Berlin: Between Creative Freedom & Commercialization – Talk
Balancing innovation and sustainable urban development with Florian Opitz, Andreas Krüger and Joerg Geier
Berlin since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 is a story of creative freedom, experimentation, and transformation – but also of investment, growth, displacement, and commercialization. The fall of the Wall opened up a unique urban laboratory in which new communities, cultural scenes, entrepreneurial models, and forms of living and working could emerge. Over three decades later, Berlin has become an internationally sought-after capital. Yet the very qualities that made the city attractive are increasingly under pressure.
Fotografiska Berlin and the Arts & Nature Social Club invite you to take part in a talk exploring the tension between creative freedom and commercial development.
Florian Opitz, Grimme Award winner and director of the five-part series Capital B, discusses the topic with Andreas Krüger, urban developer and Managing Director of Belius GmbH. Joerg Geier, curator and Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Arts & Nature Social Club, moderates the conversation.
The talk takes place at Fotografiska Berlin, a venue housed in the former Kunsthaus Tacheles building that is itself part of the city’s evolving cultural landscape. The exhibition Die Augen weit offen by Thomas Billhardt is currently on view here. One of the most significant German documentary photographers of the postwar era, Billhardt documented Berlin over several decades.
The evening will be accompanied with music by Alfred Mehnert (Metropol Music Berlin, percussion), Silke Reichmann de Salas (hurdy-gurdy) and Key Clef (electronic music).
Afterwards, you’ll have the opportunity to visit Die Augen weit offen together with the other participants.
Please note the talk is held in German.
About the Speakers
Florian Opitz
Florian Opitz is a Grimme Award winner whose acclaimed documentaries, such as SYSTEM ERROR, explore economic and social power structures. His five-part series Capital B explores Berlin’s development after 1989, focusing on struggles over housing and identity.
Andreas Krüger
Andreas Krüger is an urban developer and Managing Director of Belius GmbH. He advocates for community-oriented development and access to space for cultural practitioners. A trained carpenter and urban planner who studied in Berkeley and Berlin, he is committed to creating new urban spaces.
About the Moderator
Joerg Geier, curator and moderator of the Salon, is Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Arts & Nature Social Club. He has extensive experience in impact-oriented projects across sustainable innovation, leadership development, and impact investing. A member of the Club of Rome, he has developed interdisciplinary formats in various roles at the intersection of sustainability, art, science, and business.
Event Photography & Recording
We may take photographs, videos and audio recordings during this event to share the experience across our website, social media channels, press materials and other communications. By attending, you may appear in these recordings.
If you would prefer not to be photographed or recorded, please let a member of our team or the event host know on site.