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
