Museum-director duo Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath talk techno,
time, and what a 21st-century museum should be

As told to Kimberly Bradley 

‘Art should be experienced with joy’: a vision for Berlin’s Hamburger Bahnhof

As Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart rolls out ‘Berlin Beats’ – its music-driven summer series highlighting DJs like Ellen Allien and Orson Sieverding – the museum’s directors reflect on their core missions. Shows featuring mavericks like <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/22486/Christina-Quarles" target="_blank">Christina Quarles</a>, <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/16805/Fred-Sandback" target="_blank">Fred Sandback</a>, and <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/11256/Zineb-Sedira" target="_blank">Zineb Sedira</a> have set the stage for uncovering local and global histories and opening the doors to a growing collection. Here’s what on their minds and their radar.

You’re known for your support of emerging artists. Are there any artistic developments that strike you as particularly clear at the moment?
Artists’ work often reflects the issues that run through society. From my point of view, this is all the more evident in the work of emerging artists. At the moment, there’s a lot of talk about the return of ‘craft’ and the artisanal gesture. I’ve also noticed a preoccupation with the non-human. More and more young artists are questioning our lack of regard for the world that made us, and projecting themselves into animal or ecosystemic environmental perspectives. There are also many young artists using clothing as a medium. We’re witnessing a rapprochement between creative fields; these boundaries were once less permeable – fashion and art are a good example. 
Last but not least, many young artists are skillfully using the medium of video in all its forms, including virtual reality, video game engines, and artificial intelligence software. There are some really interesting things going on at the moment in terms of the moving image.
How will these developments be visible in the Galeries Émergentes sector?
To mention just a few, there are some very strong video presentations in this sector. For example, London’s <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/3755/seventeen" target="_blank">seventeen</a> gallery will present the work of Joey Holder, while Shanghai’s <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/2186/Bank" target="_blank">BANK</a> gallery will show the work of <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/11617/Lu-Yang" target="_blank">Lu Yang</a>, and Chicago’s <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/17772/Document" target="_blank">DOCUMENT</a> will exhibit a proposal by the Indonesian collective <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/16002/Tromarama" target="_blank">Tromarama</a>, combining different mediums.

Paris + par Art Basel has always aimed to engage with and activate the the city in the broadest sense. How will this manifest itself in 2023?
We’re continuing to intensify our network of institutional collaborations. As a result, our public programs will expand significantly. For example – for the first time in Art Basel’s history – we will be presenting the Conversations program in an institution: the Forum du Centre Pompidou. 
Like last year, we’ll be taking over the Jardin des Tuileries, in collaboration with the musée du Louvre, for an exhibition curated by Annabelle Ténèze, director of Les Abattoirs in Toulouse. In collaboration with the City of Paris, we will once again occupy the Place Vendôme, this time with a major work by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7461/Urs-Fischer" target="_blank">Urs Fischer</a>, presented by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1123/Gagosian" target="_blank">Gagosian</a>. We’ve also added the forecourt of the Institut de France to our program, with a large-scale column by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7743/Sheila-Hicks" target="_blank">Sheila Hicks</a> presented by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1109/galerie-frank-elbaz" target="_blank">galerie frank elbaz</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1217/Meyer-Riegger" target="_blank">Meyer Riegger</a>, and <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1116/Francesca-Minini" target="_blank">Francesca Minini</a>. 
We’ll also be continuing our collaboration with the École des Beaux-Arts for an exhibition by Jessica Warboys, curated by <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/2886/Gaudel-de-Stampa" target="_blank">Gaudel de Stampa</a>, in the Chapelle des Petits-Augustins. And finally we’ll begin a new collaboration with the Palais d’Iéna, which this year will host a dialogue between <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6914/Daniel-Buren" target="_blank">Daniel Buren</a> and <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7035/Michelangelo-Pistoletto" target="_blank">Michelangelo Pistoletto</a>, curated by Matthieu Poirier, with the support of <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1093/Galleria-Continua" target="_blank">Galleria Continua</a>. 
Paris+ par Art Basel is becoming a true collaborator for Parisian institutions. 
This is very important to us. In my opinion, one of the keys to the Parisian revival lies in the activities of private foundations. Collaborations between the public and private sectors have led to major exhibitions: I’m thinking, for example, of <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/20430/Charles-Ray" target="_blank">Charles Ray</a> at the Bourse de Commerce Pinault Collection and the Centre Pompidou, or <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8708/Cyprien-Gaillard" target="_blank">Cyprien Gaillard</a> shown by Lafayette Anticipations and the Palais de Tokyo at the same time. We’re delighted to be part of this productive dynamic. 
Paris+ par Art Basel is an annual rendezvous, bringing together under one roof extraordinary works of art, presented by fantastic galleries, and enjoyed by highly committed collectors. It’s this audience – curious, invested, international – that we mobilize for our partner institutions. 
Finally, we also have a responsibility to make ourselves accessible to all audiences. We have a major educational role to play, as some of our works are only shown in the context of a fair. Our mission goes beyond the commercial sphere, and our audiences are many and varied, so I think it’s vital that the fair extends beyond the walls of the Grand Palais Éphémère. It’s also worth noting that all our public programs are free and open to all.

SB: Co-curated by Catherine Nichols, the new collection exhibition ‘Nationalgalerie. Eine Sammlung für das 21. Jahrhundert’ (A Collection for the 21st Century) which opened on June 16 and will remain on view long-term, features artists from all over the world. They bring stories, worldviews, and lived experiences that might be rooted in other geographies, cultures, or lineages, but which are translated through the reality of living, breathing, and feeling things here in Berlin.
Still, when you talk about Berlin, you must also talk about division – its scars. Although it fell in 1989, the Berlin Wall once stood just in front of the museum, and the east-west paradigm is still at play in both politics and the economy. So, while it’s important to focus on global issues such as decolonization, we shouldn’t forget that there is another problem staring us right in the face.
The show features work by East German artists such as the photographers Manfred Paul and Tina Bara, whose images serve as personal reflections on the German Democratic Republic before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bara’s video Lange Weile (2016), which comprises historical footage from the era, is a new acquisition that has evoked strong reactions from museum visitors. Another addition to the collection is Sabine Hermann’s abstract painting Bewölkter Traum, 1995. Talking about these histories, and other stories that fell off the margins, is something that we will continue to do as part of our program.

TF: The Hamburger Bahnhof collection belongs to everyone and, while it’s rooted in history, it also looks to the future. Our aim is to generate a program of exhibitions and events that align closely to the city and its communities. This is an open and inclusive institution that needs to be about an open and inclusive collection.

Kimberly Bradley is a writer, editor, and educator based in Berlin. She is a commissioning editor at Art Basel Stories.
Currently on view at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart are Fred Sandback’s ‘Simple Facts’; Eva Fàbregas’s ‘Devouring Lovers’; Christina Quarles’s ‘Collapsed Time’; Zineb Sedira’s ‘Dreams Have No Titles’; and several permanent exhibitions.
‘Berlin Beats’ runs free of charge in the museum garden every Thursday from 7–10pm until August 31, 2023.
Published on July 13, 2023.
Caption for full-bleed images: 1. Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath © FOTOSTUDIO "ALL EYES ON YOU". 2.&nbsp;Tina Bara, Exhibition view, „Nationalgalerie. Eine Sammlung für das 21. Jahrhundert“, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, 2023 © the artists / Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Jacopo La Forgia. 3. Mandred Paul, Exhibition view, „Nationalgalerie. Eine Sammlung für das 21. Jahrhundert“, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, 2023 © the artists / Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Jacopo La Forgia.

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