Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys ・ Pop-Kultur Festival 2026

August 24–30, 2026 | silent green Kulturquartier, Festsaal Kreuzberg, Kulturbrauerei, Pierre Boulez Saal, and more 

Live concerts, experimental music formats, talks, and more. International and local artists, world premieres, and music in all its facets await you—from large stages to intimate club shows.

Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys “Animal / Symbol” Drawing on the biblical creation myth, Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys return to the origins of human existence with “Animal / Symbol”—to a place where curiosity and disobedience were first linked to shame. What does it mean to reach this point and create something new? At the center of the performance, which takes place in a surreal garden, is a figure moving through an inherited landscape without fully understanding it. As the performance unfolds, it prompts a reflection on what we inherit from those who came before us: stories, rituals, and fears that continue to shape us. “Animal / Symbol” explores the tension between the human mind—which reaches outward, conceiving symbols and visions of the future—and the body, which remains bound to the earth and is thus linked to growth and decay, pain, and transience. Together with filmmaker and lighting designer Aljoša Dakić and set designer Jana Wassong, Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys create an atmospheric complexity of light and, above all, shadow, which is integrated into the space in a tangible, unique way. Musically, fragile, ethereal soundscapes meet dark, driving elements—blurring the boundaries between the sublime and subversion.