Annika Kahrs: OFF SCORE – Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Germany

Berlin-based artist Annika Kahrs presents the most comprehensive selection of her works to date at Hamburger Bahnhof, exploring the intersection of art and music. Kahrs investigates the cultural and social functions of music: in an abandoned church in Lyon, at the parade of a cross-generational orchestra in an Italian village or in Berlin department stores.

The exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof creates resonant spaces through video and sound installations in the East Wing and historical passageways, as well as live performances “For Two To Play On One” (2012) in the Forum Hamburger Bahnhof, continuously surprising visitors as they move through the museum. The exhibition features more than ten video works, sound installations, and performances from the past 15 years, displayed in selected locations throughout Hamburger Bahnhof, at Musikinstrumenten-Museum and in public space.

Annika Kahrs (born 1984 in Achim, Germany) explores the boundaries of what is commonly understood as music in her artistic practice. Her performances, films, and sound installations highlight the significance of music and sound—acoustic information—within various social, cultural, and political structures. Kahrs has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the 16th Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art (2022); LAXART, Los Angeles (2021); Flat Time House, London (2019); Savvy Contemporary, Berlin (2018); Hamburger Kunsthalle (among others, 2017); the 5th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art (2015); KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2012); Bienal Internacional de Curitiba, Brazil (2013); and the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn (2011). She has received numerous awards and grants, including the Villa Aurora residency in Los Angeles (2023) and the George Maciunas Prize (2012), established by René Block.

Performance Series

A performance series on the occasion of the exhibition and celebrating the museum’s 30th anniversary will take place throughout the city in February 2026.

Exhibition Catalogue

Accompanying the exhibition is the 15th edition of the Hamburger Bahnhof catalogue series, published by Silvana Editoriale Milano, comprising 112 pages, ISBN: 9788836660766

The publication was made possible by:
Katharina Schulenberg-Leduc & Thierry Leduc
Hamburger Bahnhof International Companions e. V.

Curator

The exhibition is curated by Ingrid Buschmann, curator at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart.