In the artistic heart of Berlin, at Hamburger Bahnhof, a multi-layered exhibition exploring art history’s most controversial object, the authority of museums, and the rhythm of the city has opened its doors. I’ve added Saâdane Afif’s cleverly constructed first institutional solo exhibition to Apartment No: 26’s Berlin route.
The exhibition runs until September 13, 2026. Though it’s a long-running show, it’s an experience that deserves to be at the very top of your to-do list whenever you find yourself in Berlin.
What is art? In 1917, when Marcel Duchamp turned a urinal upside down and signed it, he changed that question forever. So where does interdisciplinary artist Saâdane Afif, who has lived in Berlin since 2003, fit into this story?
Hamburger Bahnhof is hosting Afif’s “Five Preludes” from December 12, 2025 to September 13, 2026. The exhibition lays bare the intellectual web the artist weaves between objects, texts, and performances.
At the center of the show is a vast project donated to the museum by Paul Maenz: “The Fountain Archives” (2008–2022).
Over the years, Afif collected magazines, catalogues, and books featuring Duchamp’s famous urinal. This archive is a “meta-art” work that reveals how a single object spread through art history and became an icon. Duchamp introduced the readymade into art; Afif, in turn, gathers representations of that object to construct a new narrative.
Afif’s humor and critique do not stop there. His work “L’Humour noir” (2010) is a black replica of the Centre Pompidou in Paris. This miniature structure questions the musealization of avant-garde art and the role of institutions.
Also featured are “The Old,” which references Jeff Koons’s The New series, and “Live,” in which cultural event posters from Berlin are continuously updated and displayed. Afif presents these posters collected from the city as readymades.
The most important detail that makes this exhibition “alive” is on the walls. Afif has invited writers, artists, and musicians to write lyrics inspired by the works in the show.
The texts you will read on the walls will not remain there. Between May and July 2026, they will transform into performances at various locations across Berlin. In other words, the exhibition is a “prelude”—an introduction—that will evolve into music over time.
If you’re in Berlin, don’t miss getting lost in this playful and profound labyrinth of conceptual art.
