The Julia Stoschek Collection is a private art collection with locations in Düsseldorf (since 2007) and Berlin (since 2016). It took a few years for the collection to gain recognition in Berlin—but in 2021, it and the building housing its capital city location received a BDA Award. Julia Stoschek has assembled a collection of contemporary art, specifically media and video art, that is truly impressive. Internationally renowned artists are represented here, from Abramović to Zielony.

Once a suitable building was identified, Berlin-based architect Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge was commissioned to renovate and redesign it. The building is located at Leipziger Straße 60, directly at the corner of Jerusalemer Straße. During the GDR era, it housed the Czech Cultural Institute; after reunification, it stood vacant for years. Meyer-Grohbrügge developed a concept for this 1960s building, which urgently required renovation. Its fully glazed facade and fragmented floor plan presented significant challenges. The three-story building accommodates exhibition spaces, offices, and a small residential studio on the mezzanine level. Blackout requirements for select rooms, the establishment of clear wayfinding, and the creation of a new outward-facing identity were all addressed through a single architectural element. A curtain folds from the exterior inward, marking the threshold between light and darkness. In total, 3,000 m² were available. This arrangement allows the non-blackened spaces, with their connection to the outside, to serve as event venues and as rest and orientation areas during exhibitions. A series of custom furniture pieces was designed for these spaces and the offices. Beyond essential maintenance work, minimal interventions were made to the building's structure itself, as it was initially unclear whether a long-term or short-term lease would be signed. Now, however, it appears settled: the Julia Stoschek Collection is here to stay.

www.meyer-grohbruegge.com

Photography Credits:

Jan Bitter
www.janbitter.de

Stephan Bögel
www.stephanboegel.com

Thomas Meyer
www.thomas-meyer.com

(Published in CUBE Berlin 01|22)