The Weekly Art Guide

Boris Mikhailov “ohne Titel” (from the series “Case History”), 1997-1999, Sammlung Berlinische Galerie

Prostitution at Walter König, Pornography at KW, Pushy Kissers at Galerie Lüttgenmeijer – what the hell is going on? Beside all that filthy stuff, a great retrospective of Boris Mikhailov at Berlinische Galerie, loads of exciting artist talks and British conceptual art is to be expected in Berlin’s upcoming art week. Check it out after the jump…

Monday, Feb 20

On Saturday, as I mentioned in my last guide, the scandalous exhibition You Killed me First at KW Institute of Contemporary Art opened. Recalling pioneers of New York’s 80s underground movement Cinema of Transgression, the show reminds us of video art that shocks and crosses all borders: Suicide, extreme violence, drugs, pornography – nothing is missed out. Two of the participating artists, namely Nick Zedd and Richard Kern, are giving talks at KW (Auguststr. 69). Zedd is speaking today at 19.30h and Kern gives his talk on Wednesday, also at 19.30h.

Wednesday, Feb 22

From drugs and suicide at KW we continue to a not less delicate subject: Prostitution. The correspondent title of Martina Löw‘s newest book stands for her architectural and philosophical theory discussing the construction of reality in other worlds.  Prostitution and “spacing” – yes, thats right. Sounds interesting? Löw gives a lecture at Buchhandlung Walter König (Burgstr. 27, at Museum Island, 19.30h).

Alternatively, if all the fuzz about pornography and prostitution is just too much for you and you are simply longing for some art, then the so called “Expert Talk”  about Gerhard Richter‘s work at Me Collectors Room (Auguststr. 68) might be interesting: In conjunction with their current exhibition GERHARD RICHTER – EDITIONS 1965-2011 Dr. Stefan Gronert talks about Richter’s oil paintings as a series of editions. The talk starts at 19.00h, the admission is free and you can register at info[at]me-berlin.com.

Thursday, Feb 23

The photographer Boris Mikhailov, born 1938 in Ukraine, was always interested in documenting the normal, average and the everyday life. In the 1990s, however, due to Soviet Union’s fall, the “normal” turned into being the misery, the poor and even the desperate. Still, his work is not just a proof of desperation: there is hope and there is even humor. The large retrospective Time Is out of Joint. Photographs 1966–2011 at Berlinische Galerie now showcases his work and artistic development throughout the last decades. The opening takes place at 19h at Alte Jakobstr. 124-128.

Friday, Feb 24

We could also call this “a male, british, conceptual friday”: In the Tiergarten Kiez Galerie Micky Schubert (Bartningallee 2–4) opens a solo exhibition by the video artist Stephen Sutcliffe. Galerie Lüttgenmeijer, which is in the same building, features installation art in George Henry Longly’s solo-show Pushy Kisser. From 19h-21h.

And – as if this is not enough from the royal island – the British artist Mathew Hale is doing a performance at Galerie Wentrup, which currently features his solo show The Welcome Stranger.

Saturday, Feb 25

I don’t know whether you fancy artist talks or not, but this week certainly offers loads of them: Boris Mikhailov speaks about his show at Berlinische Galerie (16h-18h, Alte Jakobstr. 124-128), which will be a very interesting event I suppose. And Tanas, Berlin’s art space for Turkish contemporary art, features an artist talk with Şakir Gökçebağ, Nasan Tur, Anny and Sibel Öztürk (17h, Heidestr. 50). The three artist participate in Tana’s current show Zwölf im Zwölften – an exhibition dealing with the culture clashes and connections of German-Turkish identities.

Sunday, Feb 26

The week ends with another culture clash: classical music and turntables. This is what we’re gonna get from the Ensemble Neue Musik Zürich at .HBC (19h entrance, 20h start, Karl-Liebknecht-Str.9), which experiments and deconstructs newer and older compositions – resulting in a mixture of jazz, folk and club sounds. Here are some audio tests.

Anna-Lena Werner is a graduate art theorist, writer and freelance curator. On her blog artfridge.de, she collects interviews with emerging artists and other creative people, talent discoveries and exhibition reviews from Berlin, Cologne and London. For the next weeks, Anna-Lena will write The Weekly Art Guide on iheartberlin.

Richard Kern, Nick Zedd, The Manhattan Love Suicides: Thrust In Me, 1985

Gerhard Richter “Betty”

Boris Mikhailov “ohne Titel (aus der Serie Case History)”, 1997-1999

Mathew Hale, “THE WELCOME STRANGER” at Galerie Wentrup

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