A lot has changed at Gropius Bau in the last four years, and we have been able to change along with it, adapting to new artistic themes. Together we have established new formats, curated more than 15 exhibitions and renamed the institution—the name “Gropius Bau” (“Gropius Building”) represents, in part, the decision to break away from a reference to one specific individual, in this case the architect of the former “Martin-Gropius-Bau”, in a gesture that makes way for other narrators’ accounts of the institution’s history. For all of the reflection that we have dedicated to contemporary themes and what an institution of the future should look like, many of the aspirations with which I started here have remained the same. For many years now, I have been fortunate enough to have repeated opportunities to work in close cooperation with artists designing exhibitions that invite dialogue, inspire, allure and challenge us.

In light of the building’s eventful history, we regard Gropius Bau as an open framework for dealing with a wide range of artistic viewpoints and their social implications. Early on, we made some architectural enhancements in order to let more light into the building and to open it up while...