• LUMEN

Schloss Biesdorf, Berlin
Opening: 3. August from 6pm
Exhibition:  04.08.- 02.11.2025

Artists from the Netherlands and Germany explore the theme of light in all its facets – from the poetic to the political, from the scientific to the speculative, from the absurd to the humorous.

Curated by Römer + Römer

With:
Sonja Alhäuser, Aljoscha, Deniz Alt, Emanuel Bernstone, Marc Bijl, Irina Birger, Sascha Boldt, Stephen Chambers, Sven Drühl, Marcus Eek, Thomas Fischer, Wineke Gartz, Daphne Glasmacher, Gregor Hildebrandt, Klaus Jörres, Elena Karakitsou, Hanna Mattes, Toshihiko Mitsuya, Jirka Pfahl, Römer + Römer, Femke Schaap, Sandra Schlipkoeter, Tracey Snelling, Veerle Thoben, Lukas Troberg, Atelier Van Lieshout, Jonas Vansteenkiste, Peter Vink, René Wirths, Sylvie Zijlmans & Hewald Jongenelis 

The Lumen exhibition brings together 30 multifaceted artistic voices from the Netherlands and Germany. The artistic contributions show an extraordinarily diverse spectrum of different media and perspectives in painting, photography, site-specific installations, video works and performances. Lumen is derived from Latin and means “light” or “opening.” In physics, lm is the abbreviation for the unit of visible luminous flux; in anatomy, it refers to the interior space of a vessel—a symbol of permeability. Thus, Lumen becomes a metaphor for what becomes visible in the in-between.
 
At the exhibition’s centre is the theme of light in all its manifestations: as sunlight or artificial light, technological innovation or atmospheric moment. Light creates presence, casts shadows, defines emphasis. It is both a material and a bearer of meaning—sensual, poetic, experimental, or speculative.
 
The venue Schloss Biesdorf is closely tied to the exhibition’s theme: the late neoclassical villa in eastern Berlin once served as the summer residence of Werner Siemens, a key pioneer of electrification in the 19th century. In the spirit of technological innovation and societal transformation, Lumen invites us to explore light as a cultural, physical, and aesthetic force. The architecture of the house, surrounded by a listed landscape park, creates a resonant space where past and present, nature and technology enter into dialogue.
 
The exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive programme. This year’s Schlossrevue on the evening of 6 September 2025 will also take up the theme of the exhibition with a musical and performative programme entitled Into the Light. Information on the revue and other events at Schloss Biesdorf will soon be available on the Schloss Biesdorf website.
 
The exhibition is curated by the painter duo Römer + Römer and emerged from an inspired exchange with Amsterdam-based light artist Peter Vink.

The exhibition Lumen is funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and supported by the Exhibition Fund Municipal Galleries Berlin of the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.

Schloss Biesdorf
Alt-Biesdorf 55, 12683 Berlin

schlossbiesdorf.de 
 
Opening hours
Sat – Mon, Wed – Thu 10 am – 6 pm 
Fri 12 – 9 pm
Closed on Tuesdays
 
Admission
free admission