Karin Sander‘s project 494h 29m 53s comprises some 1,254 videos from the collection of the Video-Forum of the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), all screened in the Akademie der Künste studio. The videos, by 574 different artists and artist collectives, will be shown in sequence — from the shortest to the longest — in a 494-hour screening. The programme in the studio follows a defined structure — with 12-hour screenings every day and 24-hour screenings at the weekend — and will take place over 31 days starting on July 3, 2025.

Founded in 1971 on the initiative of artists and cultural creators, the n.b.k. Video-Forum is the oldest video art collection in Germany, and one of the largest. The collection is particularly focussed on the Fluxus art movement, feminist video practice, historical and contemporary video art from Berlin, and media-reflective approaches. The artist Karin Sander sees the collection as an opportunity to restage it in its entirety and present it in the academy as ‚great cinema‘.

494h 29m 53s provides an overview of more than 50 years of international video art and presents all the artists equally side by side — regardless of origin, gender, or period of activity. This gives rise to new and unexpected juxtapositions, in a unique experience determined by arrangement, sequence and time. Visitors can enter and leave the screenings at any time they choose. A programme booklet provides orientation with information about the specific artists, videos and schedules. A summer bar in the courtyard of the Akademie der Künste invites you to enjoy drinks and snacks.

Opening Program

Thursday, July 3, 2025

7 pm

Opening and Panel Discussion

With Marius Babias (Director n.b.k.), Bjørn Melhus (artist, Professor of Virtual Realities at the Kunsthochschule Kassel, Berlin), Anh-Linh Ngo (Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher ARCH+, Vice President Akademie der Künste, Berlin), Karin Sander (artist, Director of the Visual Arts Section, Akademie der Künste, Berlin) and Hito Steyerl (artist, Professor of Emergent Digital Media, Academy of Fine Arts Munich)

9 pm – midnight

Video Screening

Free admission to the opening program