BERLIN, GERMANY.- Art Forum Berlin, the international trade fair for contemporary art, will take place at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds from 30 September to 4 October 2006. Organized by Messe Berlin GmbH in cooperation with an international art gallery advisory board, Art Forum Berlin is one of the most innovative, world-class art shows.

With 120 galleries from 25 countries, Art Forum Berlin showcases the works of established artists and newcomers. The spacious, historically protected exhibition halls 18-20 offer ideal conditions for exclusive art presentations from galleries selected by an international jury. With its compact, clearly targeted approach, Art Forum Berlin provides a unique venue offering information and dialogue for contemporary art dealers and agents.

Each year, Art Forum Berlin attracts exhibitors and visitors from around the world to Germany's capital city. The event features all forms of 21st century art ranging from video and photography, to paintings, sculptures, installations, graphics, and multimedia. Anyone interested in the modern art scene will find what they're looking for at this exclusive exhibition. Nearly 37,000 art enthusiasts, 1,500 journalists and renowned collectors, museum directors and curators from Germany and other countries visited Art Forum Berlin in 2005.

Supplementary to the galleries’ presentation Art Forum Berlin put in 2004 for the first time a special exhibition project on view. Entitled "Made in Berlin" and curated by Zdenek Felix the exhibition 2004 featured works by currently Berlin-based artists from all over the world. In the following year Susanne Titz curated „Temporary Import“ focussing on exceptional international artists who have been guests in Berlin as artists-in-residence. This year the special exhibition is organized by curator Friederike Nymphius. Entitled “Big City Lab” the exhibition focuses on the big city as a laboratory and deals with the metropolitan myth as both positive and negative visions of modernity. The city is a place of freedom and progress, where new forms and structures emerge. It is also a place where traditional values are broken down or transformed — only to make room for something new.

Along with high-quality content, Art Forum Berlin offers exhibitors and visitors excellent conditions for an art show. Berlin's exhibition center features specially designed rest areas, cafés and restaurants as well as an exhibition library with reading rooms and a forum for discussions, performances, and receptions. The spacious halls provide an ideal setting for experimental display stands.

Each day, the Art Forum Berlin Talks offer visitors an opportunity to take part in discussions with distinguished guest speakers who address the current issues relating to contemporary art production and cultural policies. In conjunction with Art Forum Berlin, the city stages a world-class cultural program with special events taking place in museums, galleries, and clubs.