What should be the organising principle when curating an art exhibition?

Earlier this week I saw “Copenhagen-Berlin – Gateway to the World” at Nikolaj Kunsthal. The exhibition takes as its starting point a shared biographical condition rather than a common aesthetic or formal concern: Danish artists who relocated to Berlin in the early 2000s to practise their art.

This curatorial approach frames Berlin not as a stylistic movement or artistic school, but as a context — a generative site where very different artistic trajectories could unfold. For some, the move was motivated by lower living costs; for others, by the desire for a new artistic and social environment.
The exhibition combines the works of art themselves with short video portraits in which the artists reflect on their relationship to Berlin — creating a layered dialogue between place and practice.
The exhibition combines the actual works of art with short videos where the artists explain their relationship to Berlin. Well worth watching: https://nikolajkunsthal.kk.dk/udstillinger/koebenhavn-berlin-portalen-til-verden