Savvy Contemporary, Berlin's pioneering art institution that proudly defines itself as an "anti-institution," is celebrating its 15th anniversary as a transformative force in the city's art scene. Over the past decade and a half, the space has grown from a modest project room in Neukölln to become a major discourse platform that has permanently anchored decolonization themes within Berlin's cultural landscape.
The institution's unique character is immediately apparent upon arrival. Large glittering letters spelling out the gallery's name sparkle against the facade, standing out boldly against Berlin's dreary late autumn weather. Inside, however, a bustling work atmosphere prevails, with large movable walls – custom-built with excellent storage space specifically for the art venue – being shifted around to create appropriate room sizes for upcoming events. Artists and technicians work at computers and projectors, while the library shelves hold works on performance art and colonial history waiting to be pulled out and read. Aromatic scents waft from the kitchen, which plays a central role in the institution's philosophy.
"Food has become our form of currency. We are a space that doesn't have much money. So we said, let's at least share a warm meal together," explains Lynhan Balatbat-Hellbock, curator and co-director of Savvy Contemporary. The kitchen remains active with food still sizzling in pans, as everyone ensures there's enough left for those setting up the new exhibition next door. Food serves not only as currency, as Balatbat-Hellbock describes, but also as the foundation for coming together and as a sensory form of exchange.
Founded in 2010 as a project space in Neukölln by Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, who now heads the House of World Cultures (Haus der Kulturen der Welt), Savvy Contemporary has fundamentally changed Berlin's art scene over the years. Anna Jäger, curator and press spokesperson, recalls early criticism: "In one of the first reviews we had, we were praised as new, fresh, and interesting. But the article also complained that the smell of food distracted from the art." She adds with a laugh, "At that time, it was a relatively new concept for Berlin that an exhibition space could smell like food – not just as some kind of intervention, but as food that actually fills you up."
Throughout its journey from chilly evenings in the former transformer station on Richardstraße in Neukölln, through its third location at Silent Green, to its current 1,000-square-meter former casino space in Wedding, Savvy Contemporary has successfully established permanent awareness of decolonization issues in Berlin. This includes long-term projects like "Colonial Neighbours," which collects objects and their associated stories from German colonial history, as well as interventions in the nearby African Quarter.
A recent significant victory demonstrates the institution's impact: in October, the square opposite the art space changed its name from Joachim Nettelbeck – a Prussian navigator and chief mate on a slave ship – to Martha Ndumbe, an Afro-German woman murdered in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. "We now intervene in this square differently, with much more joy," says Billy Fowo, author and curator at Savvy Contemporary.
As early as 2014, Savvy Contemporary addressed the long shadows of violence stemming from the partition of Africa at the Berlin Africa Conference of 1884/85 through the exhibition and accompanying discourse program "We Are All Berliners." What was unusual was that Africa was not viewed merely as a victim continent. "Rather, we established historical connections between acts of violence that are usually not seen together. We had works on the NSU [National Socialist Underground] and on the genocide of indigenous peoples in North America. We linked these things to make visible the long echoes of violence that rhyme in their own way and have their very own grammar," emphasizes Jäger.
Now, more than ten years later, a new exhibition opening November 13 called "Desacta" again dedicates itself to unraveling the threads that reach back to the Africa Conference. Working with partners in Guinea-Bissau, an attempt was made to create a kind of counter-curse against the conference 140 years ago and its consequences, Fowo explains. Therefore, alongside artists, scholars, and activists, healers and spiritual practitioners also participate in the exhibition. When asked who the patient is that the healers should confront, Fowo reflects thoughtfully: "I think we all carry this disease in one form or another within us. And beyond the question of who heals whom here and what can actually be healed, it's important for us to bring people together and collectively reflect on forms of cures."
Before the new exhibition opens, however, there will be celebration. On November 1, the "Savvybration: 15 Years of Becoming" will commemorate an institution that understands itself as an anti-institution. A children's disco will open the evening, with DJs performing into the night. Between the sounds, there will be cooking, eating, and talking – entirely in Savvy style, maintaining the institution's commitment to community building through shared meals and meaningful dialogue.
