In keeping with tradition, our event offers a concentrated distillation of contemporary artistic positions and sheds light on current discourses in the world of culture. Renowned personalities from the worlds of art, politics, philosophy and business come together to cultivate an increasingly rare but essential culture of debate.
Together, we will pose central questions of our time and look at them from the perspectives of art and business: How do echo chambers shape our perception of freedom, cohesion and democracy? And what role can the economy play in strengthening artistic freedom?
The focus will be on the outstanding artistic contributions of the young talents supported by the Kulturkreis. You can look forward to a multifaceted programme with presentations by young artists, authors and musicians, complemented by an inspiring exhibition, the festive award ceremony and an exclusive dinner.
Make a note of October 9 to 11! Take advantage of this special opportunity to exchange ideas with artists and leading personalities.
A program overview with more detailed information and contact details can be found here.
THURSDAY, 9 OCTOBER
General Meeting
3:30–5:30 p.m. | Bundesverband deutscher Banken e.V.
KICK-OFF
AT THE JULIA STOSCHEK FOUNDATION
Check-in and reception
6:00 p.m. | Julia Stoschek Foundation
Welcome and exhibition tour
6:30 p.m. | Julia Stoschek Collection
Food Happening
7:15 p.m. | Julia Stoschek Foundation
Meet the young talents of the ars viva art prize in person.
FRIDAY, 10 OCTOBER
MAIN PROGRAMME
AT THE PHILHARMONIE BERLIN
Check-in
9:30 a.m. | Philharmonie, lower foyer
Welcome
10:00 a.m. | Philharmonie, Kammermusiksaal (Chamber Music Hall)
Reading and discussion with Yevgeniy Breyger
10:15 a.m. | Philharmonie, Kammermusiksaal (Chamber Music Hall)
Experience the linguistic world of literature prize winner Yevgeniy Breyger in a staged reading.
Intermission
11:45 a.m. | Philharmonie, lower foyer
Panel discussion ‘The truth we mean’ – What contribution can art and
business make to the culture of discourse?
12:15 p.m. | Philharmonie, Kammermusiksaal (Chamber Music Hall)
Participants:
Lena Gorelik (Literature Prize winner 2022)
Prof. Dr. Moritz Schularick (President of the Kiel Institut für Weltwirtschaft (IfW))
Petra Scharner-Wolff (CEO Otto Group)
Lunch
1:15 p.m. | Philharmonie, lower foyer
Panel discussion ‘Strengthening democracy.’ followed by Q&A
2:15 p.m. | Philharmonie, Kammermusiksaal (Chamber Music Hall)
Keynote: Prof. Dr. Dr. Udo Di Fabio (lawyer and former judge at the Federal Constitutional Court)
Architectural tour of the Philharmonie and the Kulturforum / Champagne reception with culinary accompaniment
3:30 p.m. | Philharmonie, lower foyer
Concert
5:00 p.m. | Doors open at 4:30 p.m. | Philharmonie, Kammermusiksaal (Chamber Music Hall)
In concert with the Kammerakademie Potsdam, music prize winner Jonas Müller showcases the talent that makes him one of the most exciting young artists of his generation. Also featured: a work by composer Zara Ali, created as part of a composition commission by the Kulturkreis.
Intermission
6:30 p.m.
EVENING PROGRAMME
AT THE MUSEUM OF COMMUNICATION
Reception
7:45 p.m. | Museum of Communication
Award ceremony gala
8:15 p.m. | Museum of Communication
Honouring of the award winners
Festive dinner
9:00 p.m. | Museum of Communication
SATURDAY, 11 OCTOBER
EXPERIENCE ART
AT THE MUSEUM OF COMMUNICATION OR THE JULIA STOSCHEK FOUNDATION
Option 1: Cultural education workshop ‘Working with Art’ with Zara Ali
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Museum of Communication
Discover how movement and the body influence the perception of sound in an interactive workshop with our commissioned composer.
Option 2: Deep dive into ars viva + guided tour of the Julia Stoschek Collection
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Julia Stoschek Foundation
A concentrated introduction to the minds of ars viva award winners Nazanin Noori, Prateek Vijan and Ryan Cullen with discussion formats and an individual tour of the exhibition.
Afterwards, you can view the ars viva exhibition or take part in an exclusive guided tour of the Julia Stoschek Foundation's media art collection.
Our prize winners 2025
The annual conference is the moment when the Kulturkreis's year of funding comes to life. We would like to thank our members and funding partners who make this funding possible, including in particular
Bankhaus Metzler
Bayer AG
Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e. V. (BDI)
Christopherus Stiftung
Deutsche Bank AG
Hubert Burda Media Holding KG
Mercedes-Benz Group AG
Otto GmbH & Co. KGaA
Deutsche Bank Stiftung
Dr. Hans-Riegel Stiftung
Dr. Walter Kapaun Stiftung
E.ON Stiftung
G. Henle Verlag
Karl Schlecht Stiftung
Péter Horváth Stiftung
Peter Klöckner Stiftung
as well as our personal sponsors, who remain anonymous!
We would also like to thank the DHL Group for their support in preparing the annual conference.
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