The renowned Artists-in-Berlin Programme (BKP) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is celebrating six decades of supporting international artists. Since its founding in 1963, the programme has honoured 1,200 outstanding artists, filmmakers, sound artists and writers with residencies in Berlin. Among others, Susan Sontag, Renée Green, Jim Jarmusch and Olga Neuwirth are among those supported by the programme.

“Over the past decades, the DAAD's Artists-in-Berlin Programme has made a significant contribution to the internationalisation of cultural production in Berlin and throughout Germany. It has often supported artists at an early stage of their careers and thus contributed to their further artistic development. Today, its renowned fellows and often famous alumni are involved in the international art scene in many different ways. As a host, sponsor and source of inspiration, the Artists-in-Berlin Programme also creates a deep bond with Germany. As the DAAD, we are therefore very proud of the work of the Artists-in-Berlin Programme and look forward to the coming decades of support for international artistic talent," said DAAD President Prof Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee.

Celebrations and exhibition

To celebrate its anniversary, the Artists-in-Berlin Programme invites you to a ceremony at the Akademie der Künste on 12 October. The focus will be on the artistic here and now, with contributions from Nobel Prize laureate Svetlana Alexievich, the American sound artist Matana Roberts and the performance artist Zoncy Heavenly from Myanmar, among others. In addition, the exhibition "If the Berlin Wind Blows My Flag" in three chapters - at the daadgalerie, the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.) and the Galerie im Körnerpark - as well as events at the Akademie der Künste shed light on the role of the Berliner Künstlerprogramm in West Berlin during the Cold War.

Alumni of the BKP

The alumni of the Artists-in-Berlin Programme currently include six Nobel Prize winners in literature (Svetlana Alexievich, Mario Vargas Llosa, Imre Kertész, Gao Xingjian, Olga Tokarczuk and Peter Handke) and three Oscar winners (István Szabó, Asghar Farhadi, Sebastián Lelio). For many of the writers, filmmakers, composers, sound and visual artists, the Künstlerprogramm scholarship was a biographical and artistic turning point and the beginning of a deep connection to Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany.

The BKP

The DAAD's Artists-in-Berlin Programme awards internationally renowned scholarships and is funded by the Federal Foreign Office and the State of Berlin. More than 1,200 outstanding artists have been guests in Berlin since its founding in 1963, and its alumni are involved in the art scene worldwide. Works by current and former fellows are presented at the daadgalerie in Kreuzberg as well as at partner institutions in Berlin, Germany and abroad. The programme also provides grants for cultural workers whose artistic freedom and freedom of expression are at risk. Silvia Fehrmann has been the director of the Artists-in-Berlin Programme since 2018.

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Service for journalists:
Media representatives who would like to attend the ceremony on 12 October should register by e-mail at presse.bkp at daad.de.