The focus of Saâdane Afif’s (b. 1970) exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof is his multi-piece work, The Fountain Archives (2008–22), which was given to the Nationalgalerie in 2023 and is being presented to the public for the first time at Hamburger Bahnhof. In the form of an artistic archive project, Afif has traced the history of the reception of Marcel Duchamp’s legendary 1917 readymade Fountain. The exhibition features this chronicling work, dedicated to a prominent chapter in 20th century art, together with others by the artist that use depth and subtle humour to scrutinise the art museum as an institution.

A special exhibition of the Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin