Access Kafka

Catalog Accompanying the Exhibition

One hundred years after Franz Kafka’s death, the Jewish Museum Berlin puts key aspects of his legacy – still relevant today – into dialogue with works of contemporary art. The concept of “access” serves as a guiding principle. In his literary texts, Kafka poses questions about admission and affiliation that are both universal and timeless. Access to art and the artists’ vocation is considered boundless nowadays: anyone can assert themselves as an artist and anything can be(come) art. But understanding art is nonetheless anything but simple for viewers and artists alike.

In six chapters of the catalog, on the subjects of “access denied,” “word,” “body,” “law,” “space,” and “Judaism,” contemporary artistic positions are juxtaposed with documents, letters and drawings from Kafka's oeuvre. Contributions by curator Shelley Harten and Kafka experts Carolin Duttlinger, Reiner Stach and Vivian Liska open another door to the life and work of Franz Kafka in this catalog accompanying the exhibition.

Details

  • Access Kafka 
    176 pages, ca. 60 illustrations in color
    paperback with flaps, 20 x 28 cm
    Kerber Verlag 
    Berlin 2024
    ISBN 978-3-7356-1014-0 (English edition)
    English (also available in German)
  • Editors Shelley Harten, Jüdisches Museum Berlin
  • Works by Cory Arcangel, Yuval Barel, Yael Bartana, Guy Ben-Ner, Marcel Broodthaers, Marcel Duchamp, Maria Eichhorn, Mary Flanagan, Ceal Floyer, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Tehching Hsieh, Anne Imhof, Fatoş İrwen, Franz Kafka, Uri Katzenstein, Lina Kim, Martin Kippenberger, Maria Lassnig, Michal Naaman, Trevor Paglen, Alona Rodeh, Roee Rosen, Gregor Schneider, Hito Steyerl
  • Contributions by Carolin Duttlinger, Shelley Harten, Vivian Liska, Reiner Stach
  • TranslationsAdam Blauhut, Allison Brown, Kate Sturge
  • Design Julia Volckmar, Visual Space Agency
  • Price 38,- €
Book cover with the inscription Access Kafka and a narrow vertical image detail showing a floating wall against a blue sky and over a blue sea.

Catalog cover using Mary Flanagan, detail from [borders: chichen itza], 2010; courtesy of the artist, cover design: Julia Volckmar, Visual Space Agency

Work of art by Mary Flanagan depicting floating walls in front of a blue sky over a blue sea.

Exhibition ACCESS KAFKA: Features & Programs

Exhibition Webpage
Access Kafka (13 Dec 2024 to 4 May 2025): Information on the exhibition chapters, artworks and documents
Accompanying Events
Exhibition Opening: 12 Dec 2024, 7 pm
Curator's Tour with Shelley Harten: Tour with fixed dates, in German
Access Word – JMB Book Club The Vegetarian by Han Kang: 21 Jan 2025, in German
Kafka and Art – Lecture by Hans-Gerd Koch: 30 Jan 2025, in German and German Sign Language (DGS)
Access Word: JMB Book Club A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka – 25 Feb 2025, in German
On Fathers. Writing workshop with brunch and guided tour – with fixed dates
Public Tour in German: Tour with fixed dates
Public Tour in English: Tour with fixed dates
Public Tour in Hebrew: Tour with fixed dates
Bookable Tour for Groups: Tour by appointment
Bookable Workshop for Students – By appointment, in German
Digital Content
Access Deferred: Essay by Vivian Liska on Kafka’s Judaism, from the exhibition catalog, 2024
Franz Kafka: A short biography and further online content on the topic
Kafka in Berlin: Berlin walk on Jewish Places to biographical stations of Franz Kafka, written by Hans-Gerd Koch
Publications
Exhibition catalog: German edition, 2024
Current page: Exhibition catalog: English edition, 2024

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