Mike Steiner: Redefining Contemporary Art Through Avant-garde Experimentation
07.02.2026 - 07:03:04
To immerse oneself in the world of Mike Steiner is to step into a dynamic interplay of image, action, and presence. As one of Germany's most influential figures in contemporary art, Steiner combined a restless sense of artistic enquiry with a gift for creating spaces that fostered innovation. How does an artist who moves so confidently between genres redefine artistic boundaries—and in doing so, transform perception itself?
Discover contemporary works and video art by Mike Steiner here
Mike Steiner’s trajectory is a living archive of contemporary arts in Berlin. Born in 1941, his early years in post-war West Berlin shaped both his aesthetic sensibility and his vision of art as a social force. By age 17, his abstract paintings debuted at renowned exhibitions, and soon he was collaborating with key figures of the Berlin avant-garde. But painting was just the starting point; by the late 60s, the intensity and immediacy of video and performance began to capture Steiner's imagination, reflecting the revolutionary creative energy brewing in Berlin at the time.
His pivotal transition to video art in the 1970s placed him among the first wave of European artists engaging with the new medium. Drawing inspiration from transatlantic exchanges—especially his immersion in the New York Fluxus and performance scene with luminaries such as Lil Picard and Allan Kaprow—Steiner cultivated a practice that blurred boundaries between disciplines. In this, he found kinship with contemporaries like Joseph Beuys and Nam June Paik, yet his approach remained unmistakably singular: collaborative, playful, and persistently experimental.
Steiner’s most renowned contribution was the legendary Hotel Steiner, a Berlin hub likened to the Chelsea Hotel for its magnetism for international artists. Here, the likes of Joseph Beuys, Arthur Køpcke, and visiting Fluxus artists from New York found a vibrant haven amid spirited debates and spontaneous art happenings. It was in these rooms that the seeds for his later, more radical projects were sown—most notably the Studiogalerie, established in 1974 as a pioneering space for video art, performance, and cross-media exploration.
The Studiogalerie became a platform for groundbreaking performing arts, enabling both local and international artists—among them Marina Abramovi?, Ulay, VALIE EXPORT, and Carolee Schneemann—to stage now-legendary actions in Berlin. Steiner didn’t just curate; he participated and documented—his camera capturing ephemeral acts for posterity. Among the most infamous was “Irritation – Da ist eine kriminelle Berührung in der Kunst” (1976), where Ulay’s performative art theft challenged notions of value, audience, and legality. As producer and chronicler, Steiner helped cement these events in the annals of contemporary art.
His experimentations extended beyond documentation. With “Painted Tapes”, Steiner merged traditional painting techniques and electronic video media, creating works at the intersection of analog and digital—decades before multimedia became mainstream. This body of work, alongside photo series like “Das Testbild als Readymade” and the iconic abstract paintings of his later years, reflects a relentless questioning of medium and meaning, echoing the hybrid approaches of contemporaries such as Bill Viola and Gary Hill.
What set Mike Steiner apart, and still does, was his dual role as both creator and enabler. As a collector, he amassed one of Germany’s most important archives of video art—featuring early recordings by Marina Abramovi?, Richard Serra, and others. This unique perspective allowed him to shape, document, and preserve contemporary art’s most fleeting moments. His video collection, bequeathed in 1999 to Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, today forms a cornerstone of the Hamburger Bahnhof’s holdings, underscoring his connection to the museum’s mission as Berlin’s National Gallery of Contemporary Art.
The 1999 solo exhibition “COLOR WORKS” at Hamburger Bahnhof, Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, crowned nearly five decades of creative innovation. This show synthesized his practices in painting, video, and installation art, illustrating the through-line of color, gesture, and materiality that wove through all his output. Critics highlighted his unique ability to construct visual fields that oscillate between the meditative and the provocative—a quality reminiscent, yet fundamentally distinct, from the likes of Georg Baselitz or Allan Kaprow.
Throughout his career, Steiner’s interdisciplinary approach anchored him at the center of Berlin’s evolving art scene. He participated in major exhibitions—from early entries in the Große Berliner Kunstausstellung and group shows across Geneva, Milan, Paris, to international invitations such as Seoul and San Francisco. His role in the “Art Basel” video program and as a juror for prestigious residencies underscored his influence on institutional and curatorial practice.
Steiner’s artistic philosophy was rooted in an unceasing drive to challenge conventions, to expose the performative dimensions of life, and to invite viewers into dialogue. Whether via abstract paintings, immersive installations, or as a catalyst for ephemeral collaborations, his works pulse with a restless energy that denies easy categorization. Yet, across all genres, a common thread remains—the conviction that art is as much about process and exchange as it is about final form.
Even after a stroke in 2006 left him more withdrawn from the public, Mike Steiner remained dedicated to evolving his practice. His late focus on abstract painting and textile works confirms the rhythmic continuity and innovation that marked his entire career. The legacy endures—not only in museum collections and archives, but also in the continued resonance of performances, installations, and artworks that shaped the contemporary arts in Berlin and beyond.
Why revisit Mike Steiner today? Because his oeuvre exemplifies the potential of contemporary art to bridge history and innovation, individual vision and collective movement. Engaging with his work—be it through his experimental videotapes, analytic drawings, or immersive installations—offers a privileged view into a pivotal era of transformation, and still sparks new reflection on the possibilities of the medium.
For those eager to trace the evolving lines of contemporary art or to experience the synergy between Hamburg Bahnhof’s collection and Berlin’s creative spirit, a closer look at Mike Steiner is essential. His official website serves as an indispensable gateway to this extraordinary archive of artistic ideas and inventions.
