For two years, they had the opportunity to let their creativity unfold in the Atelieretage of the Karl Hofer Society in Berlin-Oberschöneweide. Covering a broad spectrum—from painting, drawing, object, and installation to video and photography—they now present their extraordinary talents to a broader public.

A gas flame, as photographed by Karen Wald-Bartelt, becomes a flower. Seed capsules and an engine under the hands of Julia Krewani turn into a hybrid art object. A unicorn is the main protagonist of Anke Kalk’s performance “Leaving Berlin #3.” Bodo Rott draws his almost headless “Couple” in a classical watercolor technique. These and other works can be admired in an exhibition catalogue sponsored by the Schering Stiftung.

The Karl Hofer Society was founded in 1953. It supports young graduates of the Berlin University of the Arts by awarding studio grants and prizes, and by arranging for exhibition opportunities and contacts so that they can find their place on the art market after finishing their studies.

Karl Hofer (1878-1955), the founding director of the Berlin University of the Arts after 1945, remains vividly remembered in the Haus am Waldsee, which dedicates itself to contemporary art since 1946. The current exhibition is part of an uninterrupted series of presentations of current directions in art in the post-war period, which has included such prominent names as Karl Schmitt-Rottluff, Bernhard Heiliger, Max Pechstein and also Karl Hofer. Documenting the exhibition, the catalogue sponsored by the Schering Stiftung may very well illustrate the first steps of tomorrow’s great artists.