Fluentum gGmbH

Fluentum is a non-profit, privately run institution in Berlin dedicated to the exhibition, production, and collection of contemporary art, with a particular focus on time-based media such as film and video. Founded by the Berlin entrepreneur and collector Markus Hannebauer, Fluentum opened its exhibition space in 2019 in a former military complex that carries rich historical significance. The mission of Fluentum is to make the aesthetic, political, and historical dimensions of the moving image accessible to a wide audience.

Fluentum promotes the creation and presentation of contemporary art by acquiring works for its collection, financing productions, staging exhibitions, and publishing various publications. At the center of the biannual group and solo exhibitions is the realization of new works developed by artists invited by Fluentum. These works are presented to the public for the first time in the institution. The exhibitions are complemented by an extensive program of tours, artist talks, screenings, and publications that allow for an in-depth engagement with the content.

Fluentum is committed to exploring and conveying the role of time-based media in understanding history. The institution works critically and productively with the multifaceted historical heritage of its location and fosters a dialogical exchange with artists. Artistic methods are treated as equal to other forms of research aimed at the development of knowledge. Questions of memory and engagement with historical narratives are continually raised in commissioned works, exhibition and program series, publications, and open discussions with visitors.

Fluentum places great importance on supporting independent artistic practices, particularly through the funding of both artistic productions and external exhibitions. A special focus is on making visible the artists based in Berlin to reflect the unique opportunities of local art production. Admission to all exhibitions and events is free to promote accessibility and reach a broad audience.

The building in which Fluentum operates today was originally constructed during the Nazi era as an administrative building for the German Luftwaffe and later served as the headquarters of the US military in West Berlin. After the last GIs left in 1994, the complex was used multiple times as a film set. Markus Hannebauer acquired the main building in 2016 and had it converted by the architects Sauerbruch Hutton into an exhibition space for video art. The close connection of the exhibition site to the specific urban history of Berlin and its cinematic past makes Fluentum a unique point of reference for site-specific engagements with history.

Fluentum is a vibrant place of encounter and exchange that harnesses the transformative power of art to open new perspectives on the past and present.

1. https://www.fluentum.org/en/
2. https://www.fluentum.org/en/collection/
3. https://www.fluentum.org/en/exhibitions/
4. https://www.fluentum.org/en/about.html
5. https://www.fluentum.org/en/visit.html