Art exhibition opens at presidential palace in Berlin

Visitors can spend the next two weeks exploring the rooms of Bellevue Palace, the official residence of Germany's president in Berlin ahead of a major refurbishment of the building.

Among the attractions is a pop-up exhibition of contemporary art entitled "Freiraum Kunst" (Free Space Art), which opened to the public on Saturday morning.

Admission to the exhibition is free, but visitors must book a time slot in advance. The artworks will be on display until June 28.

Bellevue Palace is set to close at the beginning of July for several years of renovation work. More than 20 members of Berlin's Academy of Arts are exhibiting their works in the already empty rooms.

Among them is a light installation entitled "SOS signal" by the artist Bjørn Melhus. 

A miniature of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier himself is also on display, created by the artist Karin Sander, as is a painting of the president by El Bocho. Steinmeier's successor is to be elected on January 30 next year.

As the official residence of the German president, the palace has always been an open palace, Steinmeier said at the exhibition's opening on Friday evening, referring to public festivals, concerts, cultural evenings and discussion forums.