Artists take Berlin: Part 2

Artists take Berlin: Part 2

Serving as the center of a new emerging contemporary art world, Berlin  clearly has a lot to offer. Artists in Berlin, as those before them, focus more on their work and their own reasons for being artists rather than for fame or money. Like in the 80’s, artists now still invite their friends to exhibitions which they sometimes have in cafes or other less formal places as means of showing work without the formalities that so many contemporary artists have become accustomed to. Artists in Berlin are laid-back, passionate, and yet very ambitious at the same time- great examples for young art students like ourselves.
The second day of our trip began with a trip to Bethanien Kuenstlerhaus, a gallery and organization which offers residencies for artists who want to live and work in Berlin. After meeting with several artists doing their residences, we were given the opportunity to speak with the director who explained to us the logistics for applying for residencies and the many benefits that go along with them- incredibly helpful for students who would like to potentially work in Berlin.
Our visit was followed by a trip to Modulor- one of Berlin’s biggest art supply stores. We were each given a budget to purchase any art supplies that we wanted in one of the greatest art stores there are. With 3 massive floors dedicated to art supplies, one could find anything he/she wanted.
Happily carrying our newly bought art supplies, we ventured over to Koenig Gallerie and then Momentum Gallerie, where we saw a contemporary exhibition featuring a variety of international artists.
BFA Student Tiffany Li  at the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum.
BFA Student Tiffany Li at the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum.
After spending an entire day looking at art, we realized we needed to spend another one, so, we went to Hamburger Bahnhof, one of Germany’s most important Modern Art museums. The museum, which has one of the most important collections of Joseph Beuys, also had on display various contemporary exhibitions, including the work of emerging artists Christian Falsnaes and Florian Hecker.
Artist Nathan Peter discusses his work
Artist Nathan Peter discusses his work
Shortly thereafter, we met with an American artist living in Berlin named Nathan Peter, who discussed his evolution from formal painting to more conceptual work. After speaking about his work and background experience, he then gave us a tour of his exhibition at PSM Gallery and also introduced us to the curator who organized the show, Julia Rosenbaum. After speaking more about his practice, Julia then met with us at the Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle to introduce a new exhibition that had just opened. The show, “Xenopolis”, highlighted the various perspectives that artists living in Berlin had in terms of both the city and its people.
BFA student Serena Cheng looks at work of Nathan Peter
After familiarizing ourselves with the contemporary art scene, we then headed to the Hebbel am Ufer Theater to watch a performance called “This is not OK!”. The performance, which served as a parody of theater and the art world, addressed popular works such as “The Phantom of the Opera”. The play, done in typical Berliner style, was both amusing and eccentric, and most importantly, a great way to end the night.