Metaxy : Between
Destruction and Reconstruction

A project by the Akademie der Künste in collaboration with ARCH+

Wars, conflicts and the consequences of the climate crisis are destroying houses, cities and landscapes around the globe. Millions of people are losing their homes. Rebuilding these living environments is therefore an urgent task. However, if reconstruction is reduced to a technical undertaking – as a return to normality, a supposed “zero hour” or an opportunity for capital-driven investment – we lose sight of the fact that it is not only buildings and cities that are destroyed but also social relationships, ecological structures, shared ways of life and historical contexts. The crucial questions regarding reconstruction therefore arise before any building work begins.

The project “Metaxy : Between Destruction and Reconstruction” begins precisely at this point, with an exhibition and a four-part programme of events. Metaxy, an ancient Greek word meaning “between”, refers to a space in which the past and the future, memory and new beginnings, as well as loss and hope, coexist. Reconstruction does not mean a return to a previous state but rather the uncovering of connections that have been torn apart.

Taking the Akademie building on Hanseatenweg as a prime example of post-1945 reconstruction, the exhibition presents an exploration of the colonial and Nazi history of Berlin’s Hansaviertel district and perspectives from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Israel, Palestine, Poland, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen and the USA. The exhibition architecture itself is the project’s largest exhibit: It superimposes the site’s former buildings on today’s exhibition halls. This 1:1-scale palimpsest makes the history of the site tangible through the in-between space.

An event space forming part of the exhibition provides a venue for discussions, talks and artistic and musical performances. An educational programme featuring guided tours and lecture-performance walks, as well as a special issue of the magazine ARCH+, explores the exhibition’s themes in greater depth.

A reconstruction based on the principle of tabula rasa erases the traces of what came before. Prior to the Second World War, Berlin’s Hansaviertel was an affluent neighbourhood of grand nineteenthcentury residential buildings. In 1943, two-thirds of its housing stock was destroyed by Allied air raids on Nazi Germany.

The Hansaviertel was rebuilt for the 1957 Interbau International Building Exhibition as the architectural expression of a new society. Back in 1951, Theodor W. Adorno had argued against the very idea “that after this war life will continue ‘normally’ or even that culture might be ‘rebuilt’”. The deliberate break with the pre-war city erased much that bore witness to its history.

Civil society initiatives make visible once again what had been suppressed. They reconstruct traces of dehumanisation, persecution and extermination embedded in the site. The work of remembrance begins where these histories are uncovered, brought into relation with one another and recognised as part of a shared public memory.

Houses are places of everyday life, belonging and living together. When they are lost, it is not only buildings that disappear but also the social relations and ways of life bound to them. Shelter and protection are among the most fundamental human needs in times of war and disaster. Reconstruction often begins while destruction is still ongoing. It creates the conditions for life after catastrophe. Reconstruction promises a return to “normality”. Yet it can never seamlessly restore what came before.

Lebbeus Woods argues for a reconstruction that allows something new to emerge from what has been damaged. Rubble and ruins are not merely debris to be cleared away; they bear traces of life inscribed in them. Reconstruction is therefore not only an architectural task but also a social one. Post-war architecture reveals, how societies respond to destruction and what visions they hold for living together in the future.

Soils are never a neutral foundation for reconstruction. They are themselves contested. They determine who may remain and who may return, which traces are preserved and which are erased. Property rights, legal frameworks and economic interests do not merely accompany violence; they often produce it. Reconstruction itself can be a deliberate act of destruction, whether to secure territorial control or to overwrite historical identities.

Long after the fighting has ended, the effects of violence remain inscribed in soils. Damaged ecosystems, scorched earth and devastated landscapes bear witness to them. Reconstruction therefore means more than erecting buildings. It is about restoring the conditions for human and non-human life. Even where places have been razed to the ground, foundations and property records still bear witness to what was lost. They make clear that reconstruction must confront conflicts over land, property and memory.

