Recently a friend entered, or rather invaded, the former apartment of David Bowie and Iggy Pop in Schöneberg. He simply stormed past the current resident – who was perplexed to say the least – into the “kingdom” where the pop stars lived in the 70s. It was ten seconds of dancing happily in the living room before his pilgrimage came to an end; and although I doubt that the upcoming exhibition “David Bowie” at Martin-Gropius-Bau Berlin would bring the same level of euphoria, I’d like to recommend it. After showing at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, the exhibition was slightly extended for Berlin. An additional room focuses on Bowie’s creative catharsis between 1976-1978. It was here in Berlin that the iconic star swapped his glam Dada costumes for black pants and a white shirt: after going into hiding, the outlands and the night, he returned back into the light as the Thin White Duke. Manuscripts, photographs, costumes and music instruments document this transformation. The idea of being surrounded by the personal treasures of David Bowie, if only for a moment, is simply irresistible. (Text: Olga Schlosser / photos: The David Bowie Archive)
David Bowie, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Niederkirchner Str. 7, 10963 Berlin- Kreuzberg; map
20.5.-10.8.2014, daily 10-20h
