Opening Party: Anton Corbijn – Corbijn, Anton

Image credit: Courtney Love, Orlando, 1995 © Anton Corbijn

Anton Corbijn is one of the most influential photographers of our time. Over more than four decades, he has shaped the visual identity of contemporary music through photography, music videos, and films. Join us as we open his retrospective Corbijn, Anton which traces the artist’s photographic journey from the 1970s until today, highlighting his continual reinvention and deep personal engagement with his subjects.

Due to limited capacity at the Panel Talk, we offer two ticket options: Artist Talk + Party and Party Only, with entry organized by time slots.

Please note, that this is a standing event!

Artist Talk: Anton Corbijn and Herbert Grönemeyer

The talk between Anton Corbijn and Herbert Grönemeyer, moderated by Hadnet Tesfai examines the long-standing collaboration between photographers and musicians. It explores both perspectives: the photographer behind the camera and the artist in front of it. Anton Corbijn shares how he translates music and key messages into visual storytelling – through portraits, music videos, and books, while Herbert Grönemeyer reflects on how these images amplify and define the impact of his work.

Line-Up: Anika – DJ Hell – Drangsal – Isolation Berlin – Pol – Sally Dige – Elektrokohle – Jess Brett – Obi Blanche × Kristina Tica – Daisy Weweh

From established local and international acts to emerging talents from Berlin’s ever‑thriving music scene, our musical program for the night kicks off right after the Artist Talk. We open the exhibition alongside a curated line‑up that bring Corbijn’s photographic imaginary to life, its sounds rooted in post‑punk, new wave, and rock, echoing the shadow‑play atmosphere and emotional density that define his work.

BALLROOM

19:15 – Open doors

19:45 – Opening Remarks

20:00 – Artist Talk with Anton Corbijn and Herbert Grönemeyer

21:30 – Sally Dige

(22:00 – BREAK)

22:15 – Pol

(22:45 – BREAK)

23:00 – Isolation Berlin

(23:30 – BREAK)

00:00 – Drangsal

(00:45 – BREAK)

01:00 – Anika

BAR VERŌNIKA

22:00 – Daisy Weweh

00:30 – DJ Hell

CAFÉ BAR

19:30 – Obi Blanche x Kristina Tica (DJ-Set)

21:00 – Jess Brett

22:00 – Obi Blanche x Kristina Tica (DJ-Set)

22:45 – Elektrokohle

00:00 – Obi Blanche x Kristina Tica (Live-Set)

SUPPORTED BY

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Anton Corbijn

A polymath in photography, music videos and feature films Anton Corbijn is perhaps best known for immortalizing some of the greatest artists of our time, with iconic portraits of musicians, directors and artists like, Depeche Mode, Tom Waits, U2, the Rolling Stones, Martin Scorsese and Marlene Dumas. Moving from photography into music videos, Corbijn has made promos for U2, Johnny Cash, Arcade Fire, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Metallica, Nick Cave, Coldplay, The Killers among others. He is the Artistic Director behind Depeche Mode. For U2 he has done the principal promotion and sleeve photography for four decades.

Herbert Grönemeyer

Herbert Grönemeyer is a unique figure in the German music and cultural landscape, whose work has shaped generations since the 1980s. After early beginnings in theater and a breakthrough as a musician with the album Bochum, he developed into one of the most successful and influential German artists, selling over 13 million albums and reaching millions of people in live performances. His music combines emotional depth, social reflection, and a distinctive language that is both accessible and singular. Alongside his artistic development, he has remained consistently politically engaged, responding in his work to societal changes, personal crises – particularly processed in the successful album Mensch – as well as global challenges. To this day, Grönemeyer stands for artistic renewal, social responsibility, and an open, solidaristic society.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Hadnet Tesfai

Hadnet Tesfai is a radio and TV presenter, podcaster (Tratsch & Tacheles), actress (ELAHA), and DJ. Her career includes work with MTV, ARTE, ZDF, 3sat, as well as regular appearances on rbb. As a host, she has presented events such as the Berlinale, the EMAs, the Invictus Games, the German Jazz Prize, and the GQ Men of the Year Award — along with many other formats.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Anika

Anika (Annika Henderson) is a hybrid artist who rose to prominence with her 2010 cult LP Anika, recorded with Beak>. A former journalist, she creates experimental sound collages, confrontational texts, and striking solo performances. Since 2009 she has toured globally, blending dub, post‑punk, and psychedelia. She works across writing, composing, DJing, photography, radio, and video direction.