Destruction extends far beyond the moment of violence. It interrupts everyday life, separates people from those closest to them and leaves time standing still. Its effects are passed down across generations. Memories of war, displacement and injustice continue to shape debates over recognition, responsibility and justice. The certainty of irrevocable loss leaves behind a grief that cannot be consoled.

The past does not pass. The present emerges from it. Past destruction and future possibility meet in the present. History does not unfold in a straight line but is shaped by historical junctures at which different paths remained possible. Alongside the traces of violence, the possibilities of another history also endure. Reconstruction therefore does not mean bringing the past to a close but continually reopening the possibilities for the futures contained within it.

The juxtaposition of the pre-war buildings with Werner Düttmann’s Academy building creates an interstitial space that is brought to life by artistic contributions and visitors. Memory thus becomes the starting point for new relationships. The discursive-artistic events, the KUNSTWELTEN outreach programme and Immanuel Schumacher’s musical-performative ZWISCHENSTÜCKE build on this, expanding the exhibition to create a shared space for reflection and experience.

This section is accompanied by Before & After by Ines and Eyal Weizman, which links back to the photographs of the Hansaviertel district at the beginning of the exhibition. The installation demonstrates how before-and-after images erase the moment of destruction. Only by reconstructing the hidden history of violence between them can rebuilding be understood as a political project.

ZWISCHENSTÜCKE take place during the events on the following days, without announcement of a specific time:

Opening 9 September from 6:30–10 pm
Metaxy 10 September, 6–9 pm
Häuser 11 September, 6–9 pm
Böden 13 October, 6–9 pm
Zeiten 6 December, 12–3 pm

Bus tour with Henrik Adler, Caroline Böttcher and Marcus Nitschke (spokespersons for the network SCHAUSTELLE Nachkriegsmoderne)

The tour on the vintage bus departs from the Corbusier House and heads to three piles of rubble – travelling from west to east. The focus is on the architectural and cultural-historical background to these human-made landscapes, beneath whose vegetation lie the physical remains of destroyed Berlin.

The tour of the rubble mounds includes a number of walks (both uphill and downhill) lasting up to 15 minutes and is, unfortunately, not accessible to all – and is therefore only suitable for people with the necessary walking ability.

In cooperation with the network SCHAUSTELLE Nachkriegsmoderne.

Lecture Performance Walk with Ina Wudtke

This historical review walk takes you through the Hansaviertel district, following the life story of Ernst Toller. It offers an insight into both his activities and his connections with his contemporaries. The walk highlights his influence on politics and theatre during the Weimar period.

Curated by Annette Maechtel. In collaboration with OFFEN FÜR KULTUR / Hansabibliothek (Berlin-Mitte Municipal Library).

Lecture Performance Walk with megouem

Uncovering, marking, processing, and contextualizing: through a walk in the neighborhood surrounding the Hansabibliothek and the Akademie der Künste at Hanseatenweg, the Performance Walk invites a focused engagement with the lingering echoes of colonial continuities.

Curated by Annette Maechtel. In collaboration with OFFEN FÜR KULTUR / Hansabibliothek (Berlin-Mitte Municipal Library).

Bus tour with Henrik Adler, Caroline Böttcher and Marcus Nitschke (spokespersons for the network SCHAUSTELLE Nachkriegsmoderne)

The tour on the vintage bus departs from the Corbusier House and heads to three piles of rubble – travelling from west to east. The focus is on the architectural and cultural-historical background to these human-made landscapes, beneath whose vegetation lie the physical remains of destroyed Berlin.

The tour of the rubble mounds includes a number of walks (both uphill and downhill) lasting up to 15 minutes and is, unfortunately, not accessible to all – and is therefore only suitable for people with the necessary walking ability.

In cooperation with the network SCHAUSTELLE Nachkriegsmoderne.

