Berlin Art Week 2018

The seventh edition of Berlin Art Week is happening September 26th to the 30th. Oh So Arty local insiders Ariela Braunschweig and Constance van Berckel share what events to check out this year! To learn more about Oh So Arty in Berlin please click here.

OPENING AGNIESZKA POLSKA: THE DEMON'S BRAIN

Wednesday, September 26th, 8-11pm

Agnieszka Polska was the winner of the ninth Preis der Nationalgalerie in 2017. In her expansive video installation, Polska takes correspondence from feudal, fifteenth-century Poland as her point of departure to explore current ecological problems and economic development in terms of their religious and historical origins.

Agnieszka Polska. The Demon’s Brain, 2018. Multichannel video installation, film still
© Agnieszka Polska, Courtesy ŻAK | BRANICKA, Berlin and OVERDUIN & CO., LA

OPENING ART BERLIN

Thursday, September 27th, 4-8pm

Art Berlin announces its second edition, taking place from 27–30 September 2018. Around 120 galleries from 21 countries offer the international art world a comprehensive overview of contemporary positions while also showcasing works of Classic Modernism. The fair takes place for the first time in two hangars of the historical Tempelhof Airport, since its decommissioning becoming a central Berlin location for a variety of cultural activities. For a full list of lectures and openings click here.

Image by Tempelhof Projekt GmbH

PREVIEW ARTE LUCE WITH ART TOURS BERLIN

Friday, September 28th, 7pm-9pm

The work ‘Weisse Zeit’ by Thorbjørn Lausten (b. 1945) will be shown for the first time in over 28 years in the presence of the artist. This is a special preview for light art exhibition 'EXTENDED MIND' by Alice Hinrichs from ARTE LUCE, which will take place this November. Alice will give us an exclusive introduction talk about the show, and drinks will be served during the event as well!

Weisse Zeit by Thorbjørn Lausten © Arte Luce

STUDIO VISIT MAXIMILLIAN MAGNUS WITH ART TOURS BELIN

Saturday, September 29th, 2pm-4pm

We’ll visit artist Maximilian Magnus in his beautiful studio space in Charlottenburg.

"The world is my stage, both with regards to the every day as well as to grand gestures: large paintings, complex stage design, international collaboration or teaching at my school is just as much part of my multi-layered artistic work, as the interior design of my flat or the preparing of my meal – I create aesthetic composition in each and every aspect of my life.(...)" Maximilian Magnus

ART, YOGA & DRINKS WITH ART TOURS BELIN

Sunday, September 30th, 3pm-5pm

A special event curated by Art Tours Berlin (in collaboration with Anyyogi). This art tour starts with a unique Anyyogi class (for all levels) in a beautiful private home surrounded by the artworks of Beatriz Morales. The class will be taught by Natalie, the founder of Anyyogi. After the 45 minutes yoga class you are invited to see Valerie's private, collage-focused art space "The Curve" accompanied by a glass of white wine.

Dennis Busch in the Curve

To learn more about Oh So Arty in Berlin please click here

Guide to Gallery Weekend Berlin

All the best spring-time exhibitions are opening during Gallery Weekend Berlin. Established in 2007 it has become a staple on the global contemporary art calender. Many renowned galleries, museums and private collections are inviting the international art scene to visit Berlin and see the best the city has to offer right now. It's an absolute must for collectors, curators, and art lovers. We've created this list of must-see exhibitions to help you navigate the weekend like an Oh So Arty local.

Thursday, April 26th

The weekend starts early with an exhibition opening at Julia Stoschek Collection Berlin. The private art collection presents Emissaries a new solo show of Ian Cheng’s work.

From April 25th to the 26th, the New York Times is hosting the inaugural Art Leader Network Conference in Berlin. Make sure to catch a lecture hosted by this event coinciding with Gallery Weekend. At the leadership conference distinguished experts will examine the impact of the rapidly changing art market on the contemporary art scene and cultural institutions. For a list of speakers visit the event site here.

