St. Agnes, König Galerie opened two spaces simultaneously with two different artists; a few streets away, Semjon Contemporary is opening a third show this evening. All on the same day, all free or open access — all in very different emotional registers. Let’s map this week’s Berlin route.
1. König Galerie | Chapel — Arghavan Khosravi: “The Shape of Absence”
17 July – 30 August 2026 | Free
In the former church chapel at St. Agnes, Iranian-born, US-based artist Arghavan Khosravi’s *THE SHAPE OF ABSENCE* opened last night. Presenting painting and sculpture together, the exhibition merges Persian miniature tradition, surrealism, and contemporary politics.
Khosravi uses a multilayered symbolic language to address the female body and power relations — authoritarian power, resistance, and hope. The exhibition’s central work, *THE MUSIC HALL (THE WOUND)*, draws on the architecture of the Ali Qapu Palace in Isfahan: two opposing hands (one darkened with oil, one radiant), a female figure suspended between them, an hourglass in the foreground. The show feeds from the idea that even absence may carry form, weight, and presence — and marks the artist’s second presentation with the gallery.
Address: Alexandrinenstraße 118–121, 10969 Berlin (Chapel space)
2. König Galerie | Vault — Jordy Kerwick: “This Time Tomorrow”
17 July – 2 September 2026 | Free
In the vault of the same building, Australian painter Jordy Kerwick’s *THIS TIME TOMORROW* is open. Everything begins with The Kinks’ 1970 song: “This time tomorrow, where will we be?” — the question of a future that feels close but remains unclear.
Kerwick starts with everyday details — vivid greens from nearby parks, floral bursts of magenta and mauve, the sound of water — and meets them with mythology, allegory, and hybrid figures. New “Summer in Berlin” paintings are included; oil, acrylic, spray paint, and collage in a densely saturated palette. The artist started painting in 2016, with no formal training — and the paintings carry that quality: open, unprogrammed, unending.
Note: Khosravi (Chapel) and Kerwick (Vault) are in the same building, different spaces — both can and should be seen in a single visit.
Address: Alexandrinenstraße 118–121, 10969 Berlin (Vault space)
3. Semjon Contemporary — “Verzaubert — Proud to Be Proud”
18 July – 1 August 2026
Tonight in Mitte, at Schröderstraße 1: vernissage. *Verzaubert — proud to be proud* — the title is both emotion and stance: to be enchanted and to be proud of it. Pancho Assoluto, Rick Castro, Andreas Fux, Florian Hetz, Norbert Heuler, Jan-Holger Mauss, Male Shibari, Thomas Synnamon, Stefan Thiel, and Elmar Vestner — ten artists. The exhibition closes 1 August; a short window.
Address: Schröderstraße 1, 10115 Berlin (Mitte)
FAQ: This Week in Berlin
- What are the standout gallery openings in Berlin for KW29?
Two simultaneous solo openings at König Galerie: Arghavan Khosravi’s *The Shape of Absence* (Chapel, until 30 August) and Jordy Kerwick’s *This Time Tomorrow* (Vault, until 2 September). At Semjon Contemporary: *Verzaubert — Proud to Be Proud* (until 1 August). All three opened this week.
- What kind of space is König Galerie St. Agnes?
A former Catholic church in Kreuzberg, transformed into an exhibition space by König Galerie since 2012. The building contains two gallery areas: the Chapel (main church space) and the Vault. Address: Alexandrinenstraße 118–121, 10969 Berlin.
- Is the Semjon Contemporary show closing soon?
*Verzaubert* closes 1 August — this weekend or early next week is the moment to visit.
NO-26 Note
KW29 is a dense opening week on Berlin’s gallery calendar. St. Agnes presents two very different artists in one building: Khosravi’s heavy political and conceptual weight alongside Kerwick’s colour-saturated everyday mythology. Semjon Contemporary’s vernissage is the evening’s third stop. The night programme is strong; note the coordinates.
