abc Berlin takes place from September 17 to 20.
Photo: schirn-magazin.de

On September 16, just before the opening of Berlin’s abc art fair, the participating galleries that are based in the city will present a joint night of exhibition openings in their own spaces.

Many of the exhibitors stage major shows to kick-off the season and coincide with Berlin’s art week, which are certain to offer an exciting, enticing, and multifaceted program.

We’ve selected 10 of the most anticipated gallery shows, which include the finest of German and international contemporary art, and that cement Berlin’s status as a capital with an impressive art scene.

Wim Wenders, ‘Safeway’, Corpus Christie, Texas (1983)
Photo: courtesy Blain / Southern

1. Wim Wenders at Blain|Southern
Blain|Southern will present new and recent photographs by the filmmaker and artist Wim Wenders. The exhibition marks Wenders’s first show in the city in over 5 years. Wenders explores the differences between Germany and America by photographing the two cultures that influenced his life and career.

Laure Prouvost, Into all that is here (2015), video still
Photo: courtesy carlier|gebauer

2. Laure Prouvost at carlier | gebauer
carlier | gebauer are putting together an exciting solo exhibition by the French born, 2013 Turner Prize winning conceptual artist Laure Prouvost. The exhibition presents new works which focus on themes exploring unexpected alternative environments.

Cecily Brown The Sleep Around and the Lost and Found (2014)
Photo: Jens Ziehe via Contemporary Fine Arts

3. Cecily Brown and Juergen Teller at Contemporary Fine Arts
Contemporary Fine Arts is showing a dual exhibition featuring new works by Cecily Brown and Juergen Teller. Brown experiments with different formats painted in her trademark style of dexterous layered brushstrokes. Meanwhile, Teller’s deeply personal new works done in his signature snapshot style offer insights into the photographer’s struggles by exploring his personal and family life.

Yoshitomo Nara Tears of Rage (detail) (2015)
Photo: The artist via Johnen Galerie, Berlin

4. Yoshitomo Nara at Johnen Galerie
Johnen Galerie are preparing a solo show for the Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, which is sure to bring some Eastern sensitivity to Berlin. The exhibition will feature new paintings in the artist’s trademark whimsical figurative cartoon style, which draws upon the Japanese manga comics culture.

Camille Henrot The Pale Fox (2014-15)
Photo: Andy Keate via Kamel Mennour and Johann König

5. Camille Henrot at König Galerie
König Galerie is showing Camille Henrot’s multifaceted installation The Pale Fox. Consisting of eclectic found objects and eBay-sourced as well as personal paraphernalia, the seemingly random selection of items document the artist’s lifespan from her birth to her inevitable death. The work, by one of Europe’s most exciting young artists is sure to be a highlight.

Hito Steyerl Liquidity Inc. (2014)
Photo: The artist via KOW, Berlin

6. Hito Steyerl at KOW Berlin
After co-representing Germany at the 2015 Venice Biennial, German video artist Hito Steyerl returns to her hometown with a series of new works at KOW Berlin. Focusing on the relationship between technology and contemporary culture, Steyerl’s videos analyze the impact of the internet on everyday life by using various audiovisual techniques.

Slavs and Tatars will show new works in the exhibition “Dschinn and Dschuice”
Photo: Courtesy Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler

7. Slavs and Tatars at Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler
The artist collective known as Slavs and Tatars work across a broad spectrum of mediums and disciplines focusing thematically on the culture influenced by the interaction between Slavs, Caucasians, and Central Asians in Eurasia. Here, they show a new series of works in an exhibition titled “Dschinn and Dschuice.”

Marinella Senatore SPEAKEASY – Scenografia cutout #4, (2015)
Photo: courtesy Peres Projects

8. Marinella Senatore at Peres Projects
The Italian artist Marinella Senatore focuses on public participation in cross-media work, sometimes involving entire communities. Taking different approaches to storytelling, Senatore explores the creative power of a crowd as opposed to a single author (or artist). For Speakeasy, a play produced entirely by the inhabitants of a village outside of Madrid, Senatore worked with carpenters, seamstresses, and other artisans on the stage design.

Poster for the group show at Sprüth Magers, Berlin
Photo: courtesy Sprüth Magers

9. Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Louise Lawler, Cindy Sherman, and Rosemarie Trockel at Sprüth Magers
Women artist take center stage Sprüth Magers this fall! The gallery has put together an exciting group show featuring an all-female lineup of the gallery’s most prominent women artists. Carefully selected to represent a broad spectrum of different mediums, each artist brings a unique vision and visual language to the overall presentation.

Kewenig is showing Sean Scully
Photo: Google Earth

10. Sean Scully at Kewenig Galerie
Irish-American artist Sean Scully has created several new works for his first solo exhibition with Kewenig in Berlin. The artist has prepared new oil paintings, works on paper, and a sculpture which will all be on view here for the first time. Scully is one of the most significants practitioners of contemporary abstract painting. This show is not to be missed.

Related stories:

Art Berlin Contemporary is Now Officially an Art Fair (At Last!)