Shared Memory on Canvases: Last 11 Days for Oscar Murillo and Monet Dialogue at DAS MINSK

Stepping away from Berlin’s never-ending dynamism with just a half-hour train ride (S7) and finding yourself in Potsdam, you enter a venue where the boundaries art establishes with the viewer completely melt away. Since May 8, DAS MINSK Kunsthaus has been hosting Colombian Oscar Murillo, one of the most exciting names in international contemporary art.

With only 11 days left until its closing date of August 9, 2026, Murillo’s exhibition “Collective Osmosis” invites the viewer into an unexpected, boundary-pushing, and fully participatory dialogue with the legacy of Claude Monet. There could be no more valid reason to set aside a day for Potsdam.

Murillo and Monet: An Unexpected Encounter

Oscar Murillo, etched in our memories with his The Flooded Garden project in Tate Modern’s massive Turbine Hall, crosses paths this time with the father of Impressionism, Claude Monet. At first glance, bringing together the 19th-century French master and today’s radical contemporary artist might seem surprising. However, the connection here is not a simple visual resemblance or an art historical eulogy.

Murillo takes apart Monet’s life, his physical passion established with paint, and the reception of his works over time, integrating them into his own abstract, dynamic practice. Rather than a superficial homage, this is a deeply profound and theoretical confrontation questioning the roots of the act of painting.

Participant, Not Viewer: Touching the Canvas Is Allowed

The most critical feature distinguishing the “Collective Osmosis” exhibition from an ordinary museum experience is that it dismantles that “untouchable” aura of the artwork, pulling the viewer directly into the center of the process—right in front of the canvas. There are two main participatory projects you can experience in the exhibition:

• Social Mapping: In this long-running project Murillo conducts with communities in different geographies of the world, viewers are invited to personally draw on massive canvases. Every line drawn becomes part of a global and organic social archive.

• Collective Painting: Collective painting sessions in the exhibition area where visitors shed the role of passive observer and pick up paint. In a museum where you came to view art, you transform into the creator of that very work.

A similar version of that tremendous collective production energy that involved thousands of people at Tate Modern is now taking place in Potsdam.

Two Museums, One Vision: A First for the Hasso Plattner Foundation

This exhibition stands as a first not only through the artistic act it encompasses, but also through its institutional background. Both under the umbrella of the Hasso Plattner Foundation, DAS MINSK Kunsthaus and Museum Barberini are collaborating on a joint exhibition project for the first time in their histories.

While Murillo’s game-changing contemporary interventions are exhibited at DAS MINSK, Monet’s classic masterpieces await visitors at the nearby Museum Barberini. The artist and art history transcend conceptual dialogue to build a physical bridge across two different points in the same city.

Frequently Asked Questions About Oscar Murillo’s “Collective Osmosis” Exhibition

Until when is the exhibition open and where is it located?

The exhibition is open to visitors until August 9, 2026, at DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam. You can easily reach it from Berlin via the S7 suburban train in about 30 minutes.

What is the connection between this exhibition and Museum Barberini?

The two museums are sister institutions working jointly on this project. Interested visitors can head to Museum Barberini on the same day to experience Monet’s original works, followed consecutively by Murillo’s contemporary interpretations at DAS MINSK.

Can everyone participate in the interactive projects?

Yes. The “Social Mapping” and “Collective Painting” activities are designed to be open to the active participation of museum visitors.

NO-26 Editor’s Art Route Note

The “Relevant to the System” exhibition at Humboldt Forum in Berlin closes this weekend; be sure to get that out of the way before Sunday. However, if you want to clear your mind over the next 11 days, step away from the city, and connect with art by personally “getting your hands dirty” in the beautiful fabric of Potsdam, DAS MINSK awaits you. Monet, Murillo, and your own brushstrokes… A fantastic excuse to visit Potsdam!