© Sofia Maria Bergmann

On Tuesday, 28 April 2026, bbk berlin spokespersons Frauke Boggasch and Birgit Cauer presented the new study 'Precarious Capital, Creative Existences' at the Druckwerkstatt in the kulturwerk des bbk berlin at Mariannenplatz. The well-attended event was streamed live on bbk berlin's Instagram channel and generated significant interest. The study has already been picked up by initial media outlets.

What is the real situation of visual artists living and working in Berlin? The new empirical study by bbk berlin provides answers – with data from over 1,200 respondents covering income, studios, fees, pension provision, abuse of power, censorship and more. Now available for download.

Despite yet another change at the helm of Berlin's cultural administration, the foundations of cultural funding must not be allowed to crumble. Ten studio locations within the workspace programme are currently at risk. One studio building is even facing immediate closure by the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion, with a deadline of 30 April. bbk berlin is sounding the alarm!

“We in Berlin view this step in North Rhine-Westphalia with great interest and very positively. The introduction of minimum fees for freelance artists is a long-overdue and powerful signal within cultural funding,” says Birgit Cauer, co-spokesperson of the bbk berlin.

The artist AndyMo reports on her experiences and wishes to warn others against further “purchase offers from abroad”: “I am glad that the bbk berlin is sharing my experience. This way I can spare others the shock.”

bbk berlin strongly condemns the recent interventions by Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer in independent cultural funding processes. Particularly affected is the Capital Cultural Fund (HKF), a federal program providing €15 million annually to support art and culture in Berlin.

We mourn the loss of Yishay Garbasz. Her sudden death has hit us hard and is a great loss to us.

Women* in the art and culture sector earn on average around a quarter less than men. In Berlin the situation is even more drastic: in Fine Arts the gender pay gap is 28.44 % (KSK figures as of 1 January 2025, status 6 March 2025). And no, this is not an April Fool’s joke: according to ver.di’s calculations, freelance artists effectively work without pay until 1 April!

In recent months, we have been contacted by several artists who have received suspicious inquiries from purported art collectors. These inquiries express a keen interest in the artworks—without going into detail about them—and claim to want to purchase the artworks as NFTs (non-fungible tokens).

Am Vormittag des 18.03. finden im alten Frauengefängnis Atelierbesichtigungen durch das Atelierbüro im kulturwerk des bbk berlin statt.

The Office for Art in Public Spaces, KiöR (kulturwerk of the bbk berlin) participated in the hearing on the significance of art in architecture and art in urban spaces held at the House of Representatives on Monday, March 16, presenting a statement. Katinka Theis and Martin Schönfeld presented the office’s work and emphasized its relevance for artists and urban society.

The bbk berlin is inextricably linked to feminism. That is why, on March 9—the GLOBAL WOMEN’S GENERAL STRIKE DAY—the women* of the bbk berlin took the feminist day of action to the streets as an extension of March 8, also on behalf of all those women* who were unable to demonstrate freely on that day.

On March 9, the Global Women's General Strike Day, the women of bbk berlin continued the feminist day of action beyond March 8, taking to the streets—also on behalf of all those who were unable to demonstrate freely on that day. A big thank you to all our colleagues for your solidarity and commitment. Enough! Enough!

Last year, the board members and spokespersons of bbk berlin emphasized the importance of international exchange. We are therefore all the more delighted to continue this dialogue this year and to further strengthen cross-border exchange.

Our colleague Julie Legouez resigned from the board of bbk berlin at the end of February 2026. We would like to thank her warmly for her great commitment!

As part of its professional development program for artists, the bildungswerk bbk berlin has 49 seminars and workshops on offer between April and June, which can be booked now

Throughout March 2026, Berlin will host the second edition of WOMEN ART OPEN (organized by fair share! Visibility for Female Artists*), a citywide program promoting the visibility of female artists* past and present. The bbk berlin supports this important format and draws attention to it in order to make female artists* and their positions in the art landscape more visible.

On January 13, 2026, the Berlin University of the Arts announced the closure of all Master's programs at the Central Institute for Continuing Education and Transfer (ZIWT). An immediate admission freeze for the academic year 2026 initiated the dissolution of the MA Sound Studies and Sonic Arts program. The consequences could not be more dramatic! The bbk berlin stands in solidarity.

We're drawing attention to a scam that artists have been reporting to us for around 10 years: Supposedly wealthy art enthusiasts from abroad contact artists and express interest in works they've seen online. Using various tricks (like fake websites), they make the purchase interest seem credible.