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PHOENIX ON THE ROOF: HANS UHLMANN AT THE BERLIN GALLERY
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PHOENIX ON THE ROOF: HANS UHLMANN AT THE BERLIN GALLERY

One of Berlin’s most curious sculptures can be found on the roof of the Philharmonie. The sculptor Hans Uhlmann installed his Phoenix — a stylized bird with two broad metal wings — here in 1964. While artwork on buildings usually catches the eye, Uhlmann’s sculpture almost entirely eludes it. His Phoenix nestles so closely to the architecture that it’s nearly unnoticeable, symbolizing the artist’s work. Uhlmann’s works blend seamlessly into the Berlin cityscape. His steel spirals and columns wind towards the sky in the Hansaviertel, in front of the Deutsche Oper, and at the University of the Arts. Yet his name is unknown to most people today. The Berlinische Galerie aims to change that with the first comprehensive retrospective in 50 years. With around 80 sculptures and graphic works, the museum traces Uhlmann’s life and work from his artistic beginnings in the 1930s to his death in the 1970s. After studying mechanical engineering, the Berlin-born artist repeatedly tried his hand at sculpting, discovering wire early on as the main material for his works. When he was arrested in 1933 during an anti-fascist leaflet campaign and sentenced to one and a half years in prison, he filled his time in custody with the only activity left to him: drawing.

His artist friend Jeanne Mammen smuggled pencils and notepads into prison. After his release, he exhibited the ideas of the time. He created heads made of metal and iron wire. Uhlmann described his imprisonment as the “most important period” in his artistic development. Even if the fine wire figures later gave way to massive metal sculptures, the linear aspect always remained part of his formal language. While teaching at the Berlin University of the Arts in the 1950s, Uhlmann developed his own style further. Figurative explorations receded into the background; instead, Uhlmann was interested in how he could depict movement in space with reduced forms. His abstract formal arrangements made him one of the most sought-after artists in the young Federal Republic of Germany. Invitations to the Venice Biennale and documenta followed. In addition to elaborate art-in-building projects, he returned to drawing in his old age. In black chalk, he traced the permeability of his structures on paper and discovered the dynamism and spontaneity that were so important to him throughout his life. Uhlmann achieved what many are denied. His works emit a quiet power. Even if, like the Phoenix on the roof of the Philharmonie, they sink in the background at first glace.

Text: Laura Storfner / Photos: Anja Elisabeth Witte & Clemens Poloczek / Credit: Legal successors Ewald Gnilka/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023; Margot Schmidt, Hamburg, for the work by Hans Uhlmann: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024

Berlinische Galerie, Museum of Modern Art, Alte Jakobstr.124–128, 10969 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
​Hans Uhlmann: Experimental Forming until 13.05.2024 Wed–Mon 10–18h.

@berlinischegalerie

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LET’S GO BERLINALE — THE 74TH EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL STARTS TODAY
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LET’S GO BERLINALE — THE 74TH EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL STARTS TODAY

The year is 2024. It’s February. The Berlin sky is gray. If you’ve been hibernating and missed the recent discussions, here’s a reminder: it’s Berlinale time again. The film festival is in its 74th edition, showcasing over 230 films for ten days starting today (15.02.2024). Tim Mielant’s historical drama “Small Things Like This“, featuring Cillian Murphy as a coal merchant in a small town in Wexford, Ireland, during the 1980s, will open the red carpet event. The film is part of the competition, vying for the Silver and Golden Bears against 19 other productions such as the documentary “Dahomey” and the debut film “Mé el Aïn” by Tunisian-French director Meryam Joobeur. Besides the buzz at Potsdamer Platz, Berlinale Goes Kiez (17.–23.02.) is back, bringing a touch of glamour to Berlin’s arthouse cinemas and beyond. “Last Swim” will be screened at City Kino Wedding, marking Sasha Nathwani’s feature film debut and kicking off the Generation 14pluscategory. The story revolves around Ziba, a British-Iranian teenager embarking on a journey of discovery with her friends on a scorching summer day in London. On 21.02. at Babylon Kreuzberg, Yorgos Zois invites you to a deserted seaside resort with “Arcadia“, where neurologist Katerina and former doctor Yannis are tasked with identifying a corpse. This captivating drama is part of Encounters, a section dedicated to showcasing new perspectives on cinema.