Friday, April 27th

Gallery Weekend Berlin officially starts on Friday evening. All 47 participating galleries will be open to visitors from 7 to 9 pm. We recommend kicking off the weekend at Chert Lüdde for the opening reception of Patrizio Di Massimo’s installation, Inside Me dealing with ideas of sexuality and spirituality. Another great exhibition opening Friday night is Claudia Comte's, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth at König Gallery. 

Claude Comte, studio view, 2018. Courtesy of the artist.

If you’d rather skip the opening night gallery crowds then we recommend seeing Hello World. Revising a Collection at Hamburger Bahnhof. In this exhibition the museum looks critically at its own western centric collection and examines cross-cultural exchanges from the late 19th century to today.

Mladen Stilinović, An Artist Who Cannot Speak English Is No Artist, 1992

Saturday, April 28th

On Saturday participating galleries will be open from 11 am to 7 pm. There are myriad exhibitions to choose from but the first two on our list are at Esther Schipper and Sprueth Magers. Catch me if you can! AA Bronson + General Idea, 1968–2018 at Esther Schipper Berlin is a striking photography presentation not to be missed. Sprueth Magers will unveil three separate exhibitions by the artists Andro Wekua, Senga Nengudi and Kara Walker. While all three are sure to be impressive we're most looking forward to viewing Walker's video Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi’s Blue Tale, 2011. 

Kara Walker, Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi’s Blue Tale, 2011. 

Make your way over to Berlinische Galerie at 6 pm for a reading and screening with Cryill Lachauer. He will be discussing his latest exhibition at Berlinische Galerie, What Do You Want Here?

Unwind with a drink on Saturday night at the Outset after party at Kino International starting at 11 pm.

Andro Wekua, Levun Portrait, 2017

Sunday, April 29th

Spend your Sunday visiting these four galleries who are participating in Gallery Weekend Berlin for the first time. Dittrich & Schlechtriem presents the first solo show in their gallery of works by Andrea Greiner. For his show Hybrid Matter Greiner has created new works that reflect on mankind's relationship with nature. Also new to gallery weekend are Lars Friedrich exhibiting work by German artist Peter Wächtler and Gillmeier Rech who will be presenting Stockholm-based painter Jim Thorrell. The final newcomer is Alexander Levy with a promising show by Julius von Bismarck, Immer noch der Lauf der Dinge. For this exhibition Bismark has installed a moving walkway covering the entire floor of the gallery which forces the visitors to be in constant motion.

JuliusVonBismarck, Immer noch der Lauf der Dinge, 2018

For a full list of participating galleries visit Gallery Weekend Berlin's website here.

If you’re interested in learning even more about the Berlin art scene join us on a private Oh So Arty tour!

Banner image: Merav Ben Loulou.

March Art Guide - Berlin

Recommendations of what to see in the Berlin art scene this month by our local guide, Art Tours Berlin. Discover even more on a private tour.

I.

Exhibition: "My Perversion is the Belief in True Love"
Artist: Ellen Cantor
Venue: Isabella Bortolozzi Gallery
Dates: Until March 24th, 2018

Are we all victims to romantic idealism or normative desires? 

Cantor (1961-2013) was an American artist based in London and New York. She was as part of a young generation of feminist artists exploring new modes of female representation. In her intimate works she is using narratives of iconic films, fictional figures from Disney cartoons, cult horror films, New Wave cinema, and family movies. "My perversion is the belief in true love" is the title to the only survey exhibition of her video works held in her lifetime. 

Photo credit: Ellen Cantor, My perversion is the Belief in True Love, Isabella Bortolozzi.

II.

Exhibition: Salami
Artist: Cameron Platter
Dates: Until April 15th, 2018
Venue: Gnyp Gallery

╭——————╮
┃ SALAMI ┃
╰┳————-╯
┃
—-╯

Salami
Salami
Salami

Photo credit: Installation view of Cameron Platter Salami, Gnyp Gallery.

III.

