The programme 'Underground and Improvisation' reflects the experimental, anarchistic or avant-garde developments in music in West Berlin and Eastern Europe, from the Prague Spring to the post-Wall era. The Akademie der Künste is presenting these movements for the first time in two exhibitions and a programme of events. A symposium (19 – 21 Apr) focuses on central questions of alternative artistic strategies that arise from the juxtaposition of and the relationship between underground and improvisation, East and West.

Micha Ullman creates places that allow for self-encounters. These works have opened a network of associations, memories and symbolism that go far beyond political borders and religious differences. This installation refers to statements by Anwar el-Sadat and thus to the crisis situation and the peace process in Israel. But, at the same time, the meaning of the work is universal. Opening: 8 Apr, 12 pm with Jeanine Meerapfel, Moshe Zimmermann, Matthias Flügge, Micha Ullman. In German.

Conceived by Julia Grosse and Yvette Mutumba, C& Center of unfinished business is a reading room that offers visitors an extraordinary, sometimes disconcerting selection of books that are linked to the topic of colonialism in various ways – from a history book on German colonies to a fashion book on the Sappeurs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo all the way to an analysis of capital markets in the 21st century. A walk-in book case structure that can be used from different perspectives and which was exclusively developed to work in and move to diverse locations.

Bertolt Brecht's study, Helene Weigel's conservatory, Anna Seghers' "crow's nest" – regular tours offer visitors a fascinating insight into the homes and studies of the writer Anna Seghers, actress and theatre director Helene Weigel and the writer Bertolt Brecht. The Brecht-Weigel Memorial Centre in Berlin-Mitte and the Anna Seghers Memorial Centre in Berlin-Adlershof are both part of the Akademie der Künste. No advance booking required.

The Akademie der Künste in Berlin is one of the oldest cultural institutes in Europe. It is an international community of artists that currently totals 410 members in its six Sections (Visual Arts, Architecture, Music, Literature, Performing Arts, Film and Media Arts). The Akademie is an exhibition and event location. A key component of the  Akademie are its archives, which collectively form one of the most important interdisciplinary archives on 20th century art.

The Archives at the Akademie der Künste may be used free of charge for scholarly, private, or press research. Since December 2015, the Archives Database offers a regularly updated online digital research tool. The database contains information on all of the collections in the Archives, which comprise around 1,020,000 archival materials as well as approximately 462,000 analogue and digital copies of archival materials.