On the Trail of Berlin Nights and Lost Innocence: We Visited the “Goodbye Sadness, Hello Sadness” Exhibition at Pace Gallery!
We made our way to one of the most talked-about venues on Berlin’s art route this summer, Pace Gallery located on Bülowstraße. Stepping into the group exhibition titled “Goodbye Sadness, Hello Sadness”, which hosts art lovers between July 4 and August 23, 2026, we were greeted not merely by a classic gallery setting composed of paintings, but by the ambiguous, provocative world of the night and nightlife. Bringing together paintings, sculptures, and photographs by 21 international artists, this selection offers a staggering atmosphere that leaves its mark on Berlin evenings.
As soon as we stepped onto the ground floor of the gallery, we encountered a massive installation that forms the focal point of the exhibition and instantly draws the viewer in: a fully functioning replica of artist Friedrich Kunath’s studio bar in Los Angeles. Adorned at both ends with glowing red neon signs reading “Goodbye Sadness” and “Hello Sadness”, this bar perfectly reflects that twilight feeling that begins with a hedonistic sense of freedom and gives way to the loss of innocence. Taking its name from Françoise Sagan’s famous 1954 novel Bonjour Tristesse, the exhibition gathers all the possibilities and contradictions brought by the night right around this bar. Open Thursday through Sunday from 17:00 to 22:00, the bar ensures that visitors coming to the gallery do not merely look at an artwork, but become a direct part of that experience and conversation.
As you break away from the enchanting atmosphere of the bar and move through the exhibition space, walking among works that transform into symbols of nightclub culture and the subconscious evokes a tremendous feeling. While Elmgreen & Dragset’s VIP door opening to nowhere, titled “But I’m on The Guest List”, hits us with subtle humor regarding club culture’s illusion of privilege; Esben Weile Kjaer’s works resembling a massive disco ball significantly elevate the rhythm of the space. Lauren Quin’s painting with dense gestural layers on the wall and Kylie Manning’s mesmerizing new painting—whose solo exhibition will open soon in London—stand out among the strongest works visualising those transitional internal states during the shift from day to night.
Hosting a massive lineup where the classic meets the contemporary—from Albrecht Dürer to Alicja Kwade, Robert Nava to Monica Bonvicini and Trevor Paglen—the exhibition leaves an unforgettable post-nightclub residue on the viewer. We went, stood by the edge of Kunath’s bar, and experienced with our own eyes that uncanny space under the neon lights where day meets night. If your path leads to Berlin before the end of August, you should definitely visit and experience this immersive night journey at Pace Gallery in person.
