Vessel & Voyager
3/13/2026 – 5/10/2026

25 artists are showing off their new work, which they made during their residencies, at the “Vessel & Voyager” exhibition by JUNGE AKADEMIE, the international and interdisciplinary fellowship programme of the Akademie der Künste, in the Academy building on Hanseatenweg. They explore scope for artistic creation and action in times of diverse and escalating crises and deal with the themes of loss and memory, body and healing, protection and community. The exhibition features photographs, prints, collages, video works, spatial and sound installations, sculptures, drawings, and assemblages.

The title “Vessel & Voyager” refers to the themes of containers (vessels) and travelers (voyagers), which are prominent in artistic, cultural, and spiritual contexts. The exhibition uses “Vessel” in its meaning as a container that stores, transmits, and constantly transforms various narratives, messages, and voices. “Voyager”, in turn, stands for travelers who create connections between places, generations, and times. Vessel & Voyager represent the perception of an intertwined, changing present in which possibilities of imagination and speculation around grief, renewal, and resistance are renegotiated.

The deep temporal layers of human bodies are explored artistically. Hundreds of drawings tell of conversations with ancestors and trees. An installation shows the ambivalence of a world in flames between protest and destruction. Metal sculptures that capture collapse in motion bend toward the viewer. A film directs our gaze toward the sky as a mirror and window, teaching us a new way of seeing historical narratives and their inherent power structures. These and other works combine the search for consciousness and language and raise questions about tradition, responsibility, and vulnerability as the foundation of artistic creation.

Three key questions invite visitors to explore the exhibition: What has been lost and what remains untold? How do we remember and what are we made of? What do we protect and how do we connect?

Curated by Clara Herrmann and Linnéa Meiners

On 17 April, a symposium will discuss questions about art, ecology, and gender. On 25 April, there will be performances, concerts, and readings with scholarship recipients.

Ilit Azoulay, Patrizia Bach, Fanny Brandauer, Eva Dessecker, Anna Dobrova & Yuliia Rusylo / MetaLab, Sarah Doerfel, Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo, Nina Emge, Solomon Garçon, gruppe-aja, Thembinkosi Hlatshwayo, Dominique Hurth, Mehdi Jahan, Khensani Jurczok-de Klerk, René Kemp, Josephine Macken, Marina Naprushkina, Thuy-Han Nguyen-Chi, Hrishikesh Pawar, Sophie Seita, Sara Stevanović, Diána Vonnák, Franziska Wenning, Hana Yoo, Saikal Zhunush

The premises of the Akademie der Künste on Hanseatenweg and the layout of the “Vessel & Voyager” exhibition are not fully accessible in all areas.

The exhibition on the first floor can be reached via a lift, but is not accessible to electric wheelchairs. In the exhibition halls, there is sufficient space for visitors using wheelchairs or mobility aids to move around. Accessible toilets are located on the ground floor behind the staircase near the lockers.

Various seating options are available in the exhibition halls. There are stools, a large circular lying down area and benches. Foldable and portable museum stools are also available.

There is no tactile guidance system. Some artworks are positioned freestanding in the room, leaning against walls or suspended from the ceiling. Visits for blind and visually impaired guests are therefore only possible with an accompanying person.

From mid-April, there will be an audio guide, designed specifically for blind and visually impaired visitors by Ugne Metzner and Franciska JC Schmitt. This can be listened to via an audio guide system available for hire on site and is also accessible via a QR code for smartphones.

An abridged curatorial text in easy-to-read language (in German) by Helen-Sophie Mayr is on display at the entrance to the exhibition halls and can be downloaded here.