Exhibitions

“Kyiv-Berlin Metro Construction” at Verwalterhaus, Berlin

In the exhibition Kyiv-Berlin Metro Construction, Norman Behrendt and Eric Pawlitzky deal with border crossings — spatial, political and intellectual. They envision a hidden underground connection between the cities of Kyiv and Berlin.

In the joint work Kyiv-Berlin Metro Construction, the two artists create a poetic reaction to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The idea was born in Kyiv in 2023 during an artist residency: when the world appeared powerless, the artists began to imagine an underground connection — a shelter, an escape route, a sign of solidarity. The residency culminated in the presentation of an emergency exit and the first ventilation shafts with a sound installation on Kazymyr Malevich Street in Kyiv's public space. The metro becomes a metaphor: it subverts borders, crosses the invisible, connects spaces that have been separated by violence.

In April 2025, the artists built a second symbolic emergency exit — a technical structure — for the exhibition “Transgressions” in the backyard of the gr_und gallery in Berlin, this time on the Berlin side, as a reference to the underground connection between the two cities at a time when movement can no longer be taken for granted, but has become an exception in a state of emergency.

The presentation at the cemetery on Prenzlauer Allee lends the work a deeper dimension. Between gravestones and memorial plaques, the metro line becomes a resonating space: for memory and future, for war and hope, for transience and solidarity. The cemetery stands as a symbol for transitions - between life and death, past and present, reality and imagination.

Kyiv-Berlin Metro Construction does not call for escape, but for imagination. In a time of global uncertainty, the work invites us to think of new connections — underground, unstoppable, unmissable.

The exhibition consists of:
an emergency exit with sound installation, different plaster reliefs, two framed photographs (25 x 31 cm), documentation photos

VERNISSAGE:
9 May 2025, 18.30 pm

EXHIBITION:
9 May – 08 June 2025
Mon – Sun, 8 am – 20 pm

St. Nicolai- und St. Marien-Friedhof I
Prenzlauer Alee 1
10405 Berlin

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“Transgressions” at gr_und project space, Berlin

The exhibition Transgressions brings together the works Exit (2022–24) by Norman Behrendt and Seumes Weg (2022-2023) by Eric Pawlitzky, both of which explore border crossings—spatial, political, and intellectual. The works understand movement as a process of cognition: whether by exploring the Berlin underground emergency exit system or retracing a historical journey across Europe. In their collaborative project Kyiv Berlin Metro Construction, the artists add an imaginative dimension by envisioning a hidden underground connection between the two cities.

Transgression means crossing boundaries—leaving familiar structures, the breaking of rules and the exploration of spaces in between. It also associates legal and illegal ‘border crossings’. In a time marked by geopolitical tensions, wars, and uncertainty, the works investigate which spaces are open to us—and which remain closed. They intertwine personal experiences with contemporary political developments.

Exit explores the tension between protection and threat. Monochrome photographs show open emergency exits of Berlin’s underground system as silent witnesses to a hidden infrastructure—places that promise safety in moments of crisis but also evoke uncertainty: What has happened here? Who seeks refuge in these spaces? In a time when people are fleeing war and violence—from Ukraine and other war zones, while escape routes remain blocked in besieged Gaza—the work raises urgent questions about security, sanctuary, and the limits of freedom of movement.

Seumes Weg takes up a historical perspective. In 1802, Johann Gottfried Seume walked from Grimma to Syracuse and wrote with analytical acuity about Europe’s political, social and economic conditions in Europe at the beginning of the war-torn 19th century. Pawlitzky reconstructed this route, followed it over 2,160 kilometres by foot and asked himself what Seume would see today—and how he would see it. His photographs, in altered colours, depict a contemporary Europe far from the typical tourist destinations. In accompanying texts, Pawlitzky describes his inner world as a counterpoint to what he sees.

In Kyiv Berlin Metro Construction, the artists envision an imaginary metroline between Kyiv and Berlin—at a time when real infrastructure is being destroyed and escape routes are blocked. Inspired by artists like Martin Kippenberger (Metronet) and Mohammed Abusal (Gaza Metro), Behrendt and Pawlitzky explore the motif of unbuilt infrastructure. Their central object—a seemingly functional building—becomes a metaphor for hope, protection, and the fragility of political realities. Is it an exit, an entrance, or a dead end? A shelter or an illusion? The project presents a vision of social and territorial cohesion a utopian model of solidarity and unity in a redefined Europe. A Europe that must rediscover the borders it needs to overcome.

