Refik Anadol, König Galerie.
With venues currently reducing their events and clubs canceling their parties due to the current rise of infections, the fear is pretty big that we’re heading into another long and boring Winter of nothing much to do. But before you book your flight out of the impending doom, hear me out: Berlin still has a lot going on. There are still a lot of theater shows and exhibitions going on this December that you definitely shouldn’t miss out on.
With our latest guide, we want to shine a light on some current highlights from the world of contemporary art that can be enjoyed here in Berlin. We took a look around to some of our favorite museums and galleries and found a plethora of amazing exhibitions that we want to share with you here. The iconic St. Agnes a.k.a. König Galerie is of course part of it – as per usual since this is our favorite gallery – but also the nearby Berlinische Galerie, Neukölln’s KINDL brewery as well as the beautiful Schinkelpavillon in Mitte. Expect some bizarre Alien sculptures, digital art from the world of NFTs, some latex rubber suits à la American Horror Story and a portrait show questioning masculinity.
HR GIGER & MIRE LEE
“The Schinkel Pavillon brings together the worlds of the late Swiss visionary HR Giger (1940-2014) [who is the designer of the Xenomorph from the iconic Alien movie franchise – Ed.] and the South Korean artist Mire Lee (b. 1988), transforming into a site for an exploration of the darkest aisles of the human body and psyche. This equally seductive and dystopian scenario is the first institutional exhibition of Giger’s work in Germany, as well as the first major presentation of Lee’s work here.” – Schinkel Pavillon
September 18, 2021 – January 2, 2022
Schinkel Pavillon, Oberwallstraße 32, 10117 Berlin
Exhibition View “HR Giger & Mire Lee”, photo: Frank Sperling
Alicja Kwade. In Abwesenheit
“The work of Alicja Kwade (*1979) is inspired by philosophical, scientific, and social inquiry. By exploring models and constructs that form our perception of time, space, and matter, her large-scale installations question the possibilities of objective and subjective knowledge. For this show at the Berlinische Galerie, the artist begins by focusing on herself. “In Abwesenheit“ (In Absence) centers on recent works by Alicja Kwade that might in a broad sense be read as self-portraits. Kwade seeks ways to describe a person and their physical presence in space: with a heartbeat, an individual DNA code, or a combination of chemical elements.” – Berlinische Galerie
September 18, 2021 – April 4, 2022
Berlinische Galerie, Alte Jakobstraße 124-128, 10969 Berlin
Exhibition View “Alicja Kwade. In Abwesenheit”, photo: Roman März
Refik Anadol. Machine Hallucination: Nature Dreams
“KÖNIG GALERIE presents Refik Anadol’s second large-scale solo exhibition in Germany. MACHINE HALLUCINATIONS: NATURE DREAMS, designed specifically for KÖNIG GALERIE, comprises three novel aesthetic approaches to a vast photographic dataset of nature: A giant data sculpture displaying machine-generated, dynamic pigments of nature titled NATURE DREAMS, four new series of data paintings, and WINDS OF BERLIN, a site-specific, public art projection on the tower of ST. AGNES which will be created based on environmental real-time data collected from the city. Anadol is a pioneer in the world of rare digital art and crypto collectibles, minting the first fully immersive digital artwork NFT in September 2021.” – König Galerie
November 6 – December 17, 2021
St. Agnes, Alexandrinenstraße 118-121, 10969 Berlin
Exhibition View “Machine Hallucination: Nature Dreams”, photo: König Galerie
Marc Martin. Beau Menteur
“After revealing the history of public toilets as meeting points for the gay community in his previous exhibition, the French
artist and photographer Marc Martin is unveiling his new project: «Beau Menteur ». With «Beau Menteur» («Handsome Liar» or
«Lying Beau»), Martin explores the diversity of today’s masculinity. His project is an attempt to put masculinity in its true light after setting it free from heteronormativity and aggressivity. The ambient heteronormativity is the main reason why men are generally presumed to be heterosexual. Challenging this assumption is Marc Martin’s main motivation to look behind the scenes of today’s masculinity. And to confront the clichés still associated with the presumably weak and feminine «faggots».” The project is currently exhibited at Prinz Eisenherz in Schöneberg and is also available as a book.
November 4 , 2021 – January 6, 2022
Prinz Eisenherz, Motzstraße 23, 10777 Berlin
From “Beau Menteur”, photo: Marc Martin
ALEXANDRA BIRCKEN. Fair Game
“A central theme in Alexandra Bircken’s oeuvre is the shell. She examines skin, clothing, containers, and architecture in relation to their interior: organs, bones, and invisible functions. The artist creates sculptures and assemblages from diverse materials in which she explores the relationships between space, body, and shell, exposing the interior and examining our notions of corporeality, machines, and human beings. Alexandra Bircken’s site-specific installation Fair Game (2021) in the Kesselhaus at the KINDL opens up diverse reference spaces ranging from hunting scenarios to battle paintings, and from political violence to laboratories and clubs, activating a wide variety of associations in visitors.” – KINDL
September 19, 2021 – May 15, 2022
KINDL, Am Sudhaus 3, 12053 Berlin
Exhibition View “Alexanra Bircken. Fair Game”, photo: Jens HAU
