From major retrospectives to exhibitions exploring textiles and photography, Berlin’s museums have plenty to offer this month. Here are four exhibitions that opened in July and deserve a spot on your summer itinerary.
Materialistin: Matter of Care, Care of Matter at Hamburger Bahnhof (3 July 2026 – 14 March 2027)
Hamburger Bahnhof continues its ambitious programme with Matter of Care, Care of Matter, a group exhibition by ‘Materialistin’ bringing eight Leipzig-based women sculptors together. The installation explores labour, collective practice and solidarity. Blending social commentary with experimental artistic practice, the exhibition asks how materials themselves carry histories, encouraging visitors to reconsider their relationship with the physical and economic world.
Glenn Ligon: Double America at Neue Nationalgalerie (4 July – 11 October 2026)
American artist Glenn Ligon’s Double America takes centre stage in a special presentation at the Neue Nationalgalerie this summer. First created in 2012, the striking neon work spells the word “AMERICA” twice: once backwards and once as a mirrored reflection, inviting viewers to question ideas of identity, history and national mythology. Presented as part of the We the People programme, the installation uses the simplicity of language and light to challenge the notion of a singular American narrative
Photography Tells Sculpture at Bode Museum (16 July – 4 October 2026)
What happens when sculpture is viewed through the lens of a camera? Photography Tells Sculpture examines this relationship between three-dimensional artworks and their photographic reproductions, pairing around sixty historical and contemporary photographs with medieval and Renaissance sculpture. The result is an exhibition that reveals how perspective, light and framing fundamentally shape the way we experience art.
Sofie Dawo. Textile Experiments at Kunstgewerbemuseum (17 July 2026 – 17 January 2027)
Textiles take centre stage in this survey of Sofie Dawo, whose radical approach blurred the boundaries between art and craft. Dawo deliberately disrupted and deconstructed her fabrics, allowing chance to become part of the creative process. Featuring 22 works alongside selected drawings on paper, the exhibition highlights the originality of an artist whose influence continues to resonate heavily.
