With Frei geartete Kunst, Nico and the Navigators, in co-production with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, aim to make a strong cultural and historical statement in Berlin marking 90 years since “Entartete Kunst”. The project seeks to relate the historical vilification of modern art to present-day threats to artistic freedom in democratic societies, while creating a sensory experience of the importance of artistic freedom as a prerequisite for democratic public life.

The Kronprinzenpalais – internationally renowned from 1919 to 1937 as the exhibition venue for the Nationalgalerie’s modern art collection – will be transformed into an immersive music-theatre installation and performative museum. Music, visual art, theatre, dance, installation, video and AI-generated image transformations will merge to create a musical-theatrical journey through the building. Works by composers and artists who were ostracised under National Socialism will enter into dialogue with questions of the present day.

The project brings together the ensemble of Nico and the Navigators with musicians and singers from the Staatsoper Unter den Linden under the artistic direction of Nicola Hümpel. The co-production will combine the institutional reach of the Staatsoper with the independent company’s long-standing expertise in political music theatre and its experimental, interdisciplinary approach. The aim is to initiate a contemporary public discourse on democracy, cultures of remembrance, cultural diversity and the definition of artistic freedom – extending far beyond the performances themselves.

Performances: June 2027