Popular Weekend Events in Berlin (July Updated)

The new museum's exhibitions are dedicated to showcasing the history and significance of the zodiac from Babylon to Egypt and the Greco-Roman world. The exhibitions are divided into several thematic areas, presenting the ancient zodiac from contemporary scientific and social perspectives."What's your zodiac sign?" Even in today's scientific age, this question is frequently asked. Since ancient times, the zodiac has fascinated humanity. It connects us to the universe, heaven and earth, astronomy and astrology, science and faith, tradition and innovation, certainty and uncertainty, harmony and conflict. But what exactly is the zodiac? Is it an oracle predicting the future? A mirror reflecting the mind? A projection of our pursuit of knowledge and certainty? A coordinate system for calculating planetary motion? A visible manifestation of celestial harmony? Or a combination of all these? Where did it originate? How did it spread throughout the world? What was it used for? And how was it depicted?What is the significance of the zodiac in contemporary society? In public perception, the zodiac is now primarily associated with astrological horoscopes. The introduction of the zodiac was a turning point in the history of astrology. Along with the zodiac, astrology emerged as a new astrological practice in Babylon, initially used not only by kings and rulers but also by ordinary people from all walks of life. Today, although categorized as mysticism and pseudoscience, astrology is more popular worldwide than ever before. It is based on the belief that the positions of the planets at the time of birth contain clues about an individual's character and destiny. This belief stems from humanity's enduring need for meaning, self-awareness, and understanding of the future, for certainty, and for ways to cope with uncertainty. What could be more meaningful and compelling than recognizing the connection between an individual's character and destiny and the universe?The relevance of the zodiac extends to scientific and cultural practices vital to modern society. We are accustomed to accessing, analyzing, calculating, and predicting data anytime, anywhere through applications and computers. The roots of systematic observation, data collection, data analysis, algorithms, calculations, and predictions lie in the ancient zodiac and the ancient astronomical calculation programs associated with it. Furthermore, the spread of the zodiac and its related astronomical and astrological knowledge and practices in the ancient world serves as a prime example of innovation, globalization, intercultural exchange, and multiculturalism—all core issues and hotly debated topics in contemporary society.The new museum's exhibition presents the ancient zodiac from a contemporary scientific and social perspective, exploring multiple thematic areas. Utilizing ancient artifacts from various Berlin museums, some never before exhibited, the exhibition takes visitors on a multicultural journey through time, from Babylon to Egypt, Greece, and Rome (400 BC to 400 AD), and elucidates the contemporary significance of the zodiac.

The Berlinische Galerie has devoted over 1000 square metres to presenting its collection. Waiting to be discovered among the roughly 250 works on show are paintings, prints, photographs, architecture and archive materials rarely or never displayed before. Walking around this exhibition is like time travel and takes visitors through Berlin in 17 chapters: the Kaiser's era, the Weimar Republic, the Nazi dictatorship, the new beginnings after 1945, Cold War in the divided city, and the counter-cultures and unconventional lifestyles that evolved in East and West under the shadow of the Wall. In East Berlin, an alternative art community developed from the late 1970s. In West Berlin from the late 1970s, aggressive art by the “Neue Wilden” placed the divided city back in the international limelight.

The exhibition examines the transformative potential of public art and explores the methods and motivations behind such works, as well as their social impact.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Pechstein, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Erich Heckel left the cities to paint and live in nature. In their paintings, drawings, prints and watercolours, they celebrate the landscape, life, the human body and dynamic existence. The exhibition focuses on the Brücke artists' quest for harmony between humans and nature. Almost 100 years after the Brücke debate, our relationship with nature has changed fundamentally. What can we learn from nature? How can a new relationship between nature, art and humanity emerge? Coinciding with the exhibition, the museum's artistic nature trail Learning from … Nature will open in the garden, for which nine contemporary artists are creating new site-specific works.