Summer arrives decidedly this week, just in time for the upcoming birthdays and festivities, as if we did not have enough of those in May. This week  we raise our glasses for the 40-year-old Künstlerhaus Bethanien, and with no less enthusiasm, for the shows at ACUD Galerie, insitu, Cruise & Callas, SomoS, ZK/U, District & Grimmuseum. 

THURSDAY 05.06

19.00 The Mechanical Corps. On the Trail of Jules Verne @ Künstlerhaus Bethanien

WHY: Künstlerhaus Bethanien celebrates its  40th anniversary with Open Studios and the opening of "The Mechanical Corps. On the Trail of Jules Verne". The exhibition goes back in time to examine the links between the late 19th and early 21st century, and puts together the elements of 'high' and 'low', classical and popular culture, art and kitsch. Künstlerhaus Bethanien will offer its guests a variety of treats: fine art combined with industrial objects, craftwork, fashion, design, comics, and films. Let us all gather to enjoy it and celebrate, and make an impressive traffic jam on Kottbusser Strasse for a memorable Kodak moment!

Künstlerhaus Bethanien /Kottbusser Straße 10, 10999 Berlin, U Kottbusser Tor / ongoing until 03.08 / free entry / more info

FRIDAY 06.06

19.00 Hannes Gruber & Nina E. Schönefeld - Lost Utopia @ ACUD Galerie

WHY: You will probably agree with Hannes Gruber and Nina E. Schönefeld: utopia is lost and capitalism dominates the world. Since artists were always able to provide some kind of a supplement for the exhausted culture and troubled society, we rely on their alternative (and on the complementary drinks) to comfort us until the late hour of the evening. It is going to be a great place to pick up the good vibe and carry it through the weekend.

ACUD Galerie / Veteranen Str 21, 10119 Berlin, U Rosenthaler Platz / ongoing until 15.06 / free entry / more info

19.00 Prologue - relationships, networks and connections @ insitu

WHY: The one-year-old insitu recently reached an important milestone by ending their first Cycle. This Friday they will  launch the beginning of the new 10 month Cycle II, with the introductory exhibition "Prologue - relationships, networks and connections". The exhibition presents different non-art materials such as books, theories, articles, images, objects, and quotes, so prepare your reading glasses, take some notes, and save them for the exhibitions to come. In this Cycle, insitu gives the possibility to engage, aiming to form a multi-directional dialogue between artists, curators, audiences, countries, ideas, and spaces.

insitu / Kurfürstenstrasse 21-22, 10785 Berlin, U Kurfürstenstrasse / ongoing until 07.06 / free entry / more info

19.00 Aus dem Fundus der botanischen Semantik @ Cruise & Callas

WHY: In the frame of the exhibition "A Sunny Place for Shady People" by Stefan Rinck, Cruise & Callas hosts a group show with works by twenty nine artists. Since we liked the solo show by Stefan Rinck so much, we can only guess that this exhibition, for which he invited the participating artists, is going to be thirty times as fun. Also, if you are into meeting artists at the openings, this is the perfect opportunity - with about thirty of them, it will be hard to miss one.

Cruise & Callas / Alexandrinnenstr. 1, 10969 Berlin, U Prinzenstr. / free entry / more info

19.00 Unclean @ SomoS

WHY: In the exhibition "Unclean", SomoS presents works by twelve international visual artists, performers, film makers, and lecturers, that deal with issues of self-identification and/or social exclusion based on common taboos and prejudices. Themes range from reflections on bodily taboos, societal value systems, media representations of violence and sexuality, to feminist, queer and transgender positions. An exhibition that addresses all humans, and intrigues with showing what is usually hidden and unspoken.

SomoS / Kottbusser Damm 95, 10967 Berlin, U Schönleinstr. / ongoing until 29.06 / free entry / more info

19.00 Speisekino Moabit @ ZK/U Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik

WHY: Say no more, ZK/U; you got us convinced with "meal" and "movie" in the first sentence. If you also enjoy your food with your movie, and your movie with your food, you should not miss Speisekino Fridays. Every Friday from June until mid September, ZK/U  will invite curators and cooks to serve a rich program with a variety of themes, genres, bites, and surprises.

ZK/U Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik / Siemensstrasse 27, 10551 Berlin, S Beusselstr. - U Birkenstr. / more info

SATURDAY 07.06

16.30 Resonance Assembly Composition for Factory @ District Kunst und Kulturförderung

WHY: In a series of concerts, a temporary ensemble consisting of musicians, cultural researchers, performers, and amateurs will literally play the factory. In this environment, formerly dominated by rhythms of industrial processing, their experiments will transform abandoned rooms, apparatuses, tools, and materials, into a special sonic adventure. The performances will start at 16.30 and 18.00. Registration necessary (max. 25 people per performance) - RSVP to: post@district-berlin.com.

District-Kunst und Kulturförderung / Bessemerstr. 2-14, 12103 Berlin, U Alt Tempelhof - S Südkreuz / free entry / more info

19.00 Dan Stockholm - Humans Construct @ Grimmuseum

WHY: Dan Stockholm presents two new sculptural bodies of works in his first solo show in Grimmuseum. The exotic processes of making the works - from using Eyetracker (a device that traces the movements of the eye) for viewing the photos of archaeological ruins, to rubbing metal foil on the various surfaces of Grimmuseum - gives us the idea of a show so awkward that it must be seen to be believed.

Grimmuseum / Fichtestr. 2, 10967 Berlin, U Schönleinstr. / ongoing until 06.07 / free entry / more info