Exhibition: A Series of Utterly Improbably, Yet Extraordinary Renditions
Artist: Arthur Jafa
Venue: Julia Stoschek Collection Berlin
Dates: Until November 25th, 2018

Arthur Jafa's first exhibition in Germany featuring photographs of Ming Smith, Landy and Child ( From the August Wilson Series), Frida Orupabo and Missslanyus; and video stills of Arthur Jafa APEX. The exhibition was developed by curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and Amira Gad from the Serpentine Gallery London and it now in Berlin. 

Photo Credit: Ming Smith, Lady and Child, Courtesy of the artist and Steven Kasher Gallery New York.

IV.

Exhibition: Pneuma
Artist: Franco Mazzucchelli
Venue: ChertLüdde
Dates: Until April 14th, 2018

Franco Mazzucchelli was born in 1939 and lives in Milan. He created with the "Arte Povera" movement where he created with synthetic materials large-scale inflatable objects, which he placed in public outdoor spaces. "Cono 1 and 2" can even be seen in the unique gallery space of Chert Lüdde. For this show he created inflatable canvas for a pure banal decoration "Bieca Decorazione." An ironic title referring to the mere decorative function of art.

Photo Credit: Franco Mazzucchelli, Pneuma, 2018, Exhibition view at ChertLüdde, photo: Trevor Lloyd.

Take an art tour in Berlin to discover more!

Discover Berlin's Best Private Art Collections

Over the past twenty years the art scene in Berlin has grown to be one of the coolest and most vibrant in the world. Artists flocked to the German capital for the low rents and ample studio spaces. Eventually galleries, museums, and other art world insiders followed their lead and established themselves in Berlin. A unique facet of this burgeoning art scene was the founding of various private collections throughout the city. While Berlin is teeming with creative endeavours and artistic events, five private art collections stand out. Read more below and visit the collections to learn about Berlin’s bustling art scene on a private Oh So Arty tour.

The Boros Collection

The first presentation at the Boros Collection was on display for four years. “For us, it’s very important that we can allow ourselves this kind of time,” explained Christian Boros, the contemporary art collector who lives in a renovated Nazi-era bunker. Christian and Karen Boros purchased the bunker in 2003 after its tumultuous history as an air-raid shelter, Soviet prisoner of war camp and hardcore techno club. “The intellectual friction that occurs here is pretty extraordinary,” Christian Boros said of Berlin; and the structure he’s chosen to house his extensive collection and make his personal residence embodies the energy of this ever-evolving city.

Yngve Holen at the Boros Collection. Photo: © NOSHE

The Feuerle Collection

“The vision of The Feuerle Collection is to create a total artwork, a Gesamtkunstwerk,” and this vision is indeed achieved through the unique curatorial design of the collection. The collection’s founder, Désiré Feuerle, collects modern, contemporary, and Asian art. Despite coming from different geographical backgrounds and time periods the works in Feuerle’s collection are exhibited together to break with tradition and remove cultural barriers. Feuerle explains the resulting effect is that “the contemporary artwork becomes timeless, the ancient becomes contemporary, the two different artworks fuse with one another and create a new imaginative feeling.” This fall the collection which covers 6480 square meters, installed The Sound Room, The Lake Room, and The Incense Room which provide immersive cultural experiences to visitors.

Désiré Feuerle inside the Feuerle Collection. Photo: def image © The Feuerle Collection 

The Hoffman Collection

In 1968, Erika and Rolf Hoffman began collecting art for their own personal enjoyment and the happiness it brought them to live amongst great works of contemporary art. On Saturday’s Erika Hoffman opens her private home to the public for tours of her extensive collection. Erika acts as parton, curator, and host. Lucky guests are sometimes even able to meet with Erika during their tours and ask her questions about her collection. 
The 14,000 square meters of space reinvents itself every summer when Erika curates a new exhibition to fill her private home. Each exhibition has an overarching theme and strongly developed curatorial ideology uniting the assorted works.

