Category: art week

Art Week Alert 📢📢

Dorit ElkanatiLeave a comment

It is such a treat to return from a long summer holiday straight into the warm embrace of the Berlin Art Week. Art Week 2019 is offering an outstanding, exciting, rich program of cultural events, exhibition openings, screenings, workshops and more, as if to remind us all how lucky we are to be living in one of the most significant “Kunsthauptstadt” in the world.

Collection Regard © Patrick Tourneboeuf/Collection Regard

This year’s program, which can be found here, may seem to be quite overwhelming. Well, it is. Therefore, one should work strategically. You simply can’t have it all. And, like my old friend Scarlet once said: “tomorrow is another day”.

The excellent exhibitions, such as: Bettina Pouttchi at the Berlinische Galerie (and while you’re there don’t miss the Bauhuas exhibition), “Walking through walls” at the Gropius Bau, WangShui at the Julia Stoscheck collection, Jonas Burgert with Gerhard Richter and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner at the me Collectors Room, are highly recommended. Having said that, take into consideration that those exhibitions are on for at least two more months, so curb your FOMO (“fear of missing out”).

The Art Berlin fair which opens today, held for the second year at the spectacular location of Tempelhofer Feld (Hangars 5, 6) is on only until this Sunday. The fair is focusing on young and established contemporary art and introducing 110 galleries from 16 countries. On Saturday and Sunday there are even guided tours for children. Just don’t forget to buy your tickets in advance to avoid the queues.

art berlin, Outdoor sculptures at art berlin fair 2018—Berlin Tempelhofer Flughafen. Photo: Clemens Porikys

An intriguing project that can be visited this weekend is the Haus der Statistik – built near Alexanderplatz in 1968, as a seat of central data administration for the GDR. After reunification, it briefly harbored the federal bureau of the Stasi documents (GDR Intelligence), among other uses. The building has been standing empty for over a decade. In September 2015, a banner designed by the Berlin alliance of artists’ studios under threat announced the establishment of a center of socio-cultural purposes at the Haus der Statistik. An artistic intervention which has now turned into urban-political reality. today, it is a unique pilot project in which a broad coalition of urban actors are developing together. Statista is one of the many pioneer usages of the vast spaces of the Haus der Statistik. The complete program of events can be found here.

Statista, Haus der Statistik, sign Allesandersplatz (AltogetherDifferent Square). Photo: Victoria Tomaschko

Another option is to visit one of the private collections which are usually closed for the public and open their doors in special occasions such as this one. Collection Regard for instance, which is dedicated to Berlin and German photography. Situated in Mitte and offers, in contrast to classic white-cube showrooms, a cozy setting. Open between 14:00 to 18:00 from the 12th until the 14th of September.

What I realized lately is that sometimes the most exciting exhibitions take place 5 minutes away from my home, though a bit under the radar. I will write about it on my next post.

Wishing you all an artsy weekend!

Art is in the Air ?

Dorit Elkanati7 Comments

Dear friends and Art lovers,

Its that time of the year again… Art week is in town.

This year’s Berlin Art week, starting officially today, offers an extensive program with a lot to see: two art fairs, eleven private collections, art awards (I counted five), countless openings and more…  I was also very happy to notice a wide (and blessed!) presence of female artists in this year’s program, such as Lee Bul at the Gropius Bau, Angiesyka Polska at the Hamburger Bahnhof, Geta Brătescu at the n.b.k, Evelyn Taocheng Wang at the KW, Cecilia Jonsson at the Schering Stiftung, just to name a few.

Since it is simply impossible to visit it all, I usually put my main focus of attention on the events and exhibitions taking place exclusively during this weekend. The other exhibitions which continue after the art week – I leave for later. Less queues, less hassle. Here are my 5 highlights for the Berlin Art Week 2018:

  1. Put on your walking shoes and get ready for the two art fairs – art berlin and POSITIONS opening tomorrow. Both will be held for the first time this year at the Hangars of the historical Tempelhof airport until sunday. art berlin (Hangars 5 & 6), in cooperation with Art Cologne for the second year – will present around 120 galleries from 21 countries and will be divided into three sections – “Galleries”, “special projects” (galleries that will show individual artists) and “salon” – a section curated by Tenzing Barshee which brings together several, mostly young, galleries. Positions Berlin Art Fair (Hangar 4) will present around 70 galleries, showing more than 200 artists. On Friday from 18:00 to 21:00 all the Berlin participating Galleries will be opening their exhibitions across the city.
  2. Don’t miss a chance to visit some of Berlin’s private collections, many of them are opening their spaces exclusively for Berlin Art Week. A highly recommended private collection is the Ivo Wessel Collection – Wessel is a software developer and a creator of watch apps and echo devices. He collects contemporary art and literature since his school days and always try to reconcile his three obsessions art, books and computers. His collection includes painting, photography, conceptual, media and video art. His private collection will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday between 14:00 and 18:00, this year the focus is on two early 4-channel video works by Julian Rosenfeldt.
  3.  The Gropius Bau under its new director Stephanie Rosenthal, keeps on providing us with a fascinating program. On Friday evening “Crash“, the first solo exhibition of Lee Bul in Germany is opening. Lee Bul is one of the most important Korean artists of her generation. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek to the exhibition’s installment process and it was super interesting for me to see the work in progress of such an establish museum. This large scale exhibition includes installations, landscapes, sculptures and more. Believe me – it will blow your mind! Blessed with tones of talent and imagination, Bul is dealing with the ideas of Utopian worlds, futurist theories and science fiction while using a variety of materials such as glass, leather, pearls and hair.
  4. The Swiss French artist Julian Charrière is the winner of this year’s GASAG art prize, which is being awarded for the fifth time within the partnership between the Berlinische Galerie and GASAG – the Berlin based energy service provider (and also Berlin Art Week’s main sponsor this year). Every two years, an artist who works at the interface between art, science, and technology is being awarded. In his multimedia spatial installation “As We Used to Float” Charrière will take the visitors of the Berlinische Galerie underneath to the pacific ocean by creating a physical three dimensional experience inspired by Bikini Atoll – the US nuclear weapons testing area. Another intriguing event takes place tonight 23:00 at the Berghain – Charrière will show his work “An Invitation to Disappear” – an 80 minute multimedia work, consists of a film and a live set performed by the DJ and producer Ed Davenport (“Inland”), inspired by the eruption of the Tambora volcano in 1815, that created a world of darkness and extreme weather.
  5. PalaisPopulaire – the much anticipated opening of the Deutsche Bank’s new Art hall, not far from their former kunsthalle, at the historic Prinzessinnenpalais on the Unter den Linden.  Kicking off with “The World on Paper” – a beautiful exhibition of around 300 works on paper by 133 artists from the Deutsche Bank Collection such as Anish Kapoor, Rosmerie Trockel, Leiko Ikemura, Katharina Grosse and more. Free admission between the 27th of September and the 1st of October.

Curious to know what was YOUR favorite experience during Berlin Art Week, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments.

Wishing you all inspiring days of good Art and culture! Hope to meet you at one of the venues!