BL33N
What’s up in Berlin this week? The DMY, that’s what’s up! And along with the big design festival at Tempelhof Airport come a truckload of satellite events all over the city. We also have some nice exhibition openings this week as well as a very awesome Berghain party with the hottest acts in town. These and more events after the jump.
Menbot by Seymour
This week’s event guide comes a bit late and is actually more a short little weekend guide: The university of arts UdK is opening their house for the Rundgang 2011 from Friday to Sunday to showcase the work of their students. One of my favorite galleries, the Strychnin gallery in Friedrichshain, is opening a new group exhibition called Gentle Giants that also features an amazing new sculpture by Berlin-based artist Seymour. Also on Friday young photographer Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert is opening his first solo show Photographed By… at Locht43. Muschi Kreuzberg is having another one of their Fatwalk shows at the 3rd anniversary proud party at Arenaclub on Friday night.
Raf Simons is in town to curate the Avant/Garde Diaries, an exhibition that is open on Saturday and Sunday with a concert of Fisherspooner on Saturday evening. On Saturday there is another big group show by Playground Berlin taking place at the amazing space that is Mica Moca in Wedding where Wood Wood had their fashion show last Friday.
If you are bored with a traditional Christmas with candles, angels and ornaments, then you should check out the new group exhibition at Strychnin Gallery that will open this Friday. X-Mas Luau is the name of this show and it will bring the pearls of the kitchy Tiki art scene to Berlin, including Shag, KRK Ryden, Moritz R., Haikai, and many more. They will also have a piece by our Berlin fav Seymour. After the opening there will be an after show party at Roadrunners Club. More infos and art after the jump.
Cabaret Baby
When I met the New Zealand born artist Seymour two weeks ago at an opening at Strychnin Gallery he wasn’t exactly over the moon about my comparison with the American cult director and multi-talent Tim Burton. Of course as an artist you don’t really want to hear that your work looks like that of someone else, do you?
But when I first saw one of his sculptures a while ago I couldn’t help but be drawn into this magical dark morbid world that reminds me so much of movies like Nightmare before Christmas and Corpse Bride. Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear? is the title of it and it was the first piece of art that I instantly knew I would buy. At the current show at Strychnin he exhibits a couple of more pieces, amongst them a stunning chess set and a hand painted family portrain in an antique frame (which was sold quite quickly).
On his blog you can take a look into his studio and into the making process. After the jump you’ll see some of his sculptures and paintings, including the one that I own.
Leslie Ditto – Poppyfield
Tomorrow the Strychnin Gallery opens a new exhibition that I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time now. A Midsummernight’s Madness will be an enchanting anthology of artworks by Mimi S., Leslie Ditto, Edith Lebeau, Seymour, Oksana Badrak, and many more. While many of the exhibitions in this gallery are quite dark and disturbing this one will be much lighter, but still with a very mystical and melancholic touch. More art after the jump.