Impossible in reality - Architecture for stages

The head of design at the Schaubühne Berlin has been shaping the international theater scene for decades. He has staged a whole series of legendary productions, particularly for Thomas Ostermeier, with whom he has collaborated for many years, including Hamlet, Hedda Gabler, The Seagull, and most recently The Silence.
Using models from the period between 1996 and 2026, the BDA Gallery now presents a selection from Jan Pappelbaum’s remarkable body of work.
The exhibition focuses on the question of the reality of built architecture and its altered conditions on stage, as well as on the social role of theater in our society.

Jan Pappelbaum studied architecture. The working and presentation models he creates himself, on a scale of 1:10 to 1:50, are indispensable tools for him throughout the entire process—from conception and realization to communication with all those involved in a production. Central themes of his work are the dissolution of spatial boundaries, reduction, and mutability. Another hallmark of Pappelbaum’s work is his focus on the object—as opposed to the cabinet. Everything that stands on the stage and constitutes the stage is intended to be a prop. His object stages can sometimes be very small, yet they always allow the audience a very good view from every seat.

The exhibition is curated by the Board of Trustees of the BDA Gallery; concept and direction by Jens Brinkmann und Roland Duda

Opening: June 4, 2026, 7 p.m.
with a guided tour by Jan Pappelbaum followed by an open discussion

Panel Discussion: July 2, 2026, 7 p.m.
Speakers:  Jan Pappelbaum, Pia Maier-Schriever, and Anne Ratte-Polle in discussion with Dr. Jens Brinkmann and Roland Duda