The 1st Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art opened on September 30, 1998, curated by Klaus Biesenbach, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Nancy Spector.

Over 70 international artists exhibited works that had mostly been made for the Berlin/Berlin exhibition in the Academy of the Arts on Pariser Platz. The works were on show for a full three months in the Postfuhramt (old post office) on the Oranienburger Straße and in the exhibition rooms of KW Institute for Contemporary Art on the Auguststrasse.

With its mission to represent the complex world of contemporary art, the show took a fundamentally interdisciplinary approach and included contributions from artists, architects, designers, writers, musicians, choreographers, as well as artists from the world of fashion, film and theatre.

The first week opened with a banquet for 1000 guests in the sports hall of Postfuhramt, orchestrated by the Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija. It ended with the congress 3000 in the House of World Cultures, a three-night symposium/festival for local and international creative spirits from all parts of the artistic spectrum. Highlight of the months that followed included DJ nights in the room installation of the group “3 de luxe” and a series of lectures and readings by the participating artists.

Over 80,000 visitors and numerous features in the national and international press testify to the spectacular success of the 1. Berlin Biennale.

1st Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art / artists