Holger Bergmann

Holger Bergmann is a curator, mentor, and managing director of the Fonds Darstellende Künste; he lives in Berlin. He was born in 1965 in the Ruhr region. After graduating from a technical college for social pedagogy and working in so-called “social hotspots,” he studied theater studies from 1990 to 1995 at Ruhr University Bochum. He was a founding member and, from 2002 to 2014, the artistic director of the Ringlokschuppen Ruhr theater production house, which became known under his leadership for contemporary performing arts and urban, participatory projects. He has staged his own productions at independent theaters and led numerous projects with artists and artist collectives in the independent theater scene, often in collaboration with municipal and state theaters as well as international festivals (Istanbul, Tokyo, Rotterdam, Accra). He has published works and lectured at numerous universities.  Cultural Capital Commissioner for the City of Mülheim and Curator for Urban Arts Ruhr. Member of curatorial boards and juries throughout Germany and internationally. In January 2016, Holger Bergmann took over as Executive Director of the Fonds Darstellende Künste in Berlin. In 2014 and 2016, he curated several cross-city projects in Dortmund, Duisburg, and Bochum. 
In mid-2017, he co-founded DIE VIELEN, an association dedicated to cultural policy, and served as its chair until early 2025. Between 2018 and 2025, he was a member of the executive board of the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft. Since 2021, he has been a member of the German Cultural Council’s Council of Spokespersons.
He advises municipalities, cultural institutions, and cultural policy stakeholders on development processes, such as the RUHR2010 bid for European Capital of Culture. He is currently supporting the further development of the Congress Hall on the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg.