WISE started 2018 in Beijing at UCCA with WISE - The Future Festival & Think Tank, a global summit at the intersection of Music, Art & Technology connecting thought leaders of the creative industries, science and the tech community and engaging them in an intersectional, societal dialogue.
Since then WISE has developed into an international platform providing the following services:
WISE produces highly curated events at the intersection of music, art, science and technology globally
WISE helps curate likeminded events with the same ethos
WISE consults (government) institutions, businesses and artists on the above as well as on all things China and the Asan cultural markets
WISE facilitates collaborations between brands, institutions, (tech-)companies and the cultural sector
WISE showcases artistic talent & thought leaders
WISE does research and disseminates it
WISE influences the (real) influencers
WISE connects local communities worldwide through the power of culture
WISE books acts & artists through it’s subsidiary SUPERWISE
A SHORT HISTORY
2018
WISE was founded by Philipp Grefer at Beijing’s premier art center UCCA as a one-day summit with 20 speakers to spark cross-sectorial dialogue and connect innovators from the creative community, technology & science to discuss essential questions about how we want and should live in the future.
2019
Doubling in size, Reeperbahn Festival, Europe’s biggest music showcase festival comes on board as a partner. While WISE BY DAY is held again at UCCA, Chinese & European bands perform at the Danish Cultural Center at Night. Check out the recap video here.
2020
Despite the pandemic, WISE grows to a 3-day festival in 3 cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Berlin with physical attendance as well as an online audience. Start of decentralisation and experiments with the Metaverse. See our information on the program here.
2021
7 venues, 11 events, 24 artists, 124 companies attending: WISE continues as a decentralised Festival and during 4 days takes place in Beijing, Shanghai, Berlin, Hamburg & The Metaverse. An online audience of 20k. Check out the recap video here.
In cooperation with VALQUIRE, WISE produces „Block Stories - Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg“ a short documentary featuring legendary Berghain Bouncer and photographer SVEN MARQUARDT, the brilliant artists JOPLYN & LIE NING + FLUX FM Entrepreneur MONA RÜBSAMEN.
2022
WISE gets hired to curate the German Haus at SXSW (which later gets cancelled due to Covid) and to lead the first-ever Music Trade Mission financed by the European Commission (Destination Mexico)
On May 19/20 2022 the WISE Festival took part for the fifth time, the first time with Berlin as its main Hub for 2 days, with 50+ speakers, 10+ artists, and 3 venues. Check out the WISE by Day program and speakers. Check out the WISE by Night program and artists.
2023
In March WISE returns to SXSW with it´s own rooftop party centered around the Algorave Community in NYC, SF & Berlin. WISE also organizes all the activities of German PRO GEMA at SXSW including a showcase feat. TANGERINE DREAM´s first US show in a decade alongside BRANDT BRAUER FRICK, ROOSEVELT (DJ), DESIRE (Italians Do it Better) and KALUSH ORCHESTRA, the winner of Eurovision 2022.
On May 11/12 WISE is expanding its presence in the German capital with its second Berlin edition: 1 Songwriting Camp, 2 days, 3 venues, 15 artists, 50+speakers (half of them female) and 115 companies from 4 continents are attending.
2024
In May, WISE presents its third Berlin edition under the title “ME, MYSELF & AI.” Once again ahead of the curve, the summit attracted more than 1,200 registrations, with 80+ speakers leading conversations that went on to shape the themes of the subsequent conference season.
On Sept 5+6, 2024 WISE is co-founder and organizer of the inaugural NEW VISIONS for Music & Sound Summit at Berlin´s historic Pfefferberg with more than 1.100 registrations for on-site attendance, 84 speakers and 25 startups.
After her recent group exhibit at Mitte´s Migrant Bird Space artist HUA WANG hosts her first Berlin solo show HUA´S HAPPY MEMORY SHOP curated by WISE Founder Philipp Grefer.
2025
With the inaugural WISE ON MUSIC, the fourth edition of WISE Berlin, this time under the theme of IS IT REAL?, and the GEMA × WISE AI Music Summit in Munich, May 2025 was packed—bringing together 1,500+ participants, 80 speakers + 18 startups from 20+ countries, across 21 sessions and 7 venues in two cities. You can watch all the sessions on our Youtube Channel now and review the event on insta + see the complete Berlin agenda here and the one for the AI Summit here.
During Gallery Weekend Berlin, and alongside a post-WISE concert with IVO DIMCHEV, Hua Wang’s GIGANTIC HOUSE exhibition drew both the Berlin and international art crowd.
In March, we had the pleasure of curating the 4th WISE AV Algorave at SXSW—a high-energy night at Berlin Level / German Haus, featuring an audiovisual spectacle live-coded by our crew from San Francisco, New York, Boston, Shanghai, and Berlin in collaboration with Berlin Partner.
2026
WISE returns to Berlin for the 5th time. Stay tuned.