlin Biennale has been receiving exclusive funding as a lighthouse project from the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation) since 2004. Since then, Kunst–Werke Berlin e. V. functions as the support association of the Berlin Biennale.

In 2016, it was decided to restructure Kunst-Werke Berlin e. V. and form two institutional branches: KW Institute for Contemporary Art and the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art. Gabriele Horn – the successor of Founding Director Klaus Biesenbach who had served as Director of both institutions since 2004 – remained Director of the Berlin Biennale while Krist Gruijthuijsen was appointed Director of KW Institute for Contemporary Art in July 2016. Since May 2024, Emma Enderby has been the Director of KW Institute for Contemporary Art. In 2024, Gabriele Horn retired as the Director of the Berlin Biennale and was followed by Axel Wieder.

Since its inauguration, KW has aimed to critically examine current tendencies within society through the production, display, and discourse of contemporary art. By means of exhibitions, commissioned works, and various event formats, KW has aligned itself with the national and international art and cultural discourse through collaborations with artists and other institutions.

Over the years, many outstanding artists have presented their first solo exhibitions as well as significant new works at KW, amongst others, Absalon, Kader Attia, Kate Cooper, Keren Cytter, Anna Daučíková, Coco Fusco, Ceal Floyer, Cyprien Gaillard, Beatriz González, Sidsel Meineche Hansen, Judith Hopf, Channa Horwitz, Hiwa K, Annette Kelm, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Hanne Lippard, Renata Lucas, Michel Majerus, Adam Pendleton, Mika Rottenberg, Christoph Schlingensief, Hassan Sharif, Wael Shawky, Santiago Sierra, Sung Tieu, Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch, Ian Wilson as well as Martin Wong.