As summer prepares to close its doors once again, the cultural landscape in Berlin is in full bloom - one opening chases the next, and September marks the return of Berlin Art Week and Berlin Atonal. In this month’s issue of ON CULTURE, we have cherrypicked six exhibitions and performances that we hope will give you the richest flavor of what this busy time has to offer, and invite you to join us in celebrating art, Berlin style. Of course we’re also very excited to open our doors amidst all of this on September 14.
We hope to see you around!
As ever, thank you for following along and being a part of our community.
Sounds Different – Kultursommer Festival @ Long Night of Museums
The Long Night of Museums – the annual event in which museums and cultural institutions open their doors to the public until late in the evening – collaborates with the Kultursommer Festival for an evening of music and performances across Schlossplatz and Museum Island from 4 pm to midnight. At the Humboldt Forum, Stegreif Orchester presents arrangements from Baroque to Romanticism, Einstürzende Neubauten drummer N.U. Unruh encourages visitors to join in on his drum installation at Portal 4, and artist Anna von Raison will curate live music performances by Berlin-based Japanese folk duo Mitsune, London jazz artist cktrl and US-born, Berlin-based Jamaican-American rapper Zebra Katz at the Kolonnadenhof. Electronic musicians Data Plan and 11:68PM come together to round out the night for a collaborative DJ-set with a light show by Grinderteeth..
Though the fast-paced, increasingly polarized modern world makes critiquing the human experience an easy task, it is important that we find time to take stock, redefine our view of the world around us and remember that not everything sucks.
Curated by Berlin and London-based photography and film artist Lennart Brede, and freelance art historian Dr. Judith Plodeck, the group exhibition promises a thematic exploration of authenticity and physicality, vision and passion, group and belonging, freedom and sexuality. Inviting contemplation, discourse and new perspectives, the show will feature work by Fofo Altinell, Evelyn Bencicova (also represented within one of our opening exhibitions - NUDE), Slater Bradley, Anna Ehrenstein and Noël Saavedra, as well as work by Brede himself.
Event date: 1 September – 5 September 2023, SchauFenster,Lobeckstraße 30-35, 10969 Berlin
“I want to create images of ‘mental spaces’ that are not referring to a particular place but rather an emotional state. I see my works also as a stage for a possible projection of the observer,” said Bastian Gehbauer. The German artist has long depicted architecture, landscapes or rooms and their contents, but encourages viewers to look beyond, and find emotion in the inanimate.
Gehbauer’s latest exhibition follows Memories of a place I have never been… Part I which took place in June, and will include photography as well as an installation. Remaining true to its name, Part II reaches for the memory of places we have never been or those that no longer exist.
Event date: 25 August – 7 October 2023, HOTO, Bergmannstraße 109, 10961 Berlin
For those well-versed in Berlin’s experimental music and art scene, the name Atonal will likely be a familiar one, possibly evoking memories of its original annual iterations between 1982 and 1990. The 2023 edition will be its first full edition in four years after being rebooted in 2013 under new ownership, meaning six concert nights will be spread across two consecutive weekends.
Positioned at the intersection between audible and visual art, the four-day exhibition will take place between the two weekends. Universal Metabolism will comprise audio-visual works, sculptures, video art and immersive sonic environments arranged throughout Berlin’s Kraftwerk complex. These will appear and disappear in sequence over the exhibition’s tenure, with themes of exchange, adaption and transformation at the core.
Event date: 11 September – 14 September 2023, Kraftwerk Berlin, Köpenicker Str. 70, 10179 Berlin
Warsaw-based Filipka Rutkowska is famed for her exploration of sexuality, society and identity via performance, video and drawing. The Polish multidisciplinary artist uses her practice to investigate the role of queerness as a narrator for society as a whole.
Rutkowska will present a performance centered upon elements of monodrama, ritual, stand-up comedy and nightlife, reflecting on change through a non-binary lens. With each performance, Rutkowska will reconstruct the work, and in doing so, will create new conflicts to mirror any contextual complexities.
What Stays The Same After We Change II makes up part of Pickle Bar’s Costumes and Collapse, an annual program spanning performances, workshops and lectures that question the role of textiles, fabric and fashion during times of economic, social and ecological ruin.
Please note that the capacity is limited. Registration are required.
Event date: 15 September 2023, 6:30 pm and 7:50 pm, Pickle Bar, Stephanstraße 11, 10559 Berlin
We are always open to collaborations and ideas for cooperation. Are you interested in having your work featured by On Culture?
Oh - and before we forget - we're also planning a little preview event for our community in the lead-up to the opening and will make a few limited spots available for you!
