There are times when being overly organized feels like a burden, but it becomes my superpower whenever it’s time to plan a trip, put together an outfit, or connect friends with other friends.
Most people probably don’t spend hours researching every speakeasy in Mexico or sketching out outfits to fit the theme of a trip (which is actually very helpful for anyone who never wants to overpack again).
I’ve become that friend people text the moment they land somewhere new.
“Dare, I’m in Tokyo! Where’s the best vintage and thrift shopping?”
“Dare, I’m in Miami! Where can I go to meet men with yachts?”
I’m not saying I’m some all-encompassing woman of knowledge, but I have been to places, and I have seen things. I’m usually one or two degrees removed from a complete stranger. My friends always laugh and ask, “How do you know so-and-so?” The answer is usually a random, roundabout way.
The point is: I take life by the horns. I’m a seeker, a taster, a wild girl. So, I’m launching a new segment of my Substack: Dare Knows Where—a mix of cultural journal and travel guide.
My first installment is for art lovers like myself—those who plan trips around galleries and museums. Recently, I spent two and a half weeks exploring Berlin, a dream city of mine for over a decade. During my visit, I found Berlin to be one of the richest cities I’ve ever experienced in terms of art, culture, and history. In fact, Berlin feels like a museum itself; every street holds a story and reminders of its complicated past in everything you see.
Now, let me share a few places where I got lost in art in Berlin:
📍 Hamburger Bahnhof
Admission: €16 (about $20)
Artists I loved: Klára Hosnedlová, Toyin Ojih Odutola
Hamburger Bahnhof is a museum that feels like a city within a city. The installations here stretch the idea of space and memory, displaying hyper-conceptual art that still holds emotional punch.
Klára Hosnedlová’s exhibition Embrace felt like stepping into a parallel universe straight out of Stranger Things. Celestial, unsettling, and immersive—performance art without the performer.
Toyin Ojih Odutola’s exhibition was one of my favorites of the entire trip. Upon entering, you’re transported into a fictional train station, with each stop representing a chapter in her artistic journey. Her work reminds me of the beginning of a sketch she never erases. She wants you to see the anatomy of the piece—like an X-ray of a painting—revealing how her mind works and how her figures come together.
📍 Galerie Deschler
Admission: Free
Artist: Lennart Grau
I passed Galerie Deschler one night on my way to dinner in Mitte—an essential neighborhood for art lovers—and, through the window, spotted a painting of a voluptuous nude woman lounging beneath a leafy tree, her gaze fixed on her rippled reflection in a moonlit pond. Something about its brooding atmosphere called me back the following week.
Lennart Grau has since become one of my favorite painters. His thick, bold acrylic strokes form figures that seem to have been born from a cloud of smoke. There’s movement in his work, the same kind of movement as smoke escaping a joint. Maybe that’s why it spoke to me so deeply.
📍 Galerie König (St. Agnes)
Admission: Free
Artists: Stephan Balkenhol, Johanna Dumet
Galerie König is a brutalist church-turned-gallery with energy you can feel the moment you step inside. The work here plays with scale—cinematic, towering, mood-shifting.
I was stunned to learn that Stephan Balkenhol’s enormous wooden sculptures—including a massive carved head staring at its full-bodied counterpart—were carved directly from tree trunks. His lifelong devotion to the human figure feels grounded, intimate, and monumental all at once.
Johanna Dumet’s FOOL FOR A LIFETIME builds a playful, intuitive world through outdoor sculptures and a series of 22 oil paintings depicting a deck of cards and a towering 15-foot house of cards. Together, the works feel game-like, unpredictable, rooted in pleasure, and tied to family legacy.
📍 Galerie Eigen + Art Berlin
Admission: Free
Artist: Ulrike Theusner
Ulrike Theusner’s work is immediately enticing. Her exhibition Passengers of the Night—inspired by Mikhaël Hers’ film of the same name—pulled me in instantly.
One piece in particular caught my attention: a man standing alone, wrapped in what looks like a towel, placed against an open countryside. Theusner’s use of multi-colored pastels and relentless strokes creates a psychedelic effect if you stare too long. She makes the kind of art that feels like it’s vibrating beneath the surface.
If you’re someone who prioritizes art and culture when visiting new cities, Berlin will give you more than you expect. Let yourself wander. Walk into spaces just because what’s through the window stops you. Getting lost in art here isn’t accidental—it’s the point. And if you do it right, you won’t just leave inspired. You’ll leave changed.
Click here for a free map of my full Berlin guide—food, bars, neighborhoods, and places I actually lingered at.
Until next time,
Dare
Thank you for this. Love the idea for this pub. 🙏🏾
So much beautiful work in Berlin 😍