Mix it up this Summer at BERLIN ART INSTITUTE

Overview

This summer, we’re mixing things up – literally. Whether you’re sketching outside the lines, molding wild ideas, or painting your way into new creative zones, BAI’s line up of master classes, workshops, and online courses is here to make your inner artist do a happy summer dance.

Online Course ART FOR OTHER WORLDS by Mitch Speed

Duration: Tuesdays, Apr 29 – May 20, 2025 | 4 – 6 PM (CEST)

What might art look like in a world not shaped by private ownership, market pressure, or institutional gatekeeping? In this live online course, artist and writer Mitch Speed invites participants to reimagine creative communities grounded in solidarity, collective practice, and speculative thinking. Together, we’ll explore how historical artist groups have resisted Eurocentric, capitalist structures – and ask: Can artists reclaim their practice from these forces today? Through case studies, open dialogue, and guided reflection, you’ll develop new ways of thinking about art’s function, access, and future. This course is ideal for artists, writers, and cultural workers interested in aesthetic activism, alternative economies, and critical art-making.

Duration: May 07 – 08, 2025

Discover the power of papier-mâché as both a historical craft and a contemporary sculptural technique in this hands-on, high-energy workshop with artist Emily Hunt. Learn how to create large, lightweight, and cost-effective sculptures that can be used across installation, performance, stage design, or exhibition-making. Participants will be introduced to the global history of papier-mâché, from its origins in China, Mexico, and Europe, to its current role in resourceful, experimental art practices. You’ll develop a finished piece using intuitive, rapid techniques and leave with a versatile skill you can immediately incorporate into your practice. Perfect for artists working with materiality, scale, and improvisation.

Master Class OUT OF LINE: Drawing with and beyond the Self by Dagmara Genda

Duration: June 02 – 06, 2025

What happens when you stop drawing to represent and start drawing to rethink? In this transformative Master Class, artist Dagmara Genda leads participants into a radical exploration of drawing as conceptual practice, gesture, and embodied knowledge. From collaborative mark-making to drawing with the body, the class encourages you to leave behind familiar habits and discover new visual languages. You’ll work through exercises that challenge traditional expression and unlock new ways of developing self-directed projects. Whether you’re just starting or ready to deconstruct and rebuild your approach, this course supports bold experimentation in a supportive, critically engaged environment.

Master Class STAGING EVIL: Folk Devils, Social Dramaturgy, Performance and Object Making by Steven Warwick

Duration: June 30 – July 04, 2025

How do we construct, perform, and aestheticize the idea of “evil”? In this deeply layered Master Class, artist and theorist Steven Warwick explores the creation of folk devils and the social dramaturgy behind fear, conflict, and power. Drawing from queer theory, critical art history, and narrative structure, participants will examine how artists can challenge normative representations through experimental storytelling, performance, and visual forms. Each session supports the development of individual projects while building theoretical fluency around cultural taboos, binaries, and resistance. This class is designed for artists of all disciplines looking to make work that interrogates complexity and confronts uncomfortable truths.

Master Class DRAWING DOWN THE MOON: The Crossroads of Surrealism, Magical Practice and Material Form by Emily Hunt

Duration: July 07 – July 11, 2025

Enter the realm of ritual, intuition, and material enchantment. This course by artist Emily Hunt explores how artists can engage with esoteric knowledge and surrealist strategies to give shape to the unseen. Combining haptic processes with conceptual exploration, participants will examine how art becomes a ritual act. Participants will study historical frameworks of Western esotericism, and experiment with ways to connect these to contemporary practices in sculpture, drawing, and installation. Guided exercises will help transform personal interpretations of mystical thought into physical, sensory artworks. No prior experience in magical practice required, just a curiosity for the unknown.

Master Class THE HYBRID-MONSTER BODY: Shapeshifting as Rebellion by Jasmine Reimer

Duration: July 28 – August 01, 2025

What does it mean to defy categories and reclaim the monstrous as creative power? This bold Master Class, led by artist Jasmine Reimer, explores the hybrid-monster body as both a mythological figure and a radical artistic strategy. The course is rooted in feminist theory, myth, and material experimentation. It encourages participants to shapeshift their practice. They will use symbolism, storytelling, and bodily transformation. Through research and making, participants will study historical and contemporary examples of grotesque and hybrid bodies, and create their own interpretations using a mix of 2D, 3D, and found materials. The goal is to unlearn rigid definitions and make space for messy, intuitive, and rebellious creation. Ideal for artists seeking to explore gender, identity, transformation, and the power of myth.

Master Class DRAWING A LIBRARY OF IDEAS: The Art and Craft of Artists’ Books by Emily Hunt

Duration: August 25 – 29, 2025

This summer, turn your ideas into art you can hold. In this intensive week-long course, artist Emily Hunt introduces the artist’s book as a unique and intimate medium for storytelling, experimentation, and visual thinking. Participants will explore both the theoretical foundations and practical techniques behind book-based art forms. Through monoprinting, collage, cut-up writing, and watercolour, participants will create their own artist book while learning from contemporary and historical references. The class blends making with dialogue, offering space for peer feedback, material discovery, and critical exploration. Whether you’re interested in publishing, zines, or sculptural books, this course offers a platform to fold, bind, and build your ideas into something tangible.

The Berlin Art Institute’s Studio Program is a unique opportunity for artists seeking a structured yet open-ended environment to deepen their practice, develop new ideas, and connect with an international creative community. This residency is located in one of the world’s most vibrant art capitals. It invites participants to immerse themselves in a multidisciplinary space. This space supports both individual exploration and collective dialogue. The program provides 24/7 access to personal workspaces, individualized coaching, and a dynamic curriculum that includes courses, lectures, workshops, and seminars led by renowned artists, curators, and theorists. Participants engage in regular critiques and discussion forums, receiving constructive feedback and fresh perspectives on their work. Designed for emerging and mid-career artists alike, the Studio Program encourages critical thinking, experimentation, and the development of a sustained artistic voice. The structure is flexible, allowing each artist to tailor their experience while benefiting from the cultural and professional exchange fostered by BAI’s global network. Whether you’re curious or just beginning your artistic journey, currently studying, or actively working as a professional, the BAI Studio Program offers a space for orientation, experimentation, and meaningful exchange within Berlin’s vibrant contemporary art scene.

With its hybrid concept of an international artist residency, contemporary art school and innovative arts incubator, the BAI is an independent institute for artistic practice, training, discourse, and research in Berlin. All courses are conducted in English.

Our B’SPQOUE contributors come from diverse social and economic backgrounds, sharing the significance of their daily work with the publication. All rights are reserved by the authors, activists, galleries, museums, collectives or institutions. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay informed about current exhibitions and other topics of the Berlin cultural scene.

Warning

Warning

Warning

Can we send you an email from time to time?

Warning.

Name (erforderlich) Warning Last Name (erforderlich) Warning E-Mail (erforderlich) Warning Can we send you an email from time to time? Warning. Read more about the handling of your data here.