mediation
Mediation is a practice of reconsideration—an invitation to open up spaces for reorientation, repositioning, and reformulation; to move beyond established frameworks.
The mediation program of the 13th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art seeks ways to expand existing institutional structures and re-politicize museal spaces. Approaching mediation as a spatial practice, it engages not only with the physical exhibition space, but considers the movements and relations between social spaces.
The formats of mediation include:
Focus Tours & Workshops
A group of mediators takes on the role of Difficultators. Drawing from their varied backgrounds and approaches, they highlight complexities and offer alternative access points to the exhibition in focus tours and workshops.
Mediators
Anja Söyünmez
Arootin Mirzakhani
Duc Vu Manh
Jannina Brosowsky
Niusha Ramzani
Sarah Steiner
Thesea Rigou
Zoncy Heavenly
Open Ateliers
Every Sunday, open ateliers invite visitors of all ages to engage playfully and intuitively with the exhibition’s themes, materials, and questions.
Hang-Out-Moments
Visitors are invited to navigate these spaces in diverse ways, playfully and according to their individual needs—as seen in the Hang-Out-Moments. These encourage pausing, resting, browsing, or simply being among the artworks across various venues. At its core, the program asks: How do we experience ourselves in these spaces? How can we be supported in being present with our bodies?
Outreach Curation
Central components of the mediation program include two People’s Tribunals and a stage show with the artist collective parallelgesellschaft. These events are not only part of art mediation but also integral to the Encounters program. They are the result of collaborations with Berlin-based collectives, who co-shaped the project from the outset.
University Triangle
Universities and schools also engage with the 13th Berlin BiennaleBiennial’s themes from multiple perspectives. One key initiative is the University Triangle, a summer school developed in collaboration with two international universities, each contributing distinct research perspectives to the discourse.
The mediation program of the 13th Berlin Biennale proposes practices of collective self-mediation. Its open-ended formats invite visitors to reflect on how they use space and the intersections between personal experiences and political realities. It aims to spark awareness of oppressive and unjust structures, to encourage carrying these insights beyond the exhibition space and into everyday life.