Transgressions opens a space for reflection: Which borders do we cross—consciously or unconsciously? Which are real, and which are constructed? In an era of growing geopolitical tensions, overlapping crises, and fragmented truths, the lines between safety and danger, reality and imagination are increasingly blurred. The exhibition invites us to embrace these ambiguities, explore transitions, and imagine new connections.

EXHIBITION:
04 April – 05 May 2025
Wed – Sat, 15 – 19 pm

gr_und, Seestr. 49
13347 Berlin-Wedding

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“Exit, 2022-24, screen print edition” at ZIK, Berlin

The photo exhibition ‘SUBWORLDS’ explores the underworlds, in-between spaces, and social niches of Berlin’s vibrant subcultures. It offers authentic perspectives and documentary insights into the city's soul. It focuses on people living in the city's heart but on society’s margins. It highlights the strength of young women, the harshness of urban life, and the subversive energy of protest. Through powerful imagery by Berlin’s emerging photographers, the exhibition portrays the city as a modern coliseum where order and chaos collide.

“This exhibition is a tribute to our urban environment, where powerful symbols and in-between worlds intersect, revealing signs of social disintegration: poverty, crime, and inequality,” says curator Andreas Bauer. ‘Subworlds’ prompts visitors to reflect on the fragile balance between stability and chaos.

ARTISTS: Cpt. Olf, Jürgen Grosse, Louise Amelie, Lucia Jost, Manuel Lossau, Norman Behrendt, R. Borrmann, Janina Wagner

EXHIBITION:
23 Aug – 30 Sept 2024
Wed – Sun, 16 – 21 pm

ZIK, Zentrum für Internationale Künste
Walther-Schreiber-Platz 1, 12161 Berlin

“Kyiv – Berlin Metro Construction” at M17 Contemporary Art Center Kyiv

Kyiv – Berlin Metro Construction will be part of the Assembly Scheme exhibition at the M17 Contemporary Art Center, Kyiv, Ukraine.

Since April 2023, nine artists from Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Leipzig have worked at Kyiv’s Institute of Automation as part of the German residency project “Ich komme und sehe.” The residency allowed German-based artists to spend a month in Kyiv, engaging with the local art scene, especially with NAHIRNA22. While many Ukrainian artists were forced to move westward due to the full-scale invasion, few Western artists have come to work in Ukraine. This residency seeks to fill a gap, offering a non-journalistic approach to documenting the realities of war through fine art, which preserves information in unique and varied forms.

The exhibition does not follow a group concept; the unifying factor is the artists’ willingness to work in Kyiv, on the edge of war, and to express what they see through their art. Some artists have a longstanding connection with Ukraine, while others are visiting for the first time, resulting in a mix of finished works and experimental pieces that explore how to address this harsh reality through art.

The exhibition also raises questions about the value of an outsider’s perspective. German artists may never fully grasp the emotions or cultural context of those living in Kyiv, yet their work offers a fresh, external view on the situation.

The artworks presented were mostly created at the Institute this summer and are inspired by interactions with the NAHIRNA22 art group. The residency “Ich komme und sehe” was organized by painter Paul Maciejowski and funded by the Kunststiftung North Rhine Westphalia and the Ministry of Culture and Sciences North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.

Kyiv – Berlin Metro Construction consists of an emergency exit, two ventilation pipes with sounds of the Kyiv and Berlin metro system, a metro plan connecting the metro systems of Kyiv and Berlin, a Metro Kyiv “M” and U-Bahn “U” (all casts in gips as sunken reliefs) and a framed photograph of the first presentation in public space.

ARTISTS: Norman Behrendt, Nick Crowe & Ian Rawlinson, Samuel Ellinghoven, Paul Maciejowski, Anna Mirbach, Eric Pawlitzky, Andrėja Šaltytė & Leopold Tax, Leon Seidel, Sofie Schnellbach.