Erika Hoffman. Photo: Oshiaki Miyamoto © miyamocamera

The Julia Stoschek Collection Berlin

In 2007 the Julia Stoschek Collection was established in Dusseldorf, Germany to make Julia Stoschek’s private art collection available to the general public. In 2016 the collection opened a 2,500 square meter public space in Berlin’s Mitte district. With the establishment of the Berlin location, the Julia Stoschek Collection became the first private collection in Germany to have two publicly accessible venues at once. 
The Julia Stoschek Collection has a particular focus on time-based media. It currently holds over 750 works of contemporary art by around 250 artists. “The steadily growing collection concentrates conceptually above all on the moving image,” which is explored through video, analog and digital film, multimedia environments and even performances. Guided tours of this unique collection are available on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Image by: Robert Hamacher

Salon Dahlmann

Salon Dahlmann, named after the house’s previous owner Hildegard Dahlmann, is a building entirely devoted to the arts of every format. In 2010, the Miettinen family purchased the home in Marburger Straße 3, with the intention of establishing a connection to Berlin’s  salon culture tradition. Salon Dahlmann offers a program of exhibitions, concerts, performances and workshops as well as guided tours of the yard and current shows on Fridays and Saturdays.
Timo Miettinen and his wife Iiris Ulin display works from their personal collection at Salon Dahlmann in addition to temporary exhibitions. Originally from Finland, Timo finds his inspiration in Berlin, “In intellectual terms, Germany was always my second spiritual home,” he shared. 

Privates Apartment |Werke ausder MiettinenCollection(Albert Oehlen, Björn Dahlem, Andrè Butzer, Aurora Reinhard, Secundino Hernàndez), Foto: Elena Panouli

Book a private art tour in Berlin!

Salon Dahlmann

Salon Dahlmann, Marburger Strasse 3, 10789 Berlin

Image: Ausstellungsansicht | Last Supper -Anselm Reyle und Marianna Uutinen, 2013 /2014, Foto: Matthias Kolb

The Feuerle Collection

The Feuerle Collection Hallesches Ufer 70, 10963 Berlin

Image: Outside view of The Feuerle Incense Room. Female Divinity, Khmer, Baphuon, 11th Century, Stone. Khmer sculptures reflections. Photo: def image © The Feuerle Collection

The Julia Stoschek Collection, Berlin

JSC BERLIN, Leipziger Strasse 60 (entrance: Jerusalemer Strasse), D 10117 Berlin

Image: Aaron Young at JSC Berlin

The Boros Collection

Boros Collection, Reinhardtstraße 20, 10117 Berlin

Image: Installation view with works by Michel Majerus Photo: © NOSHE

The Hoffman Collection

The Hoffman Collection, Sophienstraße 21, 10178 Berlin

Image: Erika Hoffman. Photo: Oshiaki Miyamoto © miyamocamera

Berlin Art Guide - January

Recommendations of what to see in the art world this month by our local guides in Berlin. Explore more in a private art tour.

I.

Exhibition: The Crack-Up
Artists: Claire Fontaine
Venue: Neue Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.)
Dates: Until January 28th, 2018

Collective Artist. Art & Politics. Ready-Made. Authorship. Capitalism. Foreignness. 

IMAGE Credits: Claire Fontaine, The Crack-Up, exhibition view Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, 2017 © Neuer Berliner Kunstverein / Jens Ziehe

II.

Exhibition: FOREVER
Artist: Barbara Krüger
Venue: Sprüth Magers
Dates: Until January 20th, 2018

“You know that women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.”

Image Credits: Barbara Kruger, Forever. Installation view, SPRÜTH MAGERS BERLIN, 2017
Photo: Art Tours Berlin

III.

Exhibition: 3612,54 M³ VS 0,05 M³
Artist: Monica Bonvincini
Venue: Berlinische Galerie
Dates: Until February 26th, 2018

“You can avoid people but you can’t avoid architecture.“

Image Credits: Monica Bonvicini, Passing, 2017, site specific installation. Courtesy the artist and König Galerie, Berlin; Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zürich; Galleria Raffaella Cortese, Mailand, Ausstellungsansicht, Berlinische Galerie, 2017. © Monica Bonvicini und VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2017. Photo: Jens Ziehe

Take a tour in Berlin to discover more!