photos: Chris Phillips.
Some might know Chris Phillips as the co-founder of the art collective Pornceptual and co-founder of the queer festival WHOLE. But in addition to leading these groundbreaking projects, this Brazilian ex-pat is a prolific artist himself. Starting on February 22nd, you can see his newest photography work at The Ballery.
The exhibition, simply entitled “Twins”, is curated by Chris together with his twin brother Eric. The collected artwork aims to answer the question: How do twins view twinship?
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by Guest Author | Art
photo: Pornceptual.
We can’t believe it, but it seems the lockdown and with it the lack of events, seems to be finally over. More and more live events are popping up all over town and we are eagerly hopping from one to the next. We really missed going out, mingling, enjoying music, drinks, performances – it’s been too long.
The summer seems to be full of events and we’re still getting new ones every day. We’ll be updating our event page from now on again, so stay tuned to it. For now, we selected a new of our favorite upcoming events of the summer, including the first Pornceptual event of the year, screenings by Mobile Kino, and some exciting theater performances. We hope to see you there!
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by Frank | Events
photo: Nonothing.
Pornceptual is launching its fourth magazine issue FUCK 2020 – a sentiment many of us can relate to – bringing us inclusive pornographic artwork by over 100 contributors from 33 countries and 5 continents.
Without a doubt, the pandemic has had a profound impact on our relationship with intimacy, human touch, and sex this past year. Through the lens of pornography and art, FUCK 2020 explores such topics by providing a platform to artists whose voices are not always heard, especially as the threat of online censorship continues to grow.
“Although turbulent, last year was historic, but sex was not always part of the narrative,” wrote the Pornceptual editorial team. “We can’t let these stories be forgotten, in particular the ones of marginalized sexualities.
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by Aisha | Pandemic, Photos, Products
photo: Keith Telfeyan.
Just around two weeks ago, iHeartBerlin guest author Daniel was wondering where Berlin ravers party without the clubs and vice versa, what Berlin’s clubs are doing without raves. While these questions have been quite relevant for the past few months, we’ve just witnessed an almost unbelievable change.
The newest development in the volatile narrative of Berlin’s gradual reopening is the re-emergence of some clubs, specifically those with outdoor areas. Not just as a more funky alternative to beer gardens, but as an actual party destination. Of course, Covid-19 regulations apply: so be prepared to leave your contact info at the door and include a face mask as an obligatory addition to your attire.
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by Michalina | Party
How do you show unity and togetherness in times of social distancing? Berlin’s queer community ventures into virtual spaces to find answers.
2020 has been rough so far – for all of us, but especially for the global queer community. With Hungary trying to strip trans people of their current rights to legally change their gender, the UK and US just recently attacking vital anti-discrimination laws against queer people and Poland declaring one-third of the country a “so-called” LGBT-free zone”, institutionalized homophobia has arrived right at Berlin’s doorstep.
Now, more than ever, queer people need to show resilience and celebrate a month of pride, resistance and solidarity – yet we find ourselves in the midst of the biggest pandemic of the last century.
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by Andy | Party
photo: SCANROULETTE @herpeslabial_
The lockdown has really put a damper on the sexual expression of Berliners in a major way. Unless you are lucky to live with your partner or with a flatmate with benefits your sex life most likely had to take a back seat in the last weeks. No Tinder or Grindr dates, no hooking up in bars, no kinky adventures in Berlin’s nightclubs. You really have to get creative to get your sexual kicks these days or at least seek some inspiration on any sex toy site of choice.
Our friends from Pornceptual were struck really badly by the pandemic. Their parties are on hold until further notice, and the WHOLE festival which they co-organize has been canceled for this year. But like many creative people in the city, the quarantine has also created new ideas and opportunities for them to make the best of the situation. One of those ideas that recently saw the light of day is their new platform Isolation Porn which is an extension to their Pornceptual blog dedicated to artworks and creations that have been produced in response to the lockdown.
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by Frank | Art, Pandemic
illustration & photo: Amanda Artiaga.
The new decade we have just entered invites comparisons with the much-mythologized 1920s. People are undoubtedly fascinated by that bygone time, and that fascination has found an outlet multiple times even on this very blog, like when we were recounting the 20s nightlife with the History Phone. But the phenomenon is universal – chances are you’ve heard about the very popular TV series ‘’Babylon Berlin’’, which brings to the screen the novels of Volker Kutscher set in the Weimar Republic.
Even though there seem to be clear dichotomies between the former and current 20s like techno replacing jazz, I think that one could also find a few common denominators. Read about some of these cultural intersections of the 20s in this article.
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by Michalina | Stories
How many ways can you experience Berlin? The possibilities are truly endless. With people from over 190 countries, Berlin has no shortage of different perspectives, environments, and activities. We may take the city’s diversity for granted sometimes, but we wanted to slow down to appreciate the special things different cultures bring to Berlin.
Today, we’re taking you on a Brazilian tour of Berlin. Following previous excursions into the Polish, Turkish, Italian and Syrian communities we now want to take a closer look at what the people from the South American land of plenty have brought to the city. Read on to see our favorite pieces of Brazil sprinkled throughout the city.
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by Guest Author | Cafés, People
photo: Rafael Medina.
In its third year, WHOLE, the flamboyant spectacle off Berlin’s shores has become a unique space of queer expression and community with—beyond any doubt—historic significance. iHeartBerlin writer Andy attended the three-day “Function in Ferropolis”.
I breathe in deep. The air is dusty and dry from these first scorching hot summer days. Waiting for my group of friends to check-in, I put my heavy backpack down and let my eyes wander around. Colossal metal cranes stand against the bright blue sky, brutal remnants of times past. In front, a makeshift village of scattered tents on arid soil—a scenery right out of “Mad Max”. I turn my head, a group of half-naked bodies dances my way; a neon-green mohawk on one side, floor-long leather chaps on the other, and giant hoop earrings bouncing up and down. “YES BITCH!,” I call out quite suddenly and flick my finger. A fan SNAPS, a kiss on my cheek, and the extravagant ensemble whirls past. I start laughing.
Bye-bye reality. I’m home.
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by Andy | Music, Party
illustrations: Berk Karaoglu.
One could say that Berlin has a reputation for being a bit of a sexual playground. Some take this quite literally and like to indulge in the slightly dicey activity of sex in public. Personally, I can think of about a million reasons how this naughty scheme could become my worst nightmare, but these concerns aside, there’s probably no time like the summer to go through with it. Behold the iHeartBerlin guide to the 10 public locations that might possibly provide you just the right amount of privacy – or, if desired, a lack thereof.
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by Guest Author | Stories, Top Guides