Fans of Nora Fingscheidt since “Systemsprenger” should add “The Outrun” to their must-watch list: Saoirse Ronan portrays Rona, who returns home after a long absence. As she confronts her memories of childhood and her tumultuous time in London, a poignant adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s autobiographical bestseller unfolds. Alongside the Berlinale’s main program, there’s a rich array of additional events. One notable example is Gewächshaus, a network by and for BIPOC filmmakers, hosting masterclasses, workshops, parties, and more at Fotografiska under the theme “Shifting Power at Berlinale”. Here’s hoping you snag tickets and soak in the festival atmosphere! What better way to escape Berlin’s dreariness than by immersing yourself in a film marathon, sinking into a cinema seat with popcorn in hand, and being transported to another world.

Text: Sophie Doering / Stills: The Outrun, Matt McQuillan & Les Films du Bal – Fanta Sy

The complete Berlinale program is available online. Further information can be found on the website.

@berlinale

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BE BRAVE: THE JOURNEY OF COURAGE SUMMIT CONNECTS BIWOC* & TIN*BIPOC ENTREPRENEURS

BE BRAVE: THE JOURNEY OF COURAGE SUMMIT CONNECTS BIWOC* & TIN*BIPOC ENTREPRENEURS

“Inclusion” and “diversity” are buzzwords thrown around by companies (and beyond) constantly. It’s not uncommon for companies to claim diversity and inclusion without explaining what that actually looks like in practice. But what do these two terms mean from the perspective of BIWOC* and TIN*BIPOC, and what do workplaces require to be genuinely inclusive and diverse? The Journey of Courage Summit next Saturday (10.02.2024) at Ayoka in Kreuzberg will explore precisely these questions. (Quick explanation: BIWOC* stands for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color; TIN*BIPOC stands for Trans*, Inter*, and Non-Binary People of Color.) The summit — initiated by Brave Spaces 2.0 — is an intersectional event hosted by and for people affected by discrimination. Leni Charles (Kids of the Diaspora), Beatrice Angut Lorika Oola (Fashion Africa Now), and Ouassima Laabich (Muslim Futures) are among those taking part in the event. The moderator at AYOKA — a Black Owned Business — will be ShaNon Bobinger. Gambian cuisine will be provided by Am Agie Njie, who is soon to launch her own catering business, Eat. Africa. The idea for this event originated at BIWOC* Rising. Former pilot and founder Loubna Messaoudi knows from her own experience how difficult it is for children of the migrant diaspora in Germany to navigate educational institutions and workplaces despite systematic and structural discrimination.

With her company, Loubna wanted to create a place and space where the economic, social, and career participation of TIN*BIPOC and BIWOC* is strengthened. Among other things, the BIWOC* Rising team offers anti-bias training for companies that want to build more inclusive structures. The Brave Spaces 2.0 project hosts events and workshops for TIN*BIPOC and BIWOC* entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and freelancers and provides them with a database of helpful resources and a growing network of founders of color. You’ll hear many, many terms, not just buzzwords, but important language that makes discrimination visible and opposable at this unmissable event. 

Text: Hanna Komornitzyk / Photos: Ayoka, Marc Moudi & Ina Aydogan

AYOKA Event Space, Friedrichstr.182, 10117 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
The Journey of Courage Summit, 10.02.2024 9–18h. You can buy tickets here.

