Whispered words in the foyer as you enter the Akademie der Künste’s location on Pariser Platz: it is Edith Clever’s voice that seeps almost imperceptibly into the ear canals in an invisible sound installation – and the first work in the exhibition “Luc Tuymans – Edith Clever” (until 26.11.2023), shown there. The show is the first in a new series by the Visual Arts department of the Berlin Akademie der Künste: members invite other members from different disciplines. So now the painter and the actress begin. And what a start it is! What at first seems like a contrast dissolves into almost self-evident parallels: Clever’s language, subtle and intense like Thyman’s colors and motifs; Thyman’s complex themes, pressing like the force of Clever’s monologues; their unique, brutal physicality as present as the violence in his visual oeuvre. Paintings and installations, video and textiles complement each other effortlessly, perhaps also supported by the works created for the exhibition, some of which are site-specific. The new concept of the Akademie der Künste succeeds brilliantly here. And whets the appetite for what comes next.

Text: Hilka Dirks / Credit: Luc Tuymans, Private collection; David Zwirner, New York London On loan from the Gesellschaft für Moderne Kunst in Dresden e.V. im Albertinum, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden; Syberberg Clever Monologe, film@syberberg.de / Photos: Studio Luc Tuymans, Ben Blackwell & Hans-Jürgen Syberberg

Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Tue–Fri 14–19h & Sat–Sun 11–19h, entrance is free on Tuesdays.

Luc Tuymans – Edith Clever bis 26.11.2023

@akademiederkuenste

Experimental music has a long tradition in Berlin. And even though Berlin Atonal is over and the CTM Festival is still a long way off, there are still two concerts this November that all friends of sound and noise should not miss. Next Thursday (16.11.2023), St. Thomas Church in Kreuzberg will open its doors to a pioneer of electronic music: “Silencio” is the name of Moritz von Oswald’s new project, which will be released by Tresor Records (10.11.). Instead of hard techno, the sounds become contemplative in keeping with the location: a 16-voice choir helps von Oswald with his latest explorations, which focus on the similarities and differences between human and electronic sounds. And the mood? “In Silencio, von Oswald digs out a damp haze and draws clouds over a distant pulse.” How very contemporary. And how very Berlin in November. Incidentally, the tickets are refreshingly affordable in the spirit of community. From the church to the Sunday service: the Kantine am Berghain will be a little less melodic, but similarly progressive, when Leipzig’s Ideal Orchestra plays (26.11.). The orchestra’s 23 musicians will generate a synergy of conducted improvisations and carefully crafted compositions, making themselves at home in a wide-ranging repertoire. From brutalist walls of noise to cinematic soundscapes, everything is included. Let this recharge your batteries at least until next year.

Text: Hilka Dirks / Photos: Robin Lambrecht / Credit: Gellért Szabó’s Ideal Orchestra / Still: Moritz von Oswald

Moritz von Oswald – “Silencio” Release Concert at St. Thomas Kirche, Mariannenplatz 28, 10997 Berlin–Kreuzberg, map
16.11.2023 at 20h30

Ideal Orchestra at Kantine am Berghain, Am Wriezener Bahnhof, 10243 Berlin–Friedrichshain; map
26.11.2023 at 20h

@moritzvonoswald
@gellertszabo