With the famous Badeschiff closed during Affordable Art Fair Berlin 2026, we’ve decided to showcase this iconic pool in a different way this 16 – 19 April. At the fair, you’ll be able to discover an interactive installation by Berlin-based artist Christian KERA Hinz in cooperation with our long-term exhibitor Uhlig Gallery (booth B2) and with friendly support by URBAN NATION an initiative of Stiftung Berliner Leben.

Read on below to get to know more about Kera’s artistic practice and the impactful installation itself.

The pool installation in front of Arena Berlin

In front of the fair’s entrance, Christian KERA Hinz will install a roughly seven-by-three-and-a-half-meter basin made of plastic sheeting. This “canvas” is painted in a geometric style and then flooded with water. This creates a painting that becomes the bottom of a water basin approximately ten centimeters deep.

The water’s surface visually alters the view of this painting. For a moment, it evokes the nearby water.

Standing in front of the basin, the painting can be observed underwater, as reflections and optical refraction bring it to life. The perception of the graphic and optical events merge into a single impression. A straight line becomes a gently undulating wave when the focus is on what the viewer’s eyes actually see. Kera stages this interplay of seeing and seen.

The painting consists of approximately seven colors that harmonise with fresh and also calming tones. These are arranged in color fields that follow a graphic logic, a dynamic order with fractures and shifts. This creates an abstract world of color and form that relates to its spatial surroundings, the Spree, and the urban space.

The work is publicly accessible and may be entered. Kera invites visitors to remove their shoes and step into the pool, up to four people at a time. This generates a participatory moment. The visitors in the pool create the moving, dynamic impression that the painting evokes. A sensual moment arises when one steps into the pool barefoot. You become part of a stage, intuitively and carefully walking across the painting, feeling the intimacy required to be allowed to enter a painting. Pool Painting is a gesture of community. The artist creates an accessible artwork to entrust to each and every one of us.

Meet the artist: Christian KERA Hinz

The artist Christian Hinz aka “KERA”, born 1985 in Berlin, has been working with color, printing techniques, and designing and painting facades for more than 24 years now. 

His artistic work is geometric and abstract, but at the same time spatial. Thereby, graphics and aesthetics play a big role. The artwork is driven from a combination of capturing his surroundings in connection with its colors, as well as impulses taken from his love for technical things. 

Kera’s work is highly impacted by his graphic design studies and the passion for straight lines, structure and surface. His longstanding use of spray paint, brushes, and wall paint helped him develop his own style. 

Originally derived from Graffiti, his works are based on creating a connection between the inside and the outside. While he works nearly the same amount on facade than on gallery work, he is highly influenced by the color world surrounding him. The sky is always a reference point and he likes to use tones that also have some grey in them, or are muted. Incorporating dynamism, he sees a lot of energy and flow in his works, but simultaneously keeps the harmony.

Using the monotype technique (stamping technique) which Kera developed for is Oeuvre, precisely cut shapes are pressed onto the wall. The individual interplay of stamp material and ink application creates a unique piece with each print. The structure of the facade remains visible and respected without being overly prominent.

Because the stamp structures are not reproducible, the designs represent only a sketch. One advantage is that small scratches, abrasions, or weathering that develop on the wall over time are not noticeable or disruptive and are integrated into the motif. With transparent colored areas underneath or above, multiple layers are created, like layers of ice, which the eye cannot easily focus on. This results in a harmonious yet dynamic and unique image.

Outside graphic works and monotype print method, his murals and “Kunst am Bau” (art on architecture) projects can be found worldwide, from Qatar and Mexico, to the UK and many more European spots. In Berlin his murals can be found on various facades, such as the Urban Nation and on S- and U-Bahn stations such as Wahrschauer Straße, Wedding and Olympia Stadion.

We can’t wait to see Christian KERA Hinz’ installation come together at the fair.

Whether you’re a seasoned collector or new to the art world, join us from 16 – 19 April 2026 at Arena Berlin for the perfect opportunity to grow your art collection. To stay up to date with fair information, exclusive ticket offers, and local art news sign up to our newsletter.