Shows

After many years of planning and preparation, the day finally arrived on September 22, 2017: The URBAN NATION Museum for Urban Contemporary Art in Berlin officially opened its doors to visitors for the first time.

Especially for the first exhibition, which was held under the motto “UNique. UNited. UNstoppable.” 145 artists and 11 curators from 28 countries created over 190 artworks.

One year after the opening of the museum, the new exhibition “The power of art as a social architect” opened on September 27, 2018. The current exhibition interactively traces the genesis of one of the most successful art movements of our time: Urban Art. The exhibition features works by more than 50 artists from the URBAN NATION Museum collection. A timeline explains the history of the museum, from the vision established in 2013 to the opening of the second exhibition in 2018.

With “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures“, URBAN NATION presents a retrospective of Martha Cooper’s photographic work spanning six decades from October 2, 2020 to May 15, 2022. The exhibition traces Cooper’s life through photographs and personal objects, from her first camera in 1946 to her current reputation as a world-renowned photographer.

The colorful and vibrant exhibition TALKING… & OTHER BANANA SKINS, curated by Michelle Houston, provokes dialogue through urban and contemporary art. The exhibition functions as a catalyst and serves as a host for discourse about the most pressing issues of our times. 

Cities are more than concrete and asphalt, they pulsate with stories, dreams and emotions. The new exhibition LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY, curated by Michelle Houston, is a tribute to the city and an invitation to explore our urban living spaces with a new perspective. It features works by over fifty international and Berlin-based street artists. Issues such as urbanization, gentrification, environmental degradation and social inequality call for a critical discourse that aims to influence the development of society in a positive sense. How does art change the way we view public space? What changes can art initiate in the city? What methods do artists use to achieve a corresponding effect?