KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V., the supporting association of KW Institute for Contemporary Art and the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, introduces internationally renowned artist Haegue Yang in her new position as chair of the board. She succeeds Katharina Grosse, who is stepping down after four years of successful service as chair. Paula Macedo Weiß and Katharina Kurz will continue their collaboration with the institution at the board level.
Image above: Haegue Yang, Foto: Cheongjin Keem.
“I am delighted that, after four very intense and extremely instructive years, I am able to hand over the chairmanship of KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V. to Haegue Yang, thereby continuing the association’s tradition of placing the chairmanship in the hands of an artist. With her cultural foresight and impressive artistic work worldwide, Haegue Yang will inspire and support the sponsoring association and the institution in all its processes. It is of utmost importance to us on the board that Haegue Yang, with her clear and astute voice from the perspective of the artistic reality, accompanies the institution and knows how to represent it to the outside world,” said former chairwoman Katharina Grosse about the appointment.
“KW accompanies artists during crucial phases of their development—it is not just a place, but a driving force in the artistic ecosystem. This role is indispensable and deserves our ongoing commitment. I am delighted to be able to support Emma Enderby and Axel Wieder, as well as KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V., in this responsibility,” says the newly elected chair of the board, Haegue Yang.
Haegue Yang currently lives and works in Berlin and Seoul and teaches at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main. The artist is known for her multi-layered works, which range from large-scale installations and performative sculptures to paper collages and stage productions. Yang has recently had solo exhibitions at institutions such as Kunsthal Rotterdam (2025), Hayward Gallery, London (2024), and Pinacoteca de São Paulo (2023). In 2018, Yang was awarded the Wolfgang Hahn Prize at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne and in 2022, she received the 13th Benesse Prize as part of the Singapore Biennale. Her works are represented in major institutional collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Guggenheim New York; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; the Tate Modern, London; the Museum Ludwig, Cologne; and the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo.
In the nearly 35 years since its founding, KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V., as the supporting association of the KW Institute for Contemporary Art and the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, has played a key role in shaping the role of contemporary art in current social discourse. Exhibitions, commissioned works, and interdisciplinary events in collaboration with artists and other institutions continue to address and develop current trends in national and international contemporary art and cultural discourse.
