Feature Topics

A phonic occupation. Interview with Sebastiaan Schlicher at London’s French Riviera

Interview by Francesca Brooks – in London; Monday, Aug. 20, 2012.

French Riviera is closed over August, but disappointed visitors should feel free to call and leave a message. Sebastiaan Schlicher’s answerphone project is a sign that all is not dead at the other end of the line. The second installment in an ongoing sound art series, Schlicher’s piece will function as the interim performance piece…[read on…]

In Search of Lost Time

Article by Alison Hugill – in Berlin; Saturday, Aug. 04, 2012.

A note Larry Clark has written about his work, scrawled in childlike handwriting and mounted alongside his Teenage Lust photo series at C/O Berlin, describes with nostalgic longing the drugged out gang bangs and violent sex scenes of his rural American youth. He laments not having had a camera at the time, to capture the uninhibited sexual thrills of his boyhood…[read on…]

The Heart of the Machine and the Mechanical Heart

David Link - "LoveLetters_1.0" (2009-12)

Article by Adela Yawitz – in Berlin; Monday, Jul. 30, 2012

At the moment, there are more than a few artists in Berlin trying to outdo their machines. These machines ‒ computers, programmed sequences, projectors, speakers ‒ have become necessary production tools, and yet they have the power to work outside the artist’s control. According to David Link’s exhibition text, at Alexander Ochs gallery, “although computer programs were once written by people, they should ideally… [read on…]

“I remember her eyes. The eyes of Gutete Emerita.”

Alfredo Jaar - "The Eyes of Gutete Emerita" (1996)

Article by Evanna Folkenfolk – in Berlin; Wednesday, Jul. 26, 2012

These words by Alfredo Jaar close what is a succinct but lethal description of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. They are projected in white light along a dark hallway connecting two installations in Jaar’s recent retrospective,The Way It Is. An Aesthetics of Resistance…[read on…]

Kunst braucht Fläche: Two Interviews on Intuition

Melissa Steckbauer, Untitled

Interview by Melissa Steckbauer in Berlin; Monday, Jul. 23, 2012.

As part of Kunst braucht Fläche, a public art installation project in Berlin, artist Melissa Steckbauer conducted the following two interviews on the topic of “intuition”. The first interview is with Ashema Wierowski, the owner of the Be-Touched massage studio in the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin…[read on…]

Discovering Detritus: Gabriel Orozco and Secondhand Treasure

Article by Anna C. Purcell – in Berlin; Wednesday, Jul. 18, 2012

“An object’s shape is made from accidental encounters with other objects– that process has been important for me.”– Gabriel Orozco

Gabriel Orozco’s new show, Asterisms, opened on July 6th at the Deutsche Guggenheim. Using detritus collected from a variety of locations, the Mexican-born artist creates a two-fold sculptural and…[read on…]

The Beauty in Change – last days of Shane Pennington’s “Leaving the Shade”

Article by Elizabeth Feder – in Berlin; Thursday, Jul. 12, 2012.
“Leaving the Shade” is a provocative show, conjuring up deep and personal reflections through diverse and richly developed pieces. To say that Pennington is a multimedia artist fails to capture the kind of exuberance and vast scope of works that comprises “Leaving the Shade.” In using natural elements as motifs, Pennington navigates the psychological and physiological ramifications of a change that is transformative…[read on…]

Berlin-Paris Exchange 2012: Yona Friedmann at Chert

Yona Friedmann

Article by Anna C. Purcell – in Berlin; Monday, Jul. 09, 2012.

While winding around the Seine on an early summer morning, a Parisian munches on a croissant, preparing for a day spent wandering the stately halls of the Louvre, perusing some of the world’s finest art. Meanwhile, a Berliner afoot along the Spree stumbles upon an open air still raucous from the evening before, as squalls of the city’s youth mingle amongst some of the world’s finest Graffuturism…[read on…]

Diane Arbus Retrospective Opens at The Martin-Gropius-Bau

Article by Anna C. Purcell – in Berlin; Wednesday, Jun. 27, 2012.

An astonishing and diverse collection of two hundred Arbus photographs opened on June 22nd at the Martin-Gropius- Bau, providing viewers exposure to her most iconic pieces. Intentionally minimalist in its approach, the retrospective challenges visitors to engage exclusively with the intrinsic power of the photographs…[read on…]

Jens Hanke’s “Island Me” at Galerie Hunchentoot

Jens Hanke

Article by Anna C. Purcell – in Berlin; Monday, Jun. 25, 2012.

In his new series “Island Me,” Berlin-based artist Jens Hanke presents pieces that challenge the conventions of traditional charcoal-drawings. On large paper primed with bone glue, Hanke creates fantastical landscapes, often creating a sense of ambiguity that allows the viewer to have an intensely personal experience…[read on…]