Germany

Berlin

Nightclub

California-born and Berlin-based artist Christine Sun Kim spotlights the visual spaces you should visit in the German capital.

Born to Korean parents and raised in California, it's in 2008 that Christine Sun Kim first made the visit to Berlin. The German capital inspired her to work with sound as a medium, and the city later became her permanent place of residence. Through her practice, Christine explores the politics of sound and how it's used as a social currency. Motifs that often crop up in her work include musical notation and American Sign Language (ASL). This is implemented through drawings, paintings, performance, large-scale murals and videos; all of which have seen her exhibited in galleries around the world, from Los Angeles to Beijing.

, and runs until 21 May 2023. Conceived during her residency at the arts hub, Christine has created four paintings based on sign as shapes, focusing on the physical movement of the language and its edges. As the exhibition is currently underway, we caught up with the visual and sound artist in London. Here, she selects her favourite art spaces in her home city, Berlin.

It’s a former power plant and they do concerts really well. I’ve been there a few times on invitation from my friends who performed at Atonal Festival as LABOUR.

A well curated exhibition of the Boros collection in a huge bunker that changes every four years – what more do you want? Just make sure to book ahead of time.


It was one of the first places I visited when I came to Berlin. I’ve been to the memorials in Washington, D.C. so many times but nothing compares to the scale of this.

A residency programme and building in Wedding. I really enjoy attending my friends’ open studios, performances and rehearsals there. Just generally good vibes. Now my good friend Isabel Parkes works there, be sure to say hi.

Perfect, colourful place to visit when Berlin gets really grey during the winter.

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Christine Sun Kim on Berlin’s Art Spaces

Franciois X

 club circles - does it still live up to lore, or has it lost its stature in the 

? Despite the criticisms it draws, French techno DJ Francois X owes his sound to the iconic Berlin club. 

"My early relationship with Berghain resonated with what I had felt before, a dark, physical, hypnotic techno that carried something raw, something connected to the body," he writes. Meanwhile, his home city Paris also impacted his sound, making him evaluate what a club could be for people and how music transformed spaces. "...music became something lived, not thought. Sensation, not abstraction."

is a connection of those worlds, fusing in the influences of Francois' lifelong passion for the Black American club music of Detroit, Chicago, New York. Yet despite however far he travels, Berlin remains a home away from home, with Berghain holding an steadfast space in his heart. Below, he shares his guide to Berlin nightlife.  

Still the best club in the world for me. The space, the crowd, the frequency, it’s unique. I usually go when I’m playing or to support friends, and I always prefer the Sunday late afternoon into the night — it’s when the regulars take over. I don’t drink, so it’s banana juice at the bar for me just pure energy, no filter.

Not a club, but essential. Before going out, especially to Berghain, I always stop by Hard Wax. It’s the place to get grounded in the city’s sonic atmosphere. I go there to dig for records, absorb the energy, and connect with the deeper vibration of Berlin’s underground.

RSO represents a new chapter in Berlin nightlife. Raw and bold. I love playing there and the booth is great, and the energy is different. Sundays can be amazing, but don’t sleep on Saturdays either, just check the lineup. Always a place to discover fresh techno directions and hear new voices.

Before COVID, OHM was one of my go-to spots. Super intimate, very close to the artists, with a refined, almost classy vibe. I haven’t been in a while, but it used to be one of those places where the connection between sound, space, and people just made sense.

The Berlin Atonal at Kraftwerk is a super beautiful festival sitting right at the frontier between experimental music and contemporary art. I go there for the full experience installations, sound pieces, performances, exhibitions. It’s inspiring on every level and really expands the idea of what music culture can be.

Kraftwerk

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