DJ Hell

Born in Upper Bavaria in 1962, DJ Hell helped popularize house and techno in Germany in the late ’80s and is a key figure of German “industrial folk music.” His 2017 album Zukunftsmusik reflects this, with the single Car Car Car echoing Kraftwerk’s Autobahn and Radio‑Aktivität through vocoder vocals and synth textures, linking automobilism with fashion in a modern update of Das Modell.

Drangsal

Ten years after Drangsal’s debut Harieschaim broke from SoundCloud into the charts, the album’s contemporary take on ’80s post‑punk and wave now inspires a new generation, including Edwin Rosen and Flawless Issues. Three more albums followed, most recently in June 2025. In late 2026, the now full band marks the album’s tenth anniversary with six concerts performing it in full for the first time.

Isolation Berlin

Since forming in 2012, Isolation Berlin have built melancholic yet rousing musical worlds and continue touring Germany and Austria with their new album Electronic Babies. Unmoved by trends, they call their genre Protopop. Tobias Bamborschke’s haunting vocals meet a spectrum from post‑punk to chanson, unified by the band’s mix of sorrow, anger, and humor that resonates most powerfully live.

Pol

Pol is a band formed by Dutch brothers Ruben and Matthijs Pol, blending late ’70s and early ’80s new wave with analog sound and fashion‑driven aesthetics. Their 2023 debut EP and later singles expanded their theatrical identity. They design all visuals, merch, and zines themselves, and their multidisciplinary work includes sound design for Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu.

Sally Dige

Sally Dige (pronounced “Dee‑Ah”) is a Canadian independent artist based in Berlin. She writes, records, produces, and arranges all her music and oversees all visual work through her label, Dige Records. Her Fotografiska Berlin performance marks her first live show since 2019, following the Summer 2025 release of her third album, Holding the Sun. She will be joined on stage by Alice Gift (Velvet Condom) on guitar.

Elektrokohle

Elektrokohle is a Berlin-based cold punk trio that combines post-punk, noise, punk-blues and dark surf into a raw, hypnotic sound. Born out of the isolation of the pandemic years, the project developed into an intense live act with concerts throughout Europe. With their first releases – an EP and a 7" single – the band established themselves as an emerging voice in the European post-punk scene.

Jess Brett

Strength and vulnerability, pain and euphoria, Jess Brett delivers pure emotion in her unique synthpop influenced by new wave and post punk sounds and attitudes. This dark contrast of utter despair and defiant perseverance bleed from her raw and confessional songs. Driving arpeggios and melancholic melodies are accompanied by her powerful outcry of a voice in a dynamic and inspiring performance.

Obi Blanche x Kristina Tica

Obi Blanche and Kristina Tica met in Linz during an unexpected B2B set, bonding over self‑built instruments, minimal beats, and raw melodic structures. In 2024 they formed #postdigitalpunk, merging DIY instrument building, melankolika, and somatic performance. Their hybrid DJ–live set blends dancefloor drive with experimental guitar work, grounded by Tica’s heavy bass and baritone vocals, blurring DJ culture and live performance.

Daisy Weweh

Daisy Weweh is known for high‑energy sets blending ’90s house with groovy, sexy new tracks, creating rhythmic, evolving journeys with an underground, love‑filled vibe. After moving from Ukraine to Germany, she debuted at Pal Hamburg in 2022, followed by Café Soda and Berlin clubs like Renate, Katerblau, and Tresor. Her 2024 HÖR Berlin debut expanded her reach as she continues shaping her emotive, dynamic sound.