BAUBAU: Art, Play, Imagination

A Playful Collaboration with Kerstin Brätsch at Gropius Bau

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Products Used

"BAUBAU Fossil psychic " Recycled Artist Rug by Kerstin Brätsch - Col Acid
- £955.00
"BAUBAU Fossil psychic " Recycled Artist Rug by Kerstin Brätsch - Col Fossil
- £1,354.00

We are delighted to present our latest 4Spaces project at the renowned Gropius Bau in Berlin. This vibrant collaboration brings together textile, space, and contemporary art through the visionary work of Kerstin Brätsch.

Born in Hamburg and now living and working in New York City, Brätsch earned her MFA from Columbia University. She is widely known for her large-scale abstract works that move freely between painting, installation, and performance. Her practice embraces unconventional presentation methods, including works hung by magnets, draped in space, or framed between sheets of glass, dissolving the boundaries between artwork, environment, and viewer.

Alongside her solo practice, Brätsch collaborates extensively. Since 2007, she has worked with Adele Röder under the collective DAS INSTITUT, exploring image production and dissemination through a mix of painting, digital projection, and poster formats. She also collaborates with Debo Eilers in KAYA. In 2024, Brätsch was selected as one of 18 artists to create installations for JFK Airport’s new Terminal 6, set to open in 2026.

BAUBAU: A World of Imagination

For BAUBAU, the children’s play area at Gropius Bau, Kerstin Brätsch has transformed the space into a fantastical environment where imagination takes the lead. The room invites visitors of all ages to reconnect with a playful, childlike sense of curiosity. Colorful depictions of dinosaurs, mythical creatures, and marbled gemstones animate the space, creating an immersive and joyful atmosphere.

The installation features our Groovy fabric, printed recto-verso with exceptional clarity, alongside Tulle 300, brought to life with vivid, fossil-inspired motifs. Together, these materials create a rich, layered textile landscape that feels both tactile and dynamic.

A defining element of the project is the large-scale, sinuous rug, custom-printed with Brätsch’s exclusive compositions. Flowing through the space, it anchors the room visually while offering a tactile experience that invites movement, play, and exploration.

A Cultural Landmark

Gropius Bau stands as one of Europe’s most important exhibition pavilions, celebrated for its groundbreaking contemporary art and archaeological exhibitions. With a long-standing commitment to redefining cultural boundaries, the institution continues to shape global conversations around art, architecture, and public space.

With BAUBAU, Kerstin Brätsch reimagines what a children’s play area can be. Here, creativity is encouraged, curiosity is rewarded, and the guiding principle is simple: more is allowed than forbidden.

We are honored to have contributed to this extraordinary project and to collaborate on a space that celebrates imagination, materiality, and artistic freedom.

Kerstin Brätsch

Large. Scale. Abstract. Meets. Performance.

Kerstin Brätsch (born 1979) is a German contemporary visual artist known primarily as a painter and for her collaborative work with Adele Röder in DAS INSTITUT and with Debo Eilers in KAYA. Born in Hamburg, Germany, she earned her MFA from Columbia University in New York City, where she now lives and works. Brätsch creates large-scale, highly abstract works using diverse media, often displayed unconventionally—such as being hung by magnets, draped, or framed between sheets of glass—blurring the lines between exhibition and performance. DAS INSTITUT, formed in 2007 with Röder, explores image dissemination and production through a mix of Brätsch’s paintings and Röder’s digital projections and posters, often involving other collaborators. As KAYA, Brätsch and Eilers collaborate with their muse, Kaya, a teenage artist encouraged to develop her own practice. Brätsch’s rapid production of work has earned her significant recognition, including the August Macke Prize in 2014 and the Edvard Munch Art Award in 2017, which included a solo exhibition at the Munch Museum. Represented by Gladstone Gallery, Gió Marconi, and previously by Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, Brätsch’s work has been featured in major exhibitions, including The Forever Now at MoMA and a solo show at Museum Brandhorst. In 2024, she was among 18 artists selected to create installations for JFK Airport’s new Terminal 6, opening in 2026.

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FROM THIS ARTIST / ZZ RECOMMENDATIONS

Reflections on BAUBAU

BAUBAU brings together art, textile, and space in a way that encourages openness, curiosity, and playful exploration. Through material, color, and form, the installation invites visitors to experience creativity as something lived, shared, and continuously evolving.

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