German techno culture lands in Japan with NACHTS TOKYO, artist Mischa Fanghaenel's photography series capturing the spirit of Berlin's techno scene. Presented by HVEN and the German Embassy Tokyo, this Berlin–Tokyo cultural exchange runs from August 22 to September 9, kicking off with a launch party on Saturday, August 22 at 9pm.
Fanghaenel’s relationship with Japan is rooted in a longstanding curiosity about the people he has encountered through Berlin’s nightlife. What Mischa Fanghaenel witnessed at the entrance to the dicotheque was a reflection of this truth, that the culture transcends geography, and that its community is built not from a single place but from a common devotion. The significant presence of Japanese visitors he observed there was not a coincidence. It was evidence of techno's borderless nature, of a scene that draws its people across continents toward the same experience. NACHTS TOKYO turns that curiosity into a reciprocal exchange. Bringing his experience of Berlin’s nocturnal world to Tokyo, Fanghaenel will be present throughout the project’s program, meeting the artists, communities and spaces that shape the city’s nightlife culture today.
“Techno culture has never belonged to one city. It is a global force, a shared language that moves across borders and connects communities from Tokyo to Berlin.”
Mischa Fanghaenel
Running from August 22 to September 9, the exhibition presents Fanghaenel’s distinctive photographic vision of Berlin after dark. For more than two decades, he has worked both as an artist and within the city’s club culture, documenting the people, spaces and atmospheres that make nightlife more than entertainment, a place where identity, community and belonging are formed.
His acclaimed NACHTS and Nightwatch series use monochrome photography printed on aluminium, with dramatic contrasts of light and shadow to probe the human landscapes of the night, revealing the diverse communities, and stories that emerge after dark.
The opening launch, on Saturday 22 at 9pm, will include a line up of local techno talent including Takaaki Itoh, DJ YAZI, Mayudepth, and Lisa Mizuno.
For interview requests, please contact Gabriela von Kreuzbruck, gabriela@quinto.com
NACHTS TOKYO Programme
Exhibition dates: August 22 - September 9
Opening launch: Saturday, August 22, 9pm-5am
Location: HVEN, 6-10, Kamimeguro 1-Chōme, Meguro, Tokyo, 153-0051
Capturing Techno Culture: A NACHTS TOKYO Workshop
with Mischa Fanghaenel
Date: Monday, August 24, 19:00-21:00
Location: WPÜ Shinjuku
Free entry
Voices of the Night: A Berlin–Tokyo Dialogue on
Identity, Community and Nightlife
Date: Wednesday, August 26, from 19:00
Location: German Embassy Tokyo
Limited capacity, registration required via the HVEN website.
Exhibition dates: August 22 - September 9
Opening launch: Saturday, August 22, 9pm-5am
Location: HVEN, 6-10, Kamimeguro 1-Chōme, Meguro, Tokyo, 153-0051
Capturing Techno Culture: A NACHTS TOKYO Workshop
with Mischa Fanghaenel
Date: Monday, August 24, 19:00-21:00
Location: WPÜ Shinjuku
Free entry
Voices of the Night: A Berlin–Tokyo Dialogue on
Identity, Community and Nightlife
Date: Wednesday, August 26, from 19:00
Location: German Embassy Tokyo
Limited capacity, registration required via the HVEN website.
ABOUT MISCHA FANGHAENEL
Mischa Fanghaenel is a Berlin-based photographer, artist, and longtime bouncer. With over 20 years of experience behind the camera, his work documents the emotional currents and human stories within Berlin’s nightlife. Through stark monochrome imagery, his NACHTS series pays tribute to the beauty of shared experience, individuality, and the community found in music. Fanghaenel’s perspective challenges stereotypes, offering a window into a world of vulnerability, resistance, and urban intimacy.
ABOUT HVEN
Located beneath the elevated railway in Nakameguro, HVEN is a multidisciplinary cultural space connecting music, art and creative communities in Japan and abroad. Operating between the underground and the overground, HVEN develops original programming alongside exhibitions, performances, cultural events and cross-disciplinary collaborations. NACHTS TOKYO is presented by HVEN Gallery and the German Embassy Tokyo, whose collaboration made this Berlin–Tokyo cultural exchange possible.
Mischa Fanghaenel is a Berlin-based photographer, artist, and longtime bouncer. With over 20 years of experience behind the camera, his work documents the emotional currents and human stories within Berlin’s nightlife. Through stark monochrome imagery, his NACHTS series pays tribute to the beauty of shared experience, individuality, and the community found in music. Fanghaenel’s perspective challenges stereotypes, offering a window into a world of vulnerability, resistance, and urban intimacy.
ABOUT HVEN
Located beneath the elevated railway in Nakameguro, HVEN is a multidisciplinary cultural space connecting music, art and creative communities in Japan and abroad. Operating between the underground and the overground, HVEN develops original programming alongside exhibitions, performances, cultural events and cross-disciplinary collaborations. NACHTS TOKYO is presented by HVEN Gallery and the German Embassy Tokyo, whose collaboration made this Berlin–Tokyo cultural exchange possible.
