Much like when US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shows how feminist make-up can be in her recent video tutorial, Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury explores the subversive potential of the beauty and luxury industry. At her exhibition at Mehdi Chouakri’s studio, apparently abstract paintings turn out to be oversized reproductions of well-known eye shadow palettes from brands like Chanel. Fleury has knowledge of fashion and art history and sees herself as an actor in both systems: her garment-shaped ready-mades are thus always more than crude consumer criticism. Fleury also appears herself, as a personalised emoji, and indeed all her works can be read as embodiments of the self, including the Acne jumpers and fur jackets that are in her own dress size. What unites these works are the humorous asides aimed at her male artist contemporaries: like Donald Judd, she creates polished wall figures with rounded corners. A basketball is reminiscent of Jeff Koons, but while the ball is pumped up to the limit by Koons, Fleury lets the air out – a first step towards the abolition of patriarchy. (Text: Laura Storfner / Photos: Ludger Paffrath, Berlin)

Mehdi Chouakri, Fasanenstr.61 (Fasanenplatz entrance), 10719 Berlin–Charlottenburg; map
Exhibition: Sylvie Fleury “Shame” until 31.10.2020
Bleibtreustr.41 (Mommsenstr.4 entrance), 10623 Berlin–Charlottenburg; map
Tue–Sat 11–18h
@mehdichouakri
@fleury49000

As autumn closes in, some welcome relief is provided by the European Month of Photography (01.-31.10.2020), a month-long festival where 100 venues across Berlin and Potsdam will host artist talks, guided tours, screenings, workshops and of course lots of photography. “Europe — Identity, Crisis, Future” is the theme this year, reflected in the main exhibition “Continent – In Search of Europe” held at the Akademie der Künste, where 22 works from the Ostkreuz Agency reflect on the personal, social and political phenomena of European coexistence. Meanwhile, major events from 1989 to 2011 become tangible in “The Masses“, a collection of works by late photographer Krzysztof Miller at the Polish Institute which document emotional moments during that period of change. Berlin’s river is the focus of Götz Lvov’s “Spree Cuts“, which tracks the river’s path from Friedrichshain to Moabit and Spandau. With works from 500 artists plus a program of workshops and discussions, the decentralized concept at this year’s EMOP is not only apt for the times, but also reflects a continent that is more complex than ever. (Text: Hanna Komornitzyk / Photos: Dawin Meckel, Pindar Street, a.d.S., Die Wand, © Dawin Meckel, Ostkreuz – Courtesy: Akademie der Künste; Andreas Mühe, Biorobot II © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, Courtesy: St. Matthäus-Kirche; Birk Alisch, Gamechangers © Birk Alisch, Courtesy: Lette Verein Berlin)

European Month of Photography: 01.–31.10.2020 at venues throughout Berlin and Potsdam. The complete exhibition program is available online. Many tickets are free and can be booked via the website.

@emopberlin

The environments and circumstances that meet and interact in large cities are complex and diverse. The exhibition “Living the City” in the former Tempelhof Airport aims to make them tangible and accessible: Starting tomorrow (25.09.2020), 50 stories about and from urban spaces will be presented there for three months. For each exhibition, 70 participants from 20 European countries will playfully convey their very own view of the city on topics such as love, life, and travel. Among the participants are Tue Greenfort, whose installations revolve around the relationship between man, nature, and the environment; the Belgian firm Alive Architecture; and the Canadian Larissa Fassler, who works with urban geography. An expanding cityscape collage, which also demonstrates our active relationship to socio-economic and political activities in the city, will come to life in the former terminal. An accompanying program will also bring music, workshops, talks, and tours to the airport. Trend-setting souvenirs will be made in the Torhaus workshop, the TU Berlin lecture will focus on methods of sustainable urban design and after a performance by the inclusive DJ collective Supastar Soundsystem, you can even learn about freestyle rap. “Living the City” is like the city itself – different every day, and never boring. (Text: Hanna Komornitzyk / Credit: Airport Berlin-Tempelhof © Membeth; Zones Urbaines Sensibles, Luchtsingel, Rotterdam, 2014 © Ossip van Duivenbode; S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, Swim-City © Lucia de Mosteyrin)

Living the City was created on behalf of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building, and Homeland Affairs as part of the National Urban Development Policy.
 
25.09.–20.12.2020
Tempelhof Airport, Platz der Luftbrücke 5, 12101 Berlin-Tempelhof; map
Tue 10–20h, Wed–Fri & Sat–Sun 12-20h, Thu 12–22h

The complete program of the exhibition is available online. The tickets are free of charge for the entire duration of the exhibition and can be booked via the website.
@livingthecity.eu