June 1–September 5, 2026
Berlin
Germany
Join us next summer at the Summer University of the Arts at the Berlin University of the Arts and choose from a wide range of 30 courses. From June to September, interested artists can participate in workshops in the fields of visual arts, music, design, and performing arts, as well as in interdisciplinary formats. The Summer University of the Arts offers international artists and creatives a space for exchange and the opportunity to make new contacts in a transdisciplinary environment. Registration is now open.
The topic we will be exploring this year is: ENOUGH!
In a world of overconsumption and sensory overload, of constant growth and progress we take a closer look at a concept that is described by renunciation, clarity, simplicity and resistance but does not necessarily mean limitation.
We invite you to explore the multiple dimensions of the concept of ENOUGH in social, political and ecological contexts: from artistic practices to performative strategies or sustainable approaches to art-making. Get inspired, focus on your art, dive into the city of Berlin from an artistic point of view.
Our course program reflects the engaging dialogue between the arts and a broader societal context, opening up spaces for research, activism and experimentation. You can find a small selection of our workshops below. Discover all courses here.
This year's motto, ENOUGH, raises questions in most various directions: We address the still highly topical issue of sustainability, we ask how we can deal with an increasingly digital environment, we explore public space in various ways, and we ask what art and artistic creation might look like in the future. Annika Haas and Petja Ivanova for example explore in Learning from Bio-Materials how rich a material becomes when we focus solely on it. ENOUGH becomes a question of depth rather than quantity. Similarly, Esra Nagel's course Bending Wood also addresses the sustainable use of materials such as wood. In the Grunewald forest area participants get to know the traditional and modern craft of wood bending. When it comes to artistic practice, sustainability and public space, Gosia Lehmann's and Valerian Blos' workshop Edible City should also be mentioned. Together with Berlin initiatives that engage with food and the urban environment they will investigate how to identify edible plants and practice urban foraging, recognise polluted urban environments, and explore ways to remediate them.
In addition to a more practical artistic exploration of the topic ENOUGH, the Summer University courses increasingly encourage active critical thinking and reflection on art and one's own work. For example, in the course taught by Tara Habibzadeh and Priyam Goswami Choudhury, Critical Seeing of Neo-Orientalism in Contemporary Art, capitalist neo-Orientalism in contemporary art is contrasted with contemporary self-representation in Iran and pre-colonial Hindustan. Kate Brown and Mitch Speed also address art criticism in Too Much is Not Enough: Returning to Slow Art Criticism, examining how it can still succeed in an age of abundance of images and opinions and what a practice of reduction might look like.
Click here for detailed information on our program and it's workshops, as well as online application. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us: summer-course@udk-berlin.de
