Beziehungsweise Familie
In the organizer's words:
Family: (Almost) everyone has one and yet each one is different! But what keeps us together as a family? And who actually came up with it? With an annual program, the Humboldt Forum explores the fabric from which family ties are woven. Whether full of holes or tightly woven, on a silken thread, patchwork or macramé: the theme is relationships - artistically, historically, scientifically, internationally and in dialog with Berlin's urban society.
Find out what and who family and kinship can encompass and how differently people live together. All of the Humboldt Forum's protagonists are jointly dedicated to the topic of family relationships of the present, past and future in various formats such as exhibitions, performances, discussions, workshops, guided tours and interventions throughout the building.
Exhibitions and interventions
The special feature of the exhibition is that it leads through all the exhibition rooms and collections in the Humboldt Forum. Ten meeting points, some of which are interactive, provide an introduction to the topic at the "Relationship(s) with family" station on the first floor - from your own family constellation to a virtual reality table community to personal stories about pet names; from global family history, conflicts and compromises to personal key moments. Question and expand your idea and understanding of family. Share your family experience in this encounter!
More than 40 selected objects from the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art, the historic Berlin Palace, the Humboldt Laboratory and BERLIN GLOBAL as well as the Museum Knoblauchhaus will be part of the annual program. They show the extent to which power relations shape family biographies. And also how personal family histories can be at the origin of great histories of power or religions.
Temporary exhibitions are dedicated to the preservation of endangered languages from all over the world and the transgenerational transmission of knowledge. And they present contemporary positions by international artists that refer to the family reality of queer and migrant experiences.
Events
Numerous events for adults and children offer new approaches to this topic: this year, the Transcontinental brings family stories from Africa, South America and Asia to Berlin, as well as the Namibian-German music theater "People of Song", which has its European premiere. It will be particularly colorful at the end of October when the Dia de Muertos family festival is celebrated for the second time at the Humboldt Forum. This is a preview, but there is also a lot on offer at the opening: the first theme days in October.
Care or chaos? Theme days October 3-5
On three theme days following the opening of the exhibition, the Humboldt Forum will focus on central questions of care, nursing and family relationships. Small gestures, big impact - artistic interventions, performances, readings and talks will rethink family: in the workshop "In the Dreamhouse", dance interventions in the permanent exhibition, a cake buffet with healing flowers and African Street Games for the whole family. The author and musician Christiane Rösinger, the Resident Music Collective, the feminist author Sophie Lewis, the film "Im Prinzip Familie" by director Daniel Abma and many more will be taking part.
In the workrooms, there will be drop-ins to join in, do crafts and explore, and the picture book cinema will bring impressive stories to the screen, read by well-known voices with musical accompaniment.
Two further theme days are planned for 2026: 'Family secrets' and 'Together against the odds: alternative forms of living together'.
Guided tours and workshops for all generations
A rally for families invites them to explore the building with a lovingly designed hands-on booklet - with exciting tasks, little surprises and stories at each station. At the "Treasure Chest" drop-in, a pop-up box with favorite people, favorite animals and special objects can be designed in the workrooms every Sunday - a souvenir to take home. An interactive guided tour becomes an inspiring journey through the diversity of Asian art and the object salon "Family Things" becomes a place to share family stories. There are adventure tours and educational theater workshops for daycare centers and school classes.
Book publication
The accompanying publication paints a multifaceted picture of how families are thought of, lived and scrutinized in different regions of the world: from personal insights into the inner lives of families to scientific analyses of social circumstances and artistic forms of passing on knowledge. A book for anyone who wants to reflect on the meaning of family in today's world, with comics by Nando von Arb and contributions by Sophie Lewis, Janet Carsten, Aparecida Vilaça, Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, Tatjana Thelen and many more.
The program and the exhibition were jointly curated by all participants of the Humboldt Forum: Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss, Ethnologisches Museum und Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz / Staatliche Museen zu Berlin), Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Overall curatorial direction: Dr. Laura Goldenbaum (SHF).
- Venue: All floors of the Humboldt Forum
- Duration: Fri, October 3, 2025 - Sun, July 12, 2026
- Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 10:30 - 18:30; Tue: closed
- Admission and tickets: Info from September 2025
This content has been machine translated.
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