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HELKA CERAMICS — TASTEFUL CERAMICS IN GRAEFEKIEZ

HELKA CERAMICS — TASTEFUL CERAMICS IN GRAEFEKIEZ

A “feast for the eyes”! Recently I sat in a Kreuzberg restaurant and was thrilled by how tasteful the food was, but also presented on the plates. The eccentric colors of each vegetable (betanin red of the beets, may green of the peas, and juicy yellow of the lemon) and creamy sauces were matched in glorious contrast to the restrained color and design of the restaurant dishes. A nice coincidence? On our way home through Böckhstrasse, we strolled past what appeared to be a new store – full of cups, plates, bowls, and vases in this same understated design – handmade clay objects studio Helka Ceramics. Now that’s a coincidence! If you ring the bell, Lisa Kosak opens the door. The ceramic artist from Belgium has lived in Berlin for many years and first discovered her passion for pottery at a workshop. The passion became a vocation. After a few years of an apprenticeship and four and a half years co-founding a clay workshop in Neukölln, she opened her first studio for her own clay label in March 2023.

The studio’s bright rooms offer plenty of space for craftsmanship. Lisa makes every object from her collections in the Kreuzberg studio – all by hand (from the wheel to the kiln) and in small batches. Her objects bear mouthwatering, tasteful names: Chocolate Cup and Canelé Side Plate in the colors Caramel, Chantilly and Olive. The elegance and quality of her pieces were quickly discovered by Berlin restaurant owners and so collaborations with Kin Dee, JaJa, Lode & Stijn and Barra were born. It’s not just restaurants that enjoy her pieces: Lisa likes to share her knowledge and offers courses at the potter’s wheel – Open Studio Time, single lessons or in four-week workshops. Lovers of this craft can learn the process in all steps: from the wheel to the firing process in the kiln. Their studio door is also (mostly) open – if you like, be sure to stop by this Saturday (29.07.2023) for the first summer pop-up and dive into the universe of Helka Ceramics!

Text: Milena Kalojanov / Photos: Daniel Farò

Helka Ceramics & Studio, Böckhstr.12, 10967 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Summer pop-up 29.07.2023 13–19h

@helkagram

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MIES, SUNDOWNERS & I: AFTER-WORK DRINKS ON THE TERRACE OF THE NEUE NATIONALGALERIE — RECOMMENDED BY UWE BUHRDORF
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MIES, SUNDOWNERS & I: AFTER-WORK DRINKS ON THE TERRACE OF THE NEUE NATIONALGALERIE — RECOMMENDED BY UWE BUHRDORF

It wasn’t so long ago that one of the city’s boldest buildings was surrounded by fencing: immediately shrouding the entire Kulturforum. What a loss. Fortunately that’s over now, and it’s about to get even better: every Thursday and Friday, restaurateur, artist and bar owner Johannes Gruber invites visitors to the Sundowner Bar on the terrace of the Neue Nationalgalerie. From the mobile bar, designed and specially built by sculptor and UdK professor Karsten Konrad, Johannes and his colleagues serve drinks as casually as they have for many years in their Kreuzberg bar Mysliwska, another pearl of urban nightlife. From the terrace, you can sit with the vastness of the Kulturforum in front of you, the daring architecture of Mies van der Rohe behind you, or vice versa… it doesn’t get much better than that. To make your time even enjoyable, combine your time there with a walk through the museum’s permanent collection and become inspired by encounters with great paintings. An afternoon like this helps us remember why we want to live here and not somewhere else. The Sundowner Bar: the ideal place for a vacation in your own city.

Uwe Buhrdorf is the owner of the small, fine event agency Die Wellenmaschine (The Wave Machine) and moves skillfully between brand, corporate and culture events. He is also an event organiser.

Text: Uwe Buhrdorf / Photos: David von Becker, Thomas Bruns & Cottonbro / Credit: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Sundowner-Bar on the terrace of the Neue Netionalgalerie, Potsdamer Str.50, 10785 Berlin–Tiergarten; map
The bar is at the back of the gallery building. Every Thurs & Fri 18–21h30.

@neuenationalgalerie
@staatlichemuseenzuberlin

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SEX, PRIDE AND POLITICS — A CELEBRATION OF QUEER CULTURE AT THE SCHWULES MUSEUM

SEX, PRIDE AND POLITICS — A CELEBRATION OF QUEER CULTURE AT THE SCHWULES MUSEUM

Last Saturday hundreds of thousands of people took to Berlin’s streets for the 2023 CSD march. As always, it was a loud, proud, beautiful affair. These days, pride can almost feel routine – just another date on the summer social calendar. But huge public gatherings by LGBTQ+ people – people whose sexuality once isolated them – are a result of remarkable progress. Being openly gay in public was once impossible and continues to be met by violence today, as evidenced by the homophobic attacks that occurred last weekend. One place offering a colorful reminder of how far we’ve come – and how far is left to go – is the Schwules Museum. The Schöneberg institution documents and celebrates queer culture in all its gore and glory. The current exhibition, Love at First Fight, is made up of over 100 objects – photos of legendary drag queens, invites to protests – that attest to five decades of struggle for equality. Particularly fascinating are the exhibits that reveal the underground gay and lesbian scene in the GDR.

