The collapse of the contemporary art market has meant considerably fewer buyers negotiating Berlin’s gallery scene. But while many of the much-trumpeted international outposts that arrived a few years back have quietly shut up shop, amongst some of the younger set there’s also a very positive sense of reappraisal. The feeling is that perhaps the city can get back to the crucial business of making art, rather than marketing it.
To this end – and in the DiY fashion that Berlin is celebrated for - many emerging gallerists are developing new economic models that aren’t just dependent on a few key patrons. ‘There’s a real disillusionment with the blue chip gallery world right now,’ says Christian Siekmeier, artist and founder of the Exile gallery. ‘People are looking for alternatives. It’s an exciting time to experiment and try new ideas.’ During July and August of this year Siekmeier presented Summer Camp, an international programme offering young, emerging artists the opportunity to create and present site-specific work at his hotly-tipped Kreuzberg gallery, Exile. Artists were invited to submit proposals through, amongst other methods, an open-call on Facebook – a daring strategy that seems to have paid off.
‘At first, it seemed like a bit of risk,’ explains Siekmeier, whose previous shows have presented work by the late Al Baltrop, Joel Gibb of the Hidden Cameras and cult zine Straight To Hell.
‘But most people who have come to see Summer Camp have realised that this is a different kind of experience to what the gallery ‘normally’ does. The challenge was to make the process a little more open and accessible whilst still maintaining a high quality.’
Read the Article: Bullerei restaurant and cafe, Hamburg Some of Elmar Lause’s street art decked seating areas at the open plan dining Bullerei eatery in Hamburg. Bullerei’s informal decor comes courtesy of interior designer, Kathrin Bade and architect, Giorgio Gullota.
Located in a former cattle hall, Bullerei offers both a deli, cafe and restaurant. Communal eating is encouraged by outsized dining tables.
Read the Article: Crooma photographic gallery, Munich. The blanched ’Wide Hall’ at Crooma, Munich
Read the Article: Currywurst Museum, Berlin The brightly coloured surorunds of Berlin’s first ever Currywurst museum. Dedicated entirely to every Berliner-in-the-know’s favourite snack, the museum pinpoints every Currywurst stall in the city. Sample the myriad spices that make their way into the Currywurst’s secret sauce
Chips and curry sause are essential addition to any good Currywurst, as is demonstrated here by the museum’s giant versions
Read the Article: Diakonie Church and Camput, Dusseldorf A pared-down alter space at the Dusseldorf branch of the Diakonie Church
Less a church, more a contemporary city block, the Diakonie Church defies architectural convention
Read the Article: Etage Store, Berlin. Some of the high-design items on show at Etage. Part museum, part store, Etage is Berlin’s homage to beautiful design items
Clothing is on sale alongside the objects at Etage
Read the Article: Exile Gallery, Kreuzberg Berlin. A return to artistic grassroots, part gallery, part studio, Exile offers opportunities for artists to create site specific exhibitions in the space. In rejection of the Blue Chip gallery mode that has become de rigeur, Exile takes a more hands on approach. More concerned with making art than marketing it, gallerist Christian Siekmeire’s offers up-and-coming artists the chance to both create and exhibit work in Exile.
Read the Article, Extrafein Boutique, Berlin. Set on the outskirts of the Mitte, Extrafein is a gallery-cum-boutique. Vaguely industrial, Extrafein embraces its original surrounds
Read the Article: New flat in Berlin by J Mayer H Architects. Designed in Mayer’s typically unconventional style, this new Berlin Residence does not cut corners when it comes to architectural exaggeration. Uber-bold, bright green graphics fill the space on the Mitte
Designed for a family of art lovers, the flat does not shy away from Meyer’s overstated approach. Meyer’s blinding green stylings can be found throughout the Berlin flat. Meyer’s angular contour lines follow the architectural definitions of the space
Read the Article: Kkaarrlls design, Karlsruhe. Started by a group of design graduates from the Karlsruhe university of Arts and Design, the Kkaarrlls collection turns traditional design values on their head
Contemporary bookshop Motto launches its traveling bookshops initiative. Read the Article: Motto
Super-contemporary eyewear from Berlin-based Mykita. Read the Article: Mykita
Eyewear from architect Jan Kleihues for Onono. Read the Article: Onono Eyewear
Nike Air Max sneaker adornments from Berlin’s Sabrina Dehoff. Read the Article: Sneaker Jewellery
Nike Air Max sneaker adornments from Berlin’s Sabrina Dehoff
Architect David Chipperfield’s Berlin Town House. Read the Article: Town House by David Chipperfield, Berlin
Architect David Chipperfield’s Berlin Town House
Weissmann’s purist sports cars, inspired by 1950’s Jaguars. Read the Article: Wiessmann Cars, Dulmen
Weissmann’s purist sports cars, inspired by 1950’s Jaguars
Read the Article: Wohnhaus Lubbering by Drewes + Strange. Weathered steel and wood dominate in the Wohnhaus Lubbering by Drewes + Strange
Clean lined and minimalist the Wohnhaus Lubbering typifies Drewes + Strange’s architectural approach
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A new Oxford Street pop-up celebrates IKEA's blue bagsIKEA's iconic blue bag gets its own pop-up concept store, the 'Hus of Frakta'.
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Audemars Piguet and Kaws have created the Royal Oak Concept watch we didn't know we neededThe Audemars Piguet x Kaws Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon 'Companion' is slick wrist-worn art
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A friendly rivalry coloured by kinship: Wendy Maruyama and Tom Loeser on their two-artist show'I wanted to make furniture, just not traditional furniture, but weird furniture,' says Wendy Maruyama on ‘Colorama’, a two-artist show presented at design gallery Superhouse (until 11 January 2025)
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Anne Imhof ‘Avatar II’ review: a psychological thriller to make you wince and wonderGerman artist Anne Imhof’s ‘Avatar II’ exhibition at London’s Sprüth Magers is a compelling, uncanny probing of contemporary culture, reality and artifice
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‘Light & Space’ at Copenhagen Contemporary: ‘moving art without moving elements’On view until 4 September, epic group show ‘Light & Space’ explores the past and present of the iconic light and installation art movement. It’s physical, emotional, bodily and disorientating
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Manifesta 14: an unflinching look at Kosovo’s fraught history and ambitious futureIn Prishtina, nomadic biennial Manifesta 14 draws on the past and future of Kosovo through ambitious art and staggering architecture
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Documenta 15 review: social practice, controversy and food for thoughtMired in evolving controversy, Documenta 15 has raised critical questions about transparency, accountability and creative freedom. Emily McDermott travels to Kassel to explore how an edition filled with social practice art urges active participation and throws global power structures into sharp relief
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‘Worldbuilding’ exhibition review: a trip through the uncanny valley of art and gamingCurated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, ‘Worldbuilding: Gaming and Art in the Digital Age’ at the Julia Stoschek Collection, Düsseldorf, explores how artists can embrace and subvert the visual language and culture of video games
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Frieze New York 2022: activism, NFT action, and stellar shows around townTo mark the tenth-anniversary edition of Frieze New York (18 – 22 May), we’ve compiled a guide to the most exciting happenings inside and outside The Shed
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Review: Larry Bell saturates senses and bends perception at Hauser & Wirth LondonAt Hauser & Wirth London, iconic Light and Space artist Larry Bell is testing the limits of optical and spatial reality in new glass installations. The show coincides with the artist’s major exhibition at Dia Beacon, New York
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An intoxicating Whitney Biennial bets big on abstraction, identity and super-sharp videoIn the planning stage since 2019, when the world was a very different place, the 80th Whitney Biennial will run until 6 September 2022
