Emma Enderby, director of the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, talks about the visual concept of the institution. At the same time, she explains the stance art can take today and offers guidance to young artists: from the question of relevance to dealing with personal experiences to the importance of community, exchange, and artistic integrity.
“Our work is guided by the conviction that art is a form of thinking and questioning that belongs to everyone,” explains Emma Enderby, curator of the KW Institute for Contemporary Art. This is how she describes the basis of her work. The Berlin institution sees itself as a meeting place that artists and audiences can use for dialogue and community. “Art becomes a lasting contribution when it fosters connection” – that’s why Enderby particularly motivates young artists to engage intensively with their surroundings. “We encourage young artists to engage deeply with their surroundings, to collaborate across disciplines, and to imagine new forms of community.” In her opinion, addressing shared experiences and questioning how we live together plays a central role in art that can truly bring about change.
Relevant works do not always have to address current social issues. As an artist, being open to different sources can be just as powerful as explicitly political content. “What matters is the ability of an artwork to shift perception and provoke new ways of thinking.” Such forms of relevance can often give young artists more meaning than following trends. “We collaborate with artists who open up new perspectives on the urgencies of our present moment – whether social, political, or poetic.”
KW Institute for Contemporary Art Buchtuete Mockup
- Mock Up:
- KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Young artists combine the personal with the collective
“We consider it crucial to foster real, shared spaces of encounter,” emphasizes Enderby. In an increasingly digital and often lonely society, art can bring people back into contact with one another. “The new identity reflects this ethos: the sketches and contributions submitted by artists create a visual community that grows over time.” Externally, this makes the institute’s mediating role even clearer – it creates a sense of “shared authorship.”
The combination of personal experience and collective perspective is more important today than ever before – both for art itself and for the venues that display it. Although it is not essential to incorporate personal experiences into one’s work, doing so can encourage reflection on social coexistence. “For many young artists, personal narratives intersect with broader cultural and historical contexts,” explains Enderby. She attaches particular importance to questioning established narratives and expanding the field of contemporary art.
- Postcard Mock Up::
- KW Institute for Contemporary Art
“Everyone shall be part of it” – Emma Enderby
Community and a spirit of experimentation now also form the core of KW’s visual identity. The brand’s design elements have a particularly participatory character: many small sketches and doodles are used across all communication media. “Central to us is that the sketches and scribbles are from our whole community: whether it is people that work or worked for us, staff members, artists, archival materials, visitors or even children’s scribbles from education workshops.” It’s not about perfection, but about attitude and energy. All participating artists are invited to submit their drawings, which are then carefully integrated into KW’s visual ecosystem. “The result is a dynamic and ever-evolving visual language that reflects the diversity of artistic expression.”
Even the KW logo has been redesigned. The constantly changing emblem stands for openness and change – a platform for collaboration. Enderby sees art as a space for exchange, care, and transformation. Perhaps that is the best advice for young artists: exchange ideas – and keep moving.
KW’s new visual identity was developed in collaboration with the design studio Correspondence. The new in-house font KW Grotesk was designed by Dinamo. Systemantics was responsible for web development.
- Photography:
- David von Becker