photos: Gili Shani.
After Berlin clubs closed their doors to their worshippers during the ongoing global pandemic, many kink lovers who found their refuge in these sanctuaries had to get more creative to maintain their inner desires. The legendary KitKat pool had to be replaced by our bathtubs and our music in compliance with the Hausordnung. The nascent lockdown rules were getting tougher and the end of the tunnel was getting more blurry along the way.
During this difficult time, Gili Shani, the only person who was allowed to take photos at KitKat Club, photographed 250 people in their houses, who were willing to show their kink for his book Voyeur. Berlin. Kinky. He drove all around Berlin to capture these intimate moments inspired by the pre-pandemic kink scene. With a sexually suggestive front cover of a lower front tattoo that says “fuck”, the book is already promising. Through Shani’s lens, these domestic shots reflect nothing different from a moment in KitKat; a man in a harness kneeling before the camera and a domina ready to spank someone in another photo. After all, you can get the Berliner out of the club but you can not get the kink out of Berliners.
Christoph Steinweg, organizer of the sex-positive Symbiotikka parties at KitKat and co-producer and editor of the book describes the project as follows: “Four months are now behind me. More than 190 photoshoots with about 250 people, over 2,500 kilometers of driving throughout Berlin with my friend and photographer, Gili Shani. From meetings, finding addresses and apartments, searching for a parking place to many surprises and very special encounters. We met with people who invited us into their private realm. Who posed in front of our camera, revealed themselves, exposed themselves in intimate, strong, shy, playful, or vulnerable ways. Who opened their home for a short moment to allow us a very exclusive, voyeuristic insight. This all happened during a time when we were restricted in our freedom due to Corona determining our everyday lives. But, maybe this was exactly the right moment? The sensitive „Kinky World“ in Berlin had lost its stage, there were no more occasions or events. What followed was an escape into the inside, into the private, away from parties and clubs. We were all alone for a while.”
Gili Shani is a documentary producer who captures storytelling moments from KitKat’s nightlife scene. You can read our previous interview with Shani here to have a glimpse of some of his photos and order Voyeur. Berlin. Kinky. here.