Also on show is an exhibition of pictures by Hamburg-born photographer Rüdiger Trautsch, who spent 50 years capturing the protests, parties and famous faces of Germany’s queer scene – including West Berlin, to which LGBTQ+ people flocked to escape military service. Trautsch captures scenes that are sometimes hedonistic, sometimes heartbreaking but never not human. You can attend tours of both exhibitions weekly. Heading outside, the audio tour We Have Always Been Everywhere tells the personal stories of the sex workers of the Bülowkiez red light district. Yet another example of queer life flourishing where we can see it: on the streets.

Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Rüdiger Trautsch & Schwules Museum

Schwules Museum Berlin, Lützowstr.73, 10785 Berlin–Schöneberg; map
Mon, Wed & Fri 12–18h, Thu 12–20h, Sat 14–19h & Sun 14–18h

@schwulesmuseum

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SET THE FOUNDATION FOR A STRONG PARTNERSHIP — PRENUPTIAL COUNSELING COURSES FROM HANNAH HEBENSTREIT
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SET THE FOUNDATION FOR A STRONG PARTNERSHIP — PRENUPTIAL COUNSELING COURSES FROM HANNAH HEBENSTREIT

If, like me, you spent your twenties in Berlin, you might have similar memories: things were easy-going and everyone was curious, going on endless dates and trying things out. Then – all of a sudden – everyone seemed to be over 30, thinking about children and getting married. Marriage? What once seemed impossible suddenly felt realistic, normal and perhaps even desirable. In a world where constants are a rarity, partnerships offer security, trust and a home. Then there’s the romance of getting engaged – surely one of life’s last great gestures. Yet with proposals come questions: is it the right decision? How do I really feel? Does my partner have reservations? Is there anything we ought to discuss beforehand? And if so, how? For all quandaries of this kind, Hannah Hebenstreit might just be the contact you need. The Mitte couples therapist offers non-religious marriage preparation courses in addition to classical counseling and therapy.

Marriage preparation courses? In Germany these were once only organized by the church, but Hebenstreit has given the pre-nup sessions an update for contemporary city life. Without religion and spiritualism to distract, you’ll focus on pragmatic topics that will help you build a solid foundation for the future. You’ll delve into communication and finances, self-discovery, family dynamics, sex, intimacy and the emotional baggage you both might be bringing with you. Sound complicated? It certainly is – which is why you need a competent counselor to guide you through the thorny issues. It’s a form of preventive couples therapy, meaning that even after you’ve tied the knot there’ll still be room for passion and curiosity – and you (hopefully) won’t need one of Hebenstreit’s crisis sessions…

Text: Alina Herbel / Photos: Viktor Strasse

Hannah Hebenstreit, Mulackstr.22 Innenhof (right), Berlin–Mitte; map

Sessions are held online or in person in Dutch, German or English, and can be booked here.

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FROM MARGIELA TO PRADA — THE POP-UP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WEEKEND

FROM MARGIELA TO PRADA — THE POP-UP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WEEKEND

Do you have vacations, weddings, dinner parties or simply a few relaxing days at the lake ahead of you this summer weekend? Thinking through wardrobe ideas for your plans and somehow everything feels a bit uninspired? Are you silently lurking the desire for a bit of spark between favorite sweaters and last season’s bikini? Then here come two young, fresh and sustainable pop-ups for that certain je ne sais quoi in August. Tomorrow and Saturday (29 & 30.07.2023), Alessandra Corbettas invites you for the second time to browse and find pieces on-site with her highly exclusive Sand Archivio. From 90s Prada, 00s Missoni to 2022s Balenciaga. Corbetta manages such a meticulous selection that it’s impossible to choose. Large parts of their archive are only rented out for movies and galas, making it all the nicer to have the chance to own a piece. If the impossible happens to you and you leave without a treasure in hand, maybe the next weekend is worth it: On 04 and 05.08.2023, three great projects have joined forces in one place. The Slow Label, specializing in timeless key pieces, subtle statement pieces and high quality with an ethical green approach, and the two carefully selected designer vintage projects Freja-Studios and Versa, the latter with a focus on Scandinavian freshness can each be found at Helka Ceramics. At your leisure, look, touch, try on. In no time you’ll find the slow Saturday is over and perhaps also the boredom in your closet.

Text: Alina Herbel / Photos: Carmen Colombo & Jordan Wood for The Slow Label

Sand Archivio, Mehringdamm 79, 10965 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Pop–up 29. & 30.07.2023 12–20h

The Slow Label, Freja & Versa at Helka Ceramics. Böckhstr.12, 10967 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Pop–up 04. & 05.08.2023 12–20h

@sandarchivio
@theslowlabel
@frejastudios
@versa_2ndhand
@helkagram

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