The Villa Heike is little–known in Berlin given its enigmatic history. It was first built as the private home of German industrialist Richard Heike and headquarters to his meat production facilities. Following Heike’s murder in 1945 and the GDR take-over of the building in 1951, it became a secret storage facility for the Stasi, accumulating over 11km worth of files. The building closed after German reunification in 1990 and remained abandoned for 25 years until Architect Christof Schubert realized its potential. The entire villa has been renovated – while preserving the original architectural elements – as artists’ studios and a gallery. Two of its first tenants, French–German artist couple Johanna Dumet and Manuel Wroblewski, have transformed the penthouse into a captivating playhousefor Gallery Weekend Berlin 2019. She a painter and he a sculptor, their space is filled with large scale colorful art objects. Stop by their open studio exhibition, entitled Fire, and enjoy one of the first public looks into the Villa Heike in over 25 years. (Text: Michael Rice / Photos: Johanna Dumet, Manuel Wroblewski & Christof Schubert)
Villa Heike, Freienwalder Str.17, 13055 Berlin–Lichtenberg; map
Fire exhibition opening hours: Fri 26.04.2019, 18–21h, Sat & Sun 27.–28.04.2019, 15–19h