@bravespaces2.0

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WILD MEMORIES AS A VISUAL FEAST — THE EXHIBITION BLAST! BY FILMMAKER KARIM AÏNOUZ AT THE DAAD GALLERY

WILD MEMORIES AS A VISUAL FEAST — THE EXHIBITION BLAST! BY FILMMAKER KARIM AÏNOUZ AT THE DAAD GALLERY

In 2004, filmmaker and director Karim Aïnouz came to Berlin as a fellow of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program and stayed. 20 years and many films later, the DAAD Gallery is showing his lesser-known photographic and installation works for the first time under the title BLAST!. The exhibition provides an insight into his intimate image archive, which has grown over decades: places, people, strangers, friends and, again and again, Berlin. The transformation of the city, Tempelhof Airport, the clubs. The four rooms are full of his life’s work, unmistakable imagery, queer aesthetics, delicate character studies, and complex explorations of themes such as origin and identity (his own Brazilian-Algerian-French identity and that of others). Video installations and images convey a longing for the past and future in equal measure. And for those who are not yet familiar with Aïnouz’s cinematic work, the neighboring fsk-Kino is showing a selection of his feature and essay films alongside the exhibition. The exhibition will run until 10.03.2024. And on Friday (16.02.) you can attend the artist talk and book launch from 7 pm.

Text: Hilka Dirks / Credit: Karim Aïnouz

DAAD Galerie, Oranienstr.161, 10969 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Until 10.03.2024 Tue–Sat 12–19h

@daad_artists
@karimainouz

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RADICAL POLITICS OF THE BODY: VALIE EXPORT AT C/O BERLIN

RADICAL POLITICS OF THE BODY: VALIE EXPORT AT C/O BERLIN

The year is 1968. A woman leads a leashed man on all fours through the center of Vienna. The woman is the media artist Valie Export and the man is her colleague Peter Weibel, who she worked with frequently in the sixties. The message of her art is as simple as it is effective. Export embodies (with a wink) the woman liberated from patriarchy, reversing gender roles to an extreme. She had already laid the foundation for this work a year earlier when she dropped her real name and called herself “Valie Export”, written in capital letters and inspired by a cigarette brand. She no longer wished to bear a man’s surname. Instead, she adopted a new, chosen identity. C/O Berlin is now dedicating a comprehensive retrospective to the 83-year-old Austrian, which traces how Export challenged not only social norms but the way we perceive ourselves.

It features one of her best-known works, Tapp- und Tastkino. In a pedestrian zone, she strapped a cardboard box in front of her naked upper body and asked passers-by to touch her breasts (the screen) for a few seconds while looking her in the eye. Export wanted to expand the concept of film, but above all she wanted to radically criticize the male gaze on the female body. This debate runs through much of her work — including her Body Sign Action campaign in 1970, when she had a garter belt tattooed. As with many female artists of her generation, her own body remained her most important means of expression over the years. Sometimes she presented it as a projection screen for male pleasure, sometimes as a recipient of pain. Her photo series Body Configurations proves that her work always questions what place a woman can occupy in society. In contrast to some of her more radical work, these black-and-white photographs appear restrained at first glance. But there is a quiet power in the scenes — Export reclaims public space by lying prone on the street or nestling against buildings, steps and architecture. No one can argue Valie Export’s place in art history. As this exhibition at C/O demonstrates, she is one of the most important contemporary artists.

Text: Laura Storfner / Credits: Body Sign B, 1970, The Albertina Museum, Vienna © Valie Export, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023; Photo: Gertraud Wolfschwenger; Valie Export – Smart Export, Self-Portrait, 1970, The Albertina Museum, Vienna © Valie Export, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023, Photo: Gertraud Wolfschwenger; Aus der Mappe der Hundigkeit, 1968, gemeinsam mit Peter Weibel, Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac © Valie Export, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023; Photo: Joseph Tandl

C/O Berlin Amerika Haus, Hardenbergstr.22–24, 10623 Berlin-Charlottenburg; map

Valie Export: Retrospective, until 22.05.24.
Daily 11–20h.

@coberlin

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