EXHIBITION:
21 Nov – 3 Dec 2023
Tue – Sun, 11 – 20 pm

M17 Contemporary Art Center
102-104, Antonovycha Street, Kyiv

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“Kyiv – Berlin Metro Construction” open air presentation at Kazymyra Malevycha St 40, Kyiv, Ukraine

The project is the result of the one-month residency "Ich komme und sehe" at the Institute of Automation in Kyiv and the joint collaboration with artist Eric Pawlitzky.

The exhibition consists of:
One emergency exit, two ventilation pipes with sounds of the Kyiv and Berlin metro system and a metro plan connecting both metro systems cast in plaster as a sunken relief.

Opening 29 October 2023, 4 pm
40, Kazymyr Malevycha St., Kyiv, Ukraine

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“Blueprint” collectors edition at The National Gallery in Prague (NGP)

Who does belong here? A seemingly simple question seems to be at the heart of much of the current cultural debates, policy-making and social measures. The question of belonging even becomes a threat for various people when they do not fit into the imaginary homogeneous vision of a nation that is advocated for by a growing number of proponents of the extreme right and populism. The central exhibition of the Fotograf Festival presents artistic strategies that recognise this attack on civil rights and liberties, understanding it as symptomatic of the shift from a democratic to an authoritarian political order. Departing from the notion of chronopolitics, the exhibition contests political tendencies that draw a coherent line from a pristine past to an idealised future that must be defended against the supposed threats of diversity, gender sensitivity, and the empowerment of marginalised groups. The presented works of predominantly Central European artists accentuate the historical conditioning of the current repressive tendencies, developing possible forms of resistance by artistic means.

The first section of the exhibition exposes the current manifestations of far-right and populist tendencies together with their political and social implications. The connection between the political and the public realm is at the heart of Norman Behrendt’s visual investigation. For “Blueprint”, he was closely observing and photographing details of publicly accessible online content that was published around the Brexit Referendum in 2016. By disassembling and rearranging this imagery, Behrendt focuses on forms of persuasion, language, and visual metaphors, which were strategically used to undermine the democratic process.

The exhibition consists of:
unique cyanotyped tabloid newspaper cover sheet, framed
7 artist editions of “Blueprint, 2017-20”
browsing copy of Bleuprint

NO ONE BELONGS HERE MORE THAN YOU
Opening 22 Sep 2022 7 pm
23 Sep – 8 Oct 2022
Tue–Sun, 10 am–6 pm

Trade Fair Palace
The National Gallery in Prague (NGP)
Dukelských hrdinů 47, Prague

NGP
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“Schwarz, Rot, Braun” at Fotograf Gallery Prague

The entry of the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD, Alternative for Germany) into the German Parliament in 2017 and its subsequent rise to become the strongest party in the regional parliaments in the Czech-German border regions speaks of the increasing normalisation of extremist thinking. Photographer Norman Behrendt examines the party’s social media imagery and media coverage and contrasts the constant flux of volatile images with the laborious technique of cyanotype. Through selection, editing, alienation and recomposition, a visual language becomes visible that can only be read as partially extreme because it also aims to appeal to the moderate citizen.

“Schwarz, Rot, Braun” consists of:
35 unique toned cyanotypes
nailed to the wall

EXHIBITION:
Opening 8 Sep 2022 6 pm
9 Sep – 22 Oct 2022

Fotograf Gallery
Jungmannova 7, Prague 1

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“Alternative, 2019-20” at CIRCULATION(S), Paris

“Alternative, 2019-20” is an exploration of the visual language of mass media and how the issues of euroscepticism and the rise of the far right in Germany are portrayed in social media. Using content from YouTube and Facebook profiles the artist questions how manipulation and the language of power influence political debates and democratic processes. He also discusses how social media has contributed to a “post-truth” political environment. With this polyptych of 175 toned cyanotypes, Behrendt highlights political evolution, transmission and manipulation through these pixelated, transient and recycled images.

Displayed on the wall, the entire project measures 312 x 815 cm.

Opening times: 14 March - 15 May 2020, 2 - 7pm
Currently suspended due to the Corona-Crisis.

