House of the Cultures of the World

The Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of the Cultures of the World or HKW) is a location designed to showcase and foster international contemporary art. It also acts as a forum for current cultural developments and discourses. Among other things, it presents artistic productions from all over the world, in particular from non-European cultures and societies. Visual arts, music, literature, performing arts, film discourse and digital media are brought together in an interdisciplinary programme developed and implemented in close cooperation with international experts, curators and artists. The HKW creates theme-oriented exhibitions, events and international conferences that reflect social and global processes from an international perspective.

For example, the Berlin Documentary Forum takes place every two years at the HKW, while the media art festival known as the Transmediale takes place annually. For children, young adults and adults, the HKW offers workshops in radio, documentary film, photography, music and drawing in cooperation with musicians, media professionals and artists throughout the year.

The site and venue of the HKW is the Kongresshalle (Congress Hall), an architectural landmark of Western modernism. The building was erected as the American contribution to the Internationale Bauausstellung Berlin (International Architecture Exhibition) in 1957.