Group Exhibition
Dates: September 19, 2026–January 3, 2027
Welcome remarks: Dr. Carola Brückner, District Councilor for Culture; Dr. Ralf F. Hartmann, Artistic Director of ZAK
Introduction: Prof. Stefan Koppelkamm, Sophia Pompéry
Since 1997, the Friends of the Art Academy, the Mart Stam Society, has awarded the Mart Stam Prize annually for outstanding graduation projects across all disciplines, thereby transcending the usual division between art and design. The boundaries between the disciplines are often fluid: artists work with design methods, and designers draw inspiration from art.
The Friends’ Association is named after the Dutch architect Mart Stam (1899–1986), who served as director of the Academy of Fine Arts from 1950 to 1952. Stam was one of the pioneers of Modernism who viewed their work within a social context. His insistence on the social responsibility of artists and designers continues to shape the Academy’s self-image to this day.
The art academy’s 80th anniversary prompted the Friends of the Academy to ask what has become of the 182 award winners. From among them, the curators have selected 28 exemplary artists for this exhibition. Video portraits of the artists and designers add an extra dimension to the exhibited works: These portraits not only highlight a wide variety of artistic strategies but also ways of life that encourage people to embark on paths where the destination is not clear from the outset. This requires the courage to take risks, to experiment openly, and a dose of determination.
An exhibition by the Mart Stam Society
Curated by Stefan Koppelkamm and Sophia Pompéry
Artists and designers:
Neda Aydin, Antonia Doenitz, Ella Einhell, Helen Eisen, Ingo Fröhlich, Andrés Galeano, Susi Hinz, Silke Kästner, Fruzsina Kiss, Jung A Lee, Barbara Lenartz, Ingeborg Lockemann, Elke Mohr, Ulrike Mohr, Kazuki Nakahara, Lorenz Pasch, Viktoria Pidust, Sophia Pompéry, Konstantin Potapov, Marina Resende Santos, Claudia Schramke, Jannis Schulze, Markus Shimizu, Fiete Stolte, Theresa Reiwer, Vivian Tamm, Sebastian Weise, Jakob Margit Wirth, Rie Yamada
Of the 182 artists and designers who received the Mart Stam Prize between 1997 and 2024, 30 were selected for the exhibition.
Supported by the LOTTO Foundation Berlin
Image: Ingeborg Lockemann/Elke Mohr: Paintings: Pool, Skaterpark Beelitz, Straße des Aufbaus/Brandenburg, 2024.