Le Centquatre-Paris
5 Rue Curial, 75019 Paris

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“Good Bye Great Britain” at Gallery Alles Mögliche, Berlin

Pop-Up Show “Good Bye Great Britain” at Gallery Alles Mögliche Berlin
Brexit is going to get done. Britain will leave the European Union on the 31.01.2020 at 12pm, after 47 years of membership. On the occasion of this historical evening the gallery will be turned into a Brexit wall. I will show a site specific installation consisting of 90 unique cyanotypes that are part of my work Blueprint, 2019-20.

Opening:
31 January, 20h00 - 00h30

Viewing:
31 January - 7 February 2020, please contact the Gallery to arrange a viewing

Galerie Alles Mögliche, Odenwaldstraße 21, 12161 Berlin.
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“Blueprint, 2017-18” at Phillips, London

“Blueprint, 2017-18” is part of the Photographs exhibition and auction at Phillips, London

Debuting at auction is Norman Behrendt with Blueprint, a unique composition comprising 175 cyanotypes. Arriving in London in August 2017, Behrendt started exploring the ways in which different media outlets visualise the issues surrounding Brexit. Focusing on videos found on social media and YouTube, Behrendt would screenshot clips, crop these images and then print them as cyanotypes. Displayed on the wall, the entire project measures 312 x 815 cm; Blueprint is accompanied by a custom designed clamshell box, which neatly contains all 175 prints.

Viewing: 26 October - 1 November
Opening times: Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12pm-6pm

Phillips, London
30 Berkeley Square
W1J 6EX London

video from the installation at Phillips
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“Blueprint, 2017-18” at Probable Lies, Ambika P3, London

I am presenting my Master project “Blueprint, 2017-18” at the Probable Lies show as part of the University of Westminster MA Photography Arts Degree Show

Private View: Fri 22 March, 6h30 - 8h30pm
Opening times: 12 - 8pm
Exhibition: 23 - 28 June 2018

Ambika P3
35 Marylebone Road
London NW1 5 LS

“Brave New Turkey” at Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie

“Brave New Turkey” is part of the main exhibition of the Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie at Designhaus Hessen, Darmstadt

Vernissage: Sat 20 April, 7 - 10pm
Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 12 – 6 pm

Designhaus Hessen
Eugen-Bracht-Weg
D-664287 Darmstadt

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“Brave New Turkey” at Uno Art Space, Stuttgart

“Brave New Turkey”, solo exhibition in collaboration with Hartmann Projects at Uno Art Space, Stuttgart.

Vernissage: Sat 10 March, 7 - 10pm
Opening times: Tues 5 - 7pm and after appointment
Exhibition: 10 March - 15 April and 8 May - 15 June 2018

The exhibition will be paused between 15 April - 8 May in order to show the work at the Darmstädter Tage für Fotografie.

Uno Art Space
Liststrasse 27
D-70180 Stuttgart

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“Brave New Turkey” is part of LE MONDE TEL QU’IL VA ! at J1 in Marseille

LE MONDE TEL QU’IL VA ! is a radical immersion into the heart of seething, complex geopolitics.
Quai de la Joliette, Marseille

The exhibition contains:
analogue C-prints in 110 x 91 cm, 61,5 x 50 cm and 46 x 38 cm, mounted on Alu-Dibond, framed
edited Polaroids, unique, 28 x 26 cm, framed
mounted wallpaper prints, 250 x 200 cm

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“Brave New Turkey” nominated for the New Discovery Award at Rencontres-Arles 2017

My new work “Brave New Turkey” is shown for the first time as part of the New Discovery Award at the Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles, France.

exhibition curator: Markus Hartmann, www.hartmannprojects.com
Ute Noll / Uno Art Space, Stuttgart, on-photography.com

Rencontres-Arles, Arles, France
Atelier de la mécanique
10h00 - 19h30

The exhibition contains:
analogue C-prints in 110 x 91 cm, 61,5 x 50 cm and 46 x 38 cm, mounted on Alu-Dibond, framed
edited Polaroids, unique, 28 x 26 cm, framed
mounted wallpaper prints, 250 x 200 cm

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“Fictional Spaces” at Acht Tage Marzahn

Acht Tage Marzahn presents eight days of art in Berlin-Marzahn.

