Thomas Behling

Thomas Behling: "Ohne Öl kein Plexiglas" – "No oil, no plexiglass", 2022, Acrylic paint, iridescent pigments, hardboard, plexiglass, frame, 61 x 52 cm

NACH DER NATUR einskommafünf – AFTER NATURE one point five

‘After nature’ – since the Renaissance, this term has been used in art history to describe the direct observation of reality. Drawing and painting after nature meant capturing the visible world with the greatest possible accuracy, studying forms, proportions and atmospheres. Nature was regarded as the standard and reference point against which artistic skill and perception had to be trained.
But in the course of modernism, this aspiration began to shift. Artists no longer perceived landscape merely as an image to be reproduced, but increasingly as a projection surface and space for transformation. Landscape became a medium of memory, emotion and inner experience. The ‘after’ in the term thus takes on a second meaning within the exhibition: no longer mere ‘tracing,’ but a step beyond – beyond pure observation, into a new level of interpretation and imagination.
The exhibition ‘After Nature ONE’ is now followed by ‘After Nature ONE POINT FIVE.’

artists: Thomas Behling, Stefanie Bühler, Alfred Ehrhardt, Kaisu Koivisto, Ilka Raupach, Ralf Tekaat, Sencer Vardarman und Marcelina Wellmer

Opening on Thursday, 12 February 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m.

13.02.2026–30.05.2026

Artist talks:
On Saturday, 14 March 2026, 6 p.m. with Stefanie Bühler and Marelina Wellmer as part of Fair share

On Thursday, 7 May 2026, 6 p.m. with Thomas Behling, Ilka Raupach and Ralf Tekaat, moderated by Oliver Möst

Basement Berlin 
Access to Basement Berlin via the stairs at the globe fountain
Tauentzienstr. 9-12, 10789 Berlin, Germany

Barrier-free access is possible via the lift in the Europa Center Berlin.
In the basement, please take the exit towards Breitscheidplatz.

Open:
Wednesday–Saturday from 12 noon to 7 p.m.
The Basement is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Free admission

Thomas Behling: "Artikel 20 alternativ", 2026

"Demokratie und Klima" – "Democracy and climate"

The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. At the same time, democracy is threatened by authoritarian tendencies. Authoritarian systems tend to prioritise short-term populist interests driven by disinformation over far-sighted action and ecological responsibility. A stable democracy, on the other hand, enables open discussions about sustainable solutions. Through engagement and participation, citizens can exert pressure for effective climate policy. In this way, a strong democracy protects not only freedom, but also the future of our planet. Targeted disinformation, on the other hand, creates political moods that pave the way for catastrophic developments, as decisions are made blindly, detached from reality, but with very real – and often fatal – consequences.

The exhibition asks how political and social decision-making processes can be based on facts rather than sentiment – and what role art can play in communicating these complex interrelationships. The project uses artistic means to inform and invite dialogue. The exhibition shows works that take a critical look at the relationship between democracy, climate policy and the public sphere. At the same time, it encourages visitors to think about their own possibilities for action – as citizens, voters and creators.

The exhibition is accompanied by a dialogue-oriented program. Guided tours of the exhibition and the creation of small works of art on the theme are offered for children, young people, and groups of adults.

artists: Tom Albrecht, alfred banze , Thomas Behling, Carsten Borck, Felicitas Butt, Nick Crowe & Ian Rawlinson, Ute Diez, Stephan Groß, Gosia Hejnat, Heike Krause, Chuu Wai Nyein, Carina Pesch, Lioba von den Driesch, Ran You

Duration 10.4. – 15.5.2026

Opening on Friday, April 10, 2026 at 7 pm
Welcome Tom Albrecht, introduction to the exhibition Katja Hock, DJ set: teiaaa. Textures, collages, experimental sounds, live effects.

Program:
April 17, 7 p.m. Active civil society. Reading with discussion. Katharina Dietze, Grandmas for Future and Grandmas Against the Right
April 24, 7 p.m. Artist talk, in which participating artists explain their works and engage in dialogue with visitors. Moderated by Katja Hock
May 1, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Workshop for children and young people
         with Gosia Hejnat (registration required).
         5–8 p.m. Exhibition of works by adults, children,
               and young people
         5:30 p.m. Guided tour of the exhibition with Stephan Groß
May 8, 7 p.m. Lecture with discussion: Direct cooperative democracy using the example of Berlin's tree decision. Aglaia Hajkova
May 15, 7 p.m. Finissage

GG3 – Group Global 3000 e.V.
Leuschnerdamm 19
10999 Berlin
Germany

Opening hours:
Tuesday, Friday: 5 pm - 8 pm
Free admission

Thomas Behling: "Like Mars but hotter" III, 2026, 51 x 40 cm

"Grasmond"

The Moon is not merely a celestial body steeped in symbolism, orbiting the Earth at a distance so small from a cosmic perspective that space hasn’t even quite begun there yet – after all, a visit to the Moon is still a relatively comfortable affair, as the Earth’s magnetic field still acts as a shield against cosmic radiation, and even the faintest traces of the Earth’s atmosphere, yet detectable by the latest technology, reach up there. But it also exerts a very real influence upon us with its physical mass; it sets the rhythm, moves the seas and the climate, and perhaps life on Earth would not be possible at all without it. It has stirred our imagination since time immemorial and, with ‘Grasmond’, gives free rein to the play of uncontrolled associations.

