We recently had the chance to experience Rundgang 2025, the annual open studios event of Berlin University of the Arts (UdK), one of Europe’s largest art schools and a pulse of Berlin’s vibrant art scene. Spread across various locations in the city, this event offered a unique opportunity to encounter the raw, unfiltered, and often first-time exhibited works of promising artists. It was truly a rare chance to feel the pure, creative energy before it gets swept up in the gears of the industry.
As UdK’s Press and Communications Director Claudia Assmann noted, “Many of our students are experienced in presenting their work, but some have never exhibited outside the classroom before.” This year, Rundgang opened nine of its 23 venues, and the absence of centralized curation allowed us to witness artists and performers in all their raw diversity. Exploring the network of rooms, workshops, studios, and stages from the school’s fine arts, design, architecture, performing arts, music, and other departments felt like getting lost in an artistic labyrinth.
The Hardenbergstraße building in Charlottenburg, home to the Fine Arts and Architecture departments, was a fantastic starting point for our journey. We wandered through pieces that students had been working on over the summer. Just down the road, the music and performing arts section on Fasanenstraße captivated us with mesmerizing performances and concerts. At the Medienhaus in Schöneberg, we discovered film and media projects, and learning that talents like former student Deniz Şimşek, who won the German Short Film Award last year, had emerged from this space was truly exciting.
This year was special for the university, marking the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1975. However, the celebration coincided with a challenging period due to significant funding cuts in Berlin. As Assmann explained, “The problem is that we had very little time to plan ahead. Right now, hiring is frozen, so we can only replace staff temporarily. It hasn’t been easy.”
Despite these challenges, Rundgang remains one of the university’s most significant events and can be a transformative moment for some students. In 2004, Polish sculptor Alicja Kwade, now one of the university’s most acclaimed alumni, was first discovered at her graduation exhibition. As Assmann put it, “It’s really like nothing else. The chance to see all these different disciplines and genres—and the students are eager to see how people react.”
We felt this energy firsthand. Rundgang is not just a platform for young artists to showcase their work but also a space where they shape their futures. Having experienced this unique event at the heart of Berlin’s artistic energy, we’re already eagerly awaiting next year’s Rundgang.
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