The Hamburger Bahnhof was one of Berlin’s major terminus stations in the 19th century – a place of arrival, departure and transition. To this day, this history shapes the museum of contemporary art in the heart of Berlin. Like Berlin itself, the Hamburger Bahnhof is full of complexity and contrasts, with change as its constant.
Lights On! Sustaining Light-Based Art
As part of its 30th -anniversary program, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart is hosting the symposium “Post Discipline.” The Future of Art History, Collection Care, and Public Engagement for Museums of Contemporary Art ( November 12–14, 2026). The three-day event is dedicated to current issues concerning knowledge production and art histories, preservation and care, and education and learning in contemporary art museums.
Within this framework, “Lights On! Sustaining Light-Based Art” focuses on the preservation of light-based artworks and their future in museum collections. Taking place on November 13, 2026, it addresses challenges such as technological obsolescence, material availability, and sustainability. Taking Dan Flavin’s site-specific installation *untitled* (1996) at Hamburger Bahnhof as a starting point, the symposium examines how these conditions affect the authenticity, material integrity, and long-term stewardship of light-based art.
Bringing together international experts from conservation, curatorial practice, collection management, and research, Lights On! explores current approaches to documentation and preservation while fostering dialogue between institutions, artists, manufacturers, and estates on the future care of light-based artworks.
Participation is free of charge.
Please note: Registration and the waiting list are now closed.
Program
Registration / Conference Desk Open8:30–9 a.m.
Welcome9 a.m.
Till Fellrath, Co-Director of Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart
Symposium Planning Committee: Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart Berlin / Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Keynote: “More Light!” 9:15 a.m.
Reinhard Bek, Bek & Frohnert LLC, New York
Case StudiesBrief Case InsightsChair: Andrea Sartorius9:55
Too Hot to Handle? Exploring Alternative Light Sources for the Integral Hologram Angel (1975–76) by Simone Forti and Lloyd CrossMarkéta Krausováa and Evelyne Snijders, University of Amsterdam
Keeping Offspring Switched On: Conserving a Living Light InstallationTeddy Woods and Jihyun Choi, University College London & Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul
Illuminated from All SidesUte Kannengießer and Hannah Backes, Albertina Museum, Vienna
Coffee Break10:15
Session 1Collection Care – Protocols and Practices for Light-Based ArtChair: Carolin Bohlmann10:45
From Neon Systems to Incandescent Bulbs and LEDs: Institutional Approaches to the Preservation and Perpetuation of Dynamic Works of ArtAlessandra Guarascio, Yeung Shin Li, and Dieke Ribbers, M+ Museum, Hong Kong
Illuminating Preservation: Developing Conservation Frameworks for Light-Based Artworks at The Museum of Modern ArtCaitlin Gozo Richeson and Caroline Longo, The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Illuminating the Gaps: Building Protocols for Light-Based Objects in the Modern & Contemporary Collection at the MetMelissa David, Kendra Roth, and Miriam-Helene Rudd, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Session 2Documenting Light-Based ArtChair: Josephine Bobeck, 12 noon
Looking on the Bright Side: Spectrometric Insights into the History of Robert Rauschenberg’s Green ShirtBogna Skwara, Ellen Moody, Maggie Bell, John Griswold, and Olivia Kuzio, Getty Conservation Institute, Norton Simon Museum, USA
How to Capture Light? Documentation Strategies for Light-Based Artworks at Hamburger BahnhofEva Rieß, Pauline Reschke, Andreas Barthelmes, and Florian Holzherr, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Berlin
Lunch Break1 p.m.
Session 3Light as a Medium – Different Light Sources Used as Artistic MediaChair: Taylor Hinojosa-Hayes2:15 p.m.
Truth in Light: Addressing Myths and Misunderstandings in Neon ArtTaylor Healy, Art Institute of Chicago
What to Do about Dimming: Treatment of a Software-Based Light Sculpture by Mona HatoumLou Ashon, Alexandra Nichols, and Willa Ratz, Tate, London
Tunnel Vision: Three Light-Based Art Installations at the MFAH Nick Pendemonti and Caroline Gil Rodríguez, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Coffee Break3:30 p.m.
Session 4Transitioning Into the Future – Approaches to PreservationChair: Elisa Carl4:00 pm
Neon in a New LightZoelle Nagib and Jacob Fishman, Lightwriters, Neon Chicago
The Afterlife of Illumination: Maintenance and Obsolescence of Three Lighting Technologies at the MFA BostonChristine Haynes Mitchell and Patrícia Navedo García, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Stockpiles, Collaborative Stewardship, and Supply-Chain Response: Three Decades of Sustaining Flavin’s Permanent Installation at the Menil CollectionJoy Bloser, Steve Morse, James Craven, and Corina E. Rogge The Menil Collection, Houston & Estate of Dan Flavin
Panel DiscussionWhere Do We Go From Here?Moderator: Pia Gottschaller5:15 pm
Reinhard Bek, Bek & Frohnert LLC, New York
Joy Bloser, Niki Charitable Art Foundation
Ellen Moody, Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles
Francesca Esmay, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Willa Ratz, Tate, London
John Jaspers Center for International Light Art, Unna
Carolin Bohlmann Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna
Closing Remarks, 6:15 p.m.Translated with DeepL