SPEAKER

Laurens von Oswald

Co-founder and Managing Artistic Director

Berlin Atonal / Outer Agency / Tresor Foundation

Laurens von Oswald is a Berlin-based curator, cultural executive, and creative director working at the intersection of experimental music, contemporary art, and independent cultural space. Since the 2013 relaunch, he has served as Managing and Artistic Director of Berlin Atonal, staged inside Kraftwerk Berlin, a former power plant he has helped establish as one of Europe’s most significant independent cultural venues. Atonal operates under Outer, the creative agency and artist-management company he co-founded and directs as Managing Director. He is also co-founder and creative director of OHM, and Vice Chairman of the Tresor Foundation, which works to secure long-term cultural use of spaces under real-estate pressure. Between 2019 and 2023, he served as Managing and Creative Director of Tresor. Alongside his work in Berlin, he has collaborated with art institutions around the world, and has curated for Berliner Festspiele and for Dark Mofo in Australia since 2018.

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Session

Art Institutions, Music Venues and New Curatorial Landscapes

The boundaries between contemporary art institutions and music cultures have become increasingly porous. Museums are hosting DJ sets and sound-related events, while clubs, festivals and music venues are commissioning exhibitions and interdisciplinary projects.

This convergence raises key curatorial questions. What can museums offer that clubs cannot? What happens to club culture when it enters institutional contexts? Why are music venues increasingly embracing broader artistic programming? How do artists navigate these overlapping ecosystems?

Bringing together artists, curators and cultural programmers, this session explores the opportunities and tensions that emerge when art institutions and music spaces collide. Participants will ultimately examine how different environments shape the audience experience and artistic production, and ask whether these developments represent meaningful experimentation or risk instrumentalising music, art and subculture for institutional purposes.

Panel Discussion

🇬🇧 English

BUSINESS

Global Connections

Convention

Speakers