zak posen @ berlin fashion week

roman singer @ hamburger bahnhof

The Hamburger Bahnhof museum is a superb example of berlin's efforts to reshape, rebuild and reclaim the city after wwII. Coming from a city (detroit) that didn't host a world war in its own backyard, the similarities between landscapes are staggering yet berlin has found a way out of its empty lots and abandoned spaces. Even just another example (which I will talk about later) is berlin fashion week's sponsorship of empty public strip-mall-like, window spaces that they give out to fashion designers to use for a set-up period prior to fashion week and then jury the best designer to keep the space rent free for a year.....yeah, looks like detroit could learn a little! And then there are the organized squats...but for now I am getting off track.

After being severley damaged in the war, the former central train station was sparingly used until 1989 when it received a face lift for the new contemporary museum which opened its doors in 1996.


expansive main contemporary galleries of museum








the big Judd room


The gigantic and amazing solo show of swiss artist Roman Singer (b. 1938), featuring a whole basement of video performances and upstairs of more videos and the equipment used in the often humorous and art-sarcastic experiments. Even for a sometimes hard to impress art lover, this was an amusing, simplistically experimental, smart and even chuckle out loud brilliant show...I went twice, which is also rare for me!









"Roman Signer has always seen himself as a sculptor. He even refers to actions that only last for short moments as sculpture. In these 'event or time sculptures' is always concerned with problems, actions and time sequences in space." - hausler contemporary

Hamburger Bahnhof web

high math @ pool gallery berlin

It was Berlin Fashion Week last week and a variety of venues hosted offset parties and creative events spinning from the runway shows. Pool Gallery is an artist run space in the heart of berlin's trendy mitte district. The group show was a collection of works on paper.






shepard fairey

josh petherick - Hexed Life Triptych

richard colman - untitled





peter beste - Furze, Sandvika, Norway




killpixie - above and below














andrew schoultz - Horse Under Fire (with and without hand embellishments)





parra - 1 Harp Music




perks - Double Ganger (above), Space Noodles (below)

This reminded me of a current new-art-rave version of this. I would have loved to go home with it....or the happy rainbows!

read my lips @ peres projects berlin

Peres Projects has two locations: la and berlin. The gallery first caught my attention a while back upon reading an interview about the 27 year old gallery owner. My interest has only grown, being that berlin is where I am living now and la is the place I will be living in a couple months.
Peres Projects separates from the rest of the berlin galleries with its location along the Spree river's edge, in a mostly young, hip, working artist area in kreuzberg. The openings, if judging souly on this well attended event, are a collection of the cities best artistic youth. I have always thought that artists are always effortlessly the best and most creatively dressed, and berlin certainly sets the example: art mimics fashion and vice versa. I think I spent half the time just people watching!


here's more info from website


The title "Read My Lips", clever and intriguing, especially in this political climate. But the art was passed the point and some felt elementary on concept. To blatant. OK, I get it...sex in your face...trying to be uncomfortable and "raise awareness". Yet, this is another case of hip gallery with cool kids = better show. I still connected with a few pieces and felt the "light show" in the annex space was environmentally fun.














berlin-art-fashion








No, this wasn't part of the exhibit but I made it into my piece: ladies fur coat and the male version resting on the next heater. I call it "opening"! I think it was their first date and not going very well.


This was the annex space next door, in a giant factory-style building. upon entering you were handed cardboard sunglasses to shield your eyes from the intense, bright light display on the center wall. This was a situation where the context of the space, light and funny glasses made the viewers engage in the space, thus making the white light less about the light itself and more about the relationships and effect.





All in all, OK show...one where I respect the gallery enough to look into the work and explore beyond the initial reaction....like a good friend that challenges your likes and dislikes. See you soon Peres Projects la - can't wait!