January 24 to May 24, 2020

November 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Despite a complex history, in mainstream culture of remembrance, the period of the Wende – a German term to name the social and political changes when the Berlin Wall fell and the two Germanys were unified– is usually told as a one-sided narrative that paints a picture of national success. There is usually little mention of social upheavals or of the experiences and social contributions of people and communities that do not fit into this picture.

The new temporary exhibition at the FHXB Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Museum revisits this history from the perspective of protagonists who fought for social equality, social participation, and cultural, political and sexual self-determination before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Laboratory 89 foregrounds the history of social and political movements from East and West Germany, with a focus on Berlin. It presents history/histories from feminist perspectives that, in their events, framing, and timelines, create alternative spaces of memory. Because these are often at odds with official historiography, they simultaneously reveal the many gaps it contains.

The exhibition is accompanied by a program of public events.

In cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation / Gunda Werner Institute.

Supported by the German Federal Agency for Civic Education.

Opening: 23 January 2020