photos: Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert
Gender, identity and self-expression are very delicate, intimate subjects to address.
The true kaleidoscope of human identities, facets and preferences is as diverse as there are people on this planet. Beyond a world of black and white, there is a whole range of color, which makes life interesting. Yet we all want the same thing: recognition for who we are and what we feel.
And to get said recognition, visibility is crucial.
“Gender concerns anybody and is part of every identity,” says Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert, author of the new book ‘Gender as a Spectrum’.
The photographer teamed up with entertainer, artist and Transgender activist Kaey, and portrayed people from Berlin and various places on the planet. All of them are a facet of the kaleidoscope, moving between the polarity of gender. For over two years Ohlert worked on this book with Kaey, capturing people in an authentic, emotional way that is both raw and rare. While Ohlert took the photographs, Kaey interviewed the portrayed people, so the reader gets to know the personalities behind the picture even better, learning about their personal self-concepts, self-definitions, views and wishes.
And maybe the reader starts asking himself these questions, finding answers about himself, or maybe just learning about the people that are all with him on the kaleidoscope of being a person.
Read on…
by Yasmin | Books, Photos
photo: Alicia Kassebohm
Berlin is a city that ends up in smoke. No hard feelings here, if we’re being real: a cigarette with a good drink is one of the most oddly satisfying things. It is bad though. For the environment, others and mostly you. We all know this moment the next morning when smelling your hair and clothes from last night. It’s a rough one. Suddenly, all of your choices from last night are just the burn mark on your new sweater that smells like it was manufactured out of ash in a volcano. Not only non-smokers, even the toughest chain-smoker must be grossed out in this moment. Not to mention: hangovers are way harder when you didn’t only have Mr. Gin and Mr. Jack Daniels with you, but also the Marlboro Man. Or Pepe.
If you’ve had enough of all of the smoke and fire and want to burn the bad choices, we have some addresses for you where you can get a drink or dance without the fumes. Right after the jump is our list of favorite non-smoker friendly bars (which by our definition are bars that have separate smokers and non-smokers areas or are completely smoke-free). Read on…
by Yasmin | Bars, Charlottenburg, City Guide, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Mitte, Neukölln, Prenzlauer Berg
If there is one thing you can definitely experience in Berlin than it’s an unforgettable night. Berlin is so famous for it’s pulsating nightlife with the streets full of people moving from one bar, club, bistro and Späti to another like a big beehive. You have something for everyone here, all styles of music, fashion and fetish you can imagine. It’s a wild jungle that can be overwhelming at first but is one of the most fun places to be in the world.
We’ve been going out here now for way over 10 years and as much fun as we had it’s simply impossible to pick one special night that we could share with you. Instead, we wanna turn it around and give our readers a little advice on how to have an unforgettable night in Berlin, or more specifically: where? It’s hard to believe, with all the different guides we’ve written over the past years we never did a club guide! This needs to change so it’s happening today: We chose our 10 favorite clubs in Berlin.
Read on…
by Frank | Clubs, Party
Certain characters of the Berlin nightlife are too unique to not be featured in all their shapes and colors here on I HEART BERLIN over and over again. Amazing show-stoppers who are able to walk the walk and easily put any wannabe Topmodel contestant to shame! We are talking about the talented drag queen scene in town pulling off one nice costume party after another.
One of the driving forces of the drag scene in Berlin right now is Pansy who hosts the Drag Race screenings at Südblock, the queer RnB party Sissy, the queer music festival Yo! Sissy and the drag show/party series “Pansy Presents”. Her events are not only an occasion for a fun get-together, but of course also for the local drag queens to show off their talent. The next one is a David Bowie Tribute at SO36 on January 31, 2016.
Berlin-based photographer Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert took some great photos for us at one of the previous “Pansy presents” parties showing some drag queens gone wild. Enjoy them after the jump.
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by Claudio | Party, Photos
Foto: Dima Povernov
We love to publish party pictures because it’s a way of showing the diversity of Berlins nightlife. Sometimes hip, rarely posh, trashy, glamorous and often underground, we tried to show you the multitude of the club and party scene. Just before the weekend starts, we have some special eye candy for you showcasing the creativity of the drag scene of Berlin. Dima Povernov is a freelance photographer who took some pictures at Pansy Presents: Disney Darlings at Südblock a couple of weeks ago. If you want to see how the drag version of the Little Mermaid, the Queen of Hearts, Shir Kahn and all the other lovely disney characters looked, you should definitely check out the pictures after the jump.
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by Claudio | Fashion, Party, Photos
Fashion in Berlin comes and goes. One day you dress unconventionally chic, the next day you have to get your gym outfit ready for a party because sportswear became the new avant-garde and today we are constantly underdressed (people call it Normcore, but I think it’s just a new way of being lazy).
But for some characters of the Berlin nightlife underdressing ist not an option. Because their style is not only a fashion statement but more a moral attitude. Drag Queens are always sitting in the front row because of their privilege of diversity. With their elegant and daring extravaganza they are questioning mainstream society and protesting conservative gender stereotypes. Fair enough, they were always a role model in the LGBT community and should always be treated with respect and devotion. As I mentioned before here, being a proud and sparkling butterfly not only makes the Earth a little bit brighter and more colorful, but also reassures us hat we have to dare to be ourselves, however strange and bold that self may prove to be.
For this pride week we wanted to celebrate the beauty and talent of the Grand Dames of the local Drag Queen scene. For that our skilled photographer Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert visited the Dragrace party where each screening of the latest episode of Ru Paul’s Dragrace was followed by hilarious and spectacular stage performances by drag queen PANSY and her favorite girls. Enjoy the photos of this incredible Birds of Paradise after the jump.
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by Claudio | Fashion, Party, Photos
Bodi Bill
If you believe in the Mayan predictions, the end of the world is very near. You may think the idea is nothing but absurd, but if you don’t want to be sitting on your sofa when the big day comes, you gotta make sure you go out and appreciate the last hours of life. This week can be the perfect excuse to party or to get some last sips of culture and if by some strange miracles the world doesn’t end on Friday, there is still much going on during the weekend. Decide yourself how the world is going to end with the events after the jump!
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by Devid | Art, Fashion, Movies, Music, Party
The week there are three events happening on the weekend that we are involved in: On Friday our movie girl Lia celebrates the opening party of her Kreuzberg Kalender project, on Saturday I will be a guest speaker at the Networking Brunch of Artconnect Berlin and on Sunday VisitSweden will release a book about Stockholm and Gothenburg where Claudio contributed some photos and texts. There are also some exciting fashion events going on during the week. Check out the events after the jump.
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by Frank | Art, Fashion, Movies, Music, Party, Theater
Reigen by Various & Gould
This week there are once again plenty of events going on. We have two birthdays to celebrate: Voo and Merkezi. Also the Mindpirates are opening a very special salon for one month. And fans of Austra will be pleased to hear that various band members will be DJing at a few parties on the weekend. Have a look at our event listing after the jump.
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by Frank | Art, Movies, Music, Party
Nail Art by The Illustrated Nail
This week you can turn your nails into art with Fingerbang, celebrate the goodbye of Neukölln perl Locht43 and have a delicious brunch with Artconnet Berlin. This and so much more after the jump.
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by Frank | Art, Fashion, Music, Party