Many of the artists grew up here and are now returning: together with other festival participants, they are exploring the tension between real topography and the imaginary space that has inscribed itself in the city's escapes in the form of memories and narratives.

Works from the fields of photography, painting, sound, performance and installation will be shown in various locations along the Marzahn Promenade. In addition, there is a varied program of events, including open air cinema, reading, bicycle tour and much more.

The art festival ACHT TAGE MARZAHN is organized by Dreitausend e. V. and kkb e. V. in cooperation with Standortmarketing Marzahn-Hellersdorf.
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Solo-show of “Burning down the house” at La Vallée in Brussels, Belgium

Gallery Urban Spree is invited by La Vallée in Brussels to celebrate their first anniversary. Accompanied by the work of other great artists my work “Burning down the house” will be shown in the mezzanine space of La Vallée as a solo show.

exhibition curator: Pascal Feucher, Gallery Urban Spree

La Vallée, Rue Adolphe Lavallée 39, 1080 Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Brussels, Belgium

“Burning down the house” at Die Ränder des Dokumentarischen at Kunstraum Potsdam

“Burning down the house” is part of Die Ränder des Dokumentarischen, a group exhibition featuring 19 photographic works

The exhibition presents Alumni from the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam who have different approaches to documentary photography. The exhibition covers a wide range of subjects related to urban space, questions of identity up to the topic of hidden visibility and will be accompanied by a get together for an exchange on the medium of photobook.

Curator: Prof. Wiebke Loeper, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam

Wednesday to Sunday, 1 — 6pm
Kunstraum Potsdam, Schiffbauergasse 6, D-14467 Potsdam

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“Burning down the house” solo exhibition at Urban Spree Gallery, Berlin

Graffiti writers belong to a fast track, invisible legion of subway, train yards & street roamers who usually operate without anyone in sight, a nocturnal secret society shrouded in mystery and whose anonymity is vital for their self preservation. Their name travels widely across the whole city train lines but their identity is never revealed.

“To be a writer is a big secret. It’s the biggest secret that I keep from my parents. You don’t tell many people, you only tell people who you can trust. There’s a big impulse to maintain secrecy.” 
— DUKO.

Over a period of 5 years, Behrendt has gained a prime access to graffiti writers, train and rooftop burners, exposing the mundane portraits of the many anonymous writers of Berlin.

Tuesday to Sunday, 12 — 7pm or by appointment
Urban Spree Galerie, Revaler Str. 99, D-10245 Berlin

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“Burning down the house”is part of Die Ränder des Dokumentarischen at HO Berlin

“Burning down the house” is part of Die Ränder des Dokumentarischen, a group exhibition featuring 19 photographic works

The exhibition presents Alumni from the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam with different approaches to documentary photography. The exhibition covers a wide range of subjects related to urban space, questions of identity up to the topic of hidden visibility and will be accompanied by a get together for an exchange on the medium of photobook.

exhibition Curator: Prof. Wiebke Loeper, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam

HO Berlin, 66 Holzmarktstrasse, D-10179 Berlin

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“Burning down the house” book release and exhibition at gallery Alles Mögliche in Berlin

“Burning down the house” solo exhibition and book release

For many years Norman took portraits of Berlin`s Graffiti-Artists. His work gained interest and attention: the project “Burning down the house” was not only one of the finalists of FEX — Experimental photography and images from the underground in Dortmund, the book itself won the well-known Fotobook-Dummy-Award in 2013. At the Vernissage on the 6. December the photobook “Burning down the house” will be officially released.

exhibition Curator: Eric Pawlitzky

Odenwaldstraße 21, D-12161 Berlin

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“Burning down the house” at Künstlerhaus Dortmund

“Burning down the house” is finalist of FEX — Experimental photography and images from the underground initiated by Künstlerhaus Dortmund. From 234 applications the jury selected ten works. A catalogue Bilder aus dem Untergrund — Zeigen und Verbergen was published on the occasion of the exhibition by Kettler.

exhibition Curator: Hannes Woidich

Künstlerhaus Dortmund, 1 Sunderweg, Dortmund, D-44147

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