artists:
Frank Albrecht, Diana Mercedes Alonso, Thomas Behling, Mechtild Böger, Boris Duhm, Bert Haffke, Bahareh Hejrankeshrad, Wim M. Laage, Elke Petzel, Joachim Pohlenk, Christian Plep Adamowsky, Ulrich Precht, Christian Psyk, Isabel Valecka, Michael Wendt, Gisela Winter-Weltz and Klaus Zwick

Opening: Friday, 10.04.2026, 8 pm
10.04. - 08.05.2026

GaDeWe – Galerie des Westens
Reuterstraße 9-17
28217 Bremen
Germany

open:
Wednesday 4–7 p.m.
Thursday 4–9 p.m.
Friday 4–7 p.m.
Closed on holidays

Free admission

Thomas Behling: "Armes deutsches Würstchen soll weniger Regenwald essen!" – "Poor German sausage should eat less rainforest!", 2022, 140 x 90 cm

‘TANDEM DANZIG-BREMEN’ 50 years of town twinning

The town twinning between Bremen and Gdańsk is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Since 2004, the Bremen Art Scholarship has enabled artists
from Bremen’s twin towns to spend time in the Hanseatic city in order to promote artistic exchange and international networking. For the exhibition “Tandem Gdańsk-Bremen”, former Gdańsk scholarship holders have selected artists from Bremen with whom they wish to exhibit jointly. The resulting tandems will first showcase their work in Bremen and then in Gdańsk at the end of the year. The focus is on dialogue: a creative
encounter that creates and strengthens connections – symbolic of the shared goal of contributing to international understanding through art.

Opening on Wednesday, 29 April at 5.30 pm with a welcome address by the President of the Bremen Parliament, Antje Grotheer, and an
introduction to the exhibition by the curator, Dr Katerina Vatsella.
Doors open from 5 pm

The exhibition will be on display from 30 April to 5 June 2026

Haus der Bürgerschaft, 2nd floor
Am Markt 20, 28195 Bremen, Germany
Information regarding your visit to the Haus der Bürgerschaft:
7 Please note that you must leave your coats at the cloakroom. The same applies to rucksacks and other bags larger
than A4 size. A limited number of lockers are available.
†Our events are free of charge.

Opening hours for exhibitions
Monday, 10 am–8 pm. Last admission at 7.30 pm
Tuesday–Friday, 10 am–6 pm, last admission at 5.30 pm
1 May closed (Labour Day)
7 May closed from 3 pm
14 and 15 May closed (Ascension Day)
19–21 May closed (plenary sessions)
25 May closed (Whit Monday)
27 May closed from 2 pm

Das Thomas Behling zugeloste Bild vor und nach der Kunstverbesserung, nun mit dem Titel "In a moment without any reflection, finally and for ever." (78 x 78 cm)

First ART ENHANCEMENT in the KOSMOS

A mixed group of students from the University of Potsdam and professional artists are coming together in Potsdam to view and take away discarded artworks on stretcher frames, with the aim of improving them. This art, which has been declared rubbish, consists of a collection by Ruppe Koselleck of stretcher frames – picked up from bulky waste, retrieved from bushes or simply left lying around somewhere – featuring art from Bielefeld, Potsdam, Münster, Jena, Cologne and Berlin. There is a bit of everything – genuine paintings in gilded decorative wooden frames, DIY store prints, school watercolours, and even shrink-wrapped and already discarded art from IKEA. Koselleck believes: “For if we cannot improve the world, then at least we can improve art!” 
To this end, he has invited art students and freelance visual artists, who are meeting twice for the opening of this exhibition project: the first time on 24 April to be allocated one of the artworks by lot, and the second time on Thursday 9 April to view the artworks they have improved in the meantime.
In this way, Koselleck takes a step in the right direction: for a long time, artists believed they had to be part of a self-proclaimed mission to improve the world, and in doing so they fleeced society – mentally, through incomprehensibility and disorienting ambiguity, but also physically, since every honest worker is forced to carry an artist on their shoulders. The consequences of decades of misguided development weigh heavily: where taxpayers once went about their work in factories, there are now studios.
Even if Koselleck’s project is, for the time being, merely a step in the right direction – after all, he has not yet entirely freed himself from the impulse to improve – he will surely be followed by more resolute artists who are capable of reflecting on nothing at all.

artists:
Sena Nisa Aydinli * Thomas Behling * Marlene Behnert * Judith Beyer * Susanne von Bülow * Frederik Foert * Karla Fritsche * Eva Früh * Ilka Habrich * Jolina Hartmann * Dirk Martin Heinzelmann * Stephan Homann * Julia Hoppen * Paul Juricke * Ruppe Koselleck * Katarina Kremnetz * Antonia Low * Petra Lüning * Adrian Maier * Candia Neumann * Julieta Palombi * Thomas Prautsch * Rebecca Sert * Anton Ruhl * Oliver Schmidt * Florian Schulz * Lena Skaya * Myrijam Stoetzer * Annabella Wegmann Florez * Sarah Wewer

Part 2, IMPROVED
9 April 2025 – 7 pm
The artists will bring the improved artworks back with them.
The exhibition runs until 3 May 2026.

KOSMOS / Rechenzentrum
Dortustraße 46
14467 Potsdam
Germany

Opening hours
Daily 11am–6pm
Free admission