Welcome to our weekly menu where we serve you the best dishes from Berlin’s art scene. Our variety this week will surely please any palate. We got street food, bondage, chess games, sound installations, a piano performance accompanying macabre paintings and more! 

Thursday April 11, 2013

Markthalle Neun – Street Food Thursday – 5-10pm

To avoid going on an art tour on an empty stomach, let’s momentarily trade the street art for some street food at Markthalle Neun. Every Thursday the space provides worldwide mix of vendors who honor street culinary traditions. English pies, Korean kimchi, Allgäuer Kässpatzen, Brandenburger Tapas––you name it, this event will surely give flavor to taste buds you didn’t even know you had! 

Galerie Eigen + Art – crt mgn Opening – 5-9pm

The art of Carsten Nicolai is known for being a sort of Frankenstein monster composed of sound, sculpture, and complementary visuals. Starting out as a performance in 2007 commemorating the life/death of famed artist Nam June Paik, Nicolai’s “crt mgn” will be presented/transformed for the third time. “Four neon tubes are mounted parallel to one another and aligned horizontally at the head wall of the gallery. Their light is recorded by a video camera and transmitted on a TV screen. The televison image is distorted by a magnet attached to a pendulum, which hangs on a aluminium support and moves unregularly above the television screen.” Caught your attention? Read the event link for more info!

Galerie im Turm – “Aufsteigen” Opening – 7pm

You’ve seen people do it, but have you ever seen an object do a performance? This is the art of Katrin Wegemann who known for making floating and flying objects (the identified type). Imagine this: sixteen silver helium-filled balloons staging a choreography before you; their distorted reflection watching you as you watch them—breathing in, breathing out. But don’t expect this to be a spectacle because the ever-moving sculptures of Wegemann invite you to become a part of the action!

Friday April 12, 2013

HB55 Kunstfabrik – “Out Loud” Opening – 7pm

Lorella Paleni is having her first solo show in Germany, and she’s announcing her arrival “Out Loud.” Her paintings, comprising her last year between New York & Berlin, carry touches of reality, myth, truth, falseness, solidity, and transience.  These hanging contradictions crack open the imagination, breaking holes on the walls and inviting us into alternate realities where space and time appear nonexistent.

Grimmuseum – “Neither Here Or There” Opening – 7pm

Ten Irish artists come together to create works that fill gaps at the “in-betweens.” In a society where we commonly operate on binary models of good/bad, rich/poor, traditional/contemporary, and countless etceteras, these artists explore––each in their own unique way––the incredibly rich yet often forgotten gray areas of thought. Curated by Jane Hughes and Enda O’Donoghue, this exhibition will tour to Ireland in December so you don’t want to miss it while it’s here. Check out the event page for the weekly events that accompany it! 

Mein Haus am See – “Shibari” Opening & Bondage performance  – 7pm
Shibari, a Japanese word that generally refers to the art and beauty of tight binding (a.k.a. bondage), is given center stage at this show. Florian Geldner is a photographer who specializes in beautiful minimalistic images revolving around the practice of shibari. The exhibition will comprise of photography, readings, live music, a bondage performance by Geldner––Oh, and a “roller-girl” handing out beautifully erotic presents for a small price! What’s not to like? 

Saturday April 13, 2013

SAVVY Contemporary – “Readymade Stereotypes” Performance – 7pm

With a performance involving the act of spitting on one’s face, artist Ismael Ogando is not necessarily inviting us to focus on the disgust and insult of the act. Rather, we are welcomed to look at the symbols and underlying conditions responsible for our conflicting reactions. After all, saliva is not only the liquid of insult but also the lubricant of love. This is less about shock and more about, “the human’s natural urge for hierarchy, power and subversion as a starting point for his performative research on how such elements of ordinary life aid in the construction of identity.” SAVVY Contemporary is known for wrapping extraordinary discourse around even the most ordinary events, so come prepared for engaging dialogues. Don’t worry, the performance is not participatory, but do bring enough saliva to sustain the conversation!

TheARTer Galerie– Art Opening & Piano Performance – 7pm

Dark, macabre, and gory, the paintings of Karl Persson are also made beautiful by the technical skill he deploys. Titles like “Penis Nipples,” “Meat Toungue” and “Shiny Chicken” give a stark yet vague idea to what his paintings may look like. Fortunately, we are given a great teaser trailer for this exhibition, which will accompanied by a full piano concert by Düsterpiano––buy your tickets early!

Supermarkt – “Smart Chess – Interface & Gravity” Opening – 7pm

Starting today and extending for two weeks, Supermarkt will become the playing field of Berlin-based artist Marion Andrieu. This live research will explore the game of chess as a source of artistic, cultural and political expression through the interaction and behavior of its participants. Tonight will serve as an introduction into the project. A guided tour of the works on display will begin at 7pm, a “Speed Chess Challenge” performance at 8:30pm and the invitation to play unorthodox chess sets starts at 9pm. Don’t miss it!

Sunday April 14, 2013

Haus am Kleistpark – “Siehste, Jeht Doch!” Opening – 7pm

Arno Fischer (1927-2011) was not only a pioneer of photography in the GDR and one of the greatest photographers of the second half of the last century, but also one of photography’s greatest instructors. Haus am Kleistpark is hosting this exhibition, which consists of 32 photographers who were part of Arno Fischer’s last “master class,” vividly reflecting the range of artistic expression of the students as much as Fischer’s ability to engage with limitless themes and imagery.  

Article by Jovanny Varela-Ferreyra

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