BERLIN.- Gallery Weekend Berlin, which combines concentrated individual exhibitions, memorable Berlin experience and annual social event, celebrates with its visitors the engagement of the gallerists at the place where everything originates: at the gallery. From April 28-30, 2017, Gallery Weekend Berlin presents exhibitions by established and newly discovered artists in 47 Berlin galleries.

Meanwhile, Gallery Weekend Berlin looks back at a thirteen-year success story, as reflected in this year’s program: many galleries have decided to show artists with whom they have developed long-standing collaborations and who continue to represent important positions within artistic discourse. Painting holds a particularly visible presence in this year’s program: a medium with a long history, multi-generational artists explore a range of negotiations with this artistic discipline, from reflecting upon phenomena of the digital age to an unadulterated engagement with color and form. Regardless of medium, a signature feature of Gallery Weekend Berlin remains the discovery of young artists and the introduction of those yet less-well known to audiences in Europe. In this way, the program focuses on continuity and sustainability within the productive dynamism of the gallery space, as well as on surprising dialogue.

The weekend is a celebration of the galleries and serves as a culmination of their yearround activity. As they discover artists, maintain lasting relationships with them, and continually promote and disseminate their work worldwide, the galleries are a point of contact for curators, critics, and collectors. The assertion of the gallery-as-social-space has been a central concern since the inception of this special annual event, and often participating galleries have used Gallery Weekend Berlin to unveil new exhibition spaces. This year’s edition sees Esther Schipper and Mehdi Chouakri moving to new locations, and Galerie ChertLüdde is taking part in Gallery Weekend Berlin for the first time at their new Ritterstrasse home, inaugurated last year.

In this special year for art — as occurs only every 10 years, where documenta, the Venice Biennale, and Skulptur Projekte Münster all open within 2 months of each other – participants in Gallery Weekend 2017 once more present the gallery as a key space for exchange and discourse.

On Saturday, April 29 and Sunday April 30 the galleries will be open from 11 am – 7 pm.