Talks, lectures and performances with Hala Alnaji, Ola Hassanain, Syrbanism: Talah Alshami, Nour Harastani

moderation: Friederike Landau-Donnelly

Lecture performance walk with Ute Richter

The story is told of the war volunteer Peter Kollwitz, the Victory Column and the political posters by Käthe Kollwitz. Käthe Kollwitz had her studio in the Hansaviertel district from 1912 to 1928 and, in 1919, became the first woman to be elected a member of the Akademie der Künste.

Curated by Annette Maechtel. In collaboration with OFFEN FÜR KULTUR / Hansabibliothek (Berlin-Mitte Municipal Library).

Knots, Nets & Art – Macramé for Everyone aged 6 and up

In the open workshop, children, families and exhibition visitors can learn about the macramé knotting technique and try it out for themselves.

Using threads and knots, they can create small artistic objects or collaborative nets. Inspired by the work Knot, Knot, Network by Marina Naprushkina and the women of Neue Nachbarschaft/Moabit e. V., visitors can also join in creating a growing network – as a symbol of connection, solidarity and mutual support.

Knots, Nets & Art – Macramé for Everyone aged 6 and up

In the open workshop, children, families and exhibition visitors can learn about the macramé knotting technique and try it out for themselves.

Using threads and knots, they can create small artistic objects or collaborative nets. Inspired by the work Knot, Knot, Network by Marina Naprushkina and the women of Neue Nachbarschaft/Moabit e. V., visitors can also join in creating a growing network – as a symbol of connection, solidarity and mutual support.

Accompanying the exhibition “Metaxy : Between Destruction and Reconstruction”, KUNSTWELTEN is offering a two-hour workshop with the artist duo Renée and Thomas Rapedius for pupils in grades 7 to 13 from 10 Sep to 6 Dec.

Based on the exhibition, pupils in the workshop explore the question of how we want to live in the future: What do a city and a society need to ensure we can live together harmoniously? What kinds of spaces does a democratic society require? What should we consciously choose not to rebuild, or what should be completely reimagined?

Working in small groups, the pupils develop their own ideas – including utopian visions – for a future city. Using sketches, plans and brief descriptions, they design not only individual buildings but also concepts of what a city might look like in which they would like to live.

The workshop combines exhibition viewing, social reflection, discussion and practical design, and invites participants to question existing structures and work together to develop new ideas for a democratic city of the future.
Objective: To promote social and integrated thinking, to critically examine existing structures and to work together to develop creative ideas for a future, democratic city.

regular:

Thursdays 6 p.m. & Sundays 3 p.m. (GER),  

Saturdays 3 p.m. (EN)

inclusive:

Thursday, 1.10.2026 & 12.11.2026, 6 p.m. (German Sign Language)

Saturday, 10.10.2026 & 7.11.2026, 3 p.m. (for blind and visually impaired people, as well as sighted visitors)

curator-led:

Saturday, 12.9.2026, 5 p.m. (EN)

Wednesday, 14.10.2026 & 2.12.2026, 5 p.m. (GER)

Hala Alnaji, Archigrest, Marina Tabassum Architects, Maja Bajević, Karim Bingöl, Centre for Documentary Architecture, Kees Christiaanse, Tiffany Chung, CO-HATY, Salma Samar Damluji, Nir Evron, Ola Hassanain, Paul Hübner, Käthe Kollwitz, Anton Kolomyeytsev, Omer Krieger, Else Lasker-Schüler, V. Mitch McEwen, megouem, Kioomars Musayyebi, Marina Naprushkina/Neue Nachbarschaft Moabit, Open Group, Ute Richter, Nelly Sachs, Sasha Marianna Salzmann, Immanuel Schumacher, Arinjoy Sen, Nurit Stark, Syrbanism, Ernst Toller, topoScape, Kurt Tucholsky, Feda Wardak, Eyal Weizman, Ines Weizman, Julita Wójcik, Lebbeus Woods, Ina Wudtke