I have just spent a busy week in Berlin. It could have been better, I had to go earlier and leave earlier than I would have liked. Last Tuesday the Berlin Art Week Opened and everything was happening. I arrived the previous Wednesday and quite a lot of the gallleries were still closed for the summer. After Tuesday last week all hell broke loose with far too much to do and see, whereas the previous week left me feeling quite strange really, I am no longer a tourist in Berlin, but neither am I living there at the moment, I felt a bit removed. I also felt more stressed than I should have before meeting people at the Milchhof about my proposal for the exhibition. After a successful meeting and the AMAZING opening of Art Week, I felt fully back in the swing of Berlin life, then it was time to return to London. Lots more openings and special events were scheduled for the weekend, but…
last weekend was Open Studios here in London, at which I showed the culmination of the doll work, and some of my ideas for The Pavillion am Milchhof. Consequently, now, I just feel exhausted. The open studios did provide a lot of positive feedback though, and I do feel inspired to proceed with all projects.
Art Week is a great time to be in Berlin and I would encourage all of you reading this to try and go sometime. A whole block of Auguste Strasse, traditionally the heart of the Post Wall Berlin Art World, was closed off. It was a bit like Notting Hill Carneval for Artists with food stalls and sound systems, and a stage for performances, as well as every gallery being open until around 10pm. Incredibly packed, and, in typical Berlin style, incredibly egalitarian. No special receptions or cordoned off areas for celebrety collectors and gallerists. For those who still had any energy later in the evening there were DJs in the marvelous Speigalshal in the Clarcans Balhaus. The Speigalshal is famous as the venue for one of Tino Seghal’s early works, and, a couple of years ago, for my friend Florian’s fortieth birthday party. It is a truly wonderful space that evokes a decadent decayed city from a previous era.
As for the show at Milchhof, I have to waite until the board meet in October to settle exact dates, but the work has been agreed in principle and details of timing, responsibilities and hanging have been discussed. I hope to be in Berlin for a couple of months in spring next year. Half of the time preparing and hanging the work, again using some studio space at The Milchhof, and half of the time trying to encourage people to come and see my work.
Now I have to think about funding! I have just discovered that the British Council Funding programme has completely changed since the last time that I applied for it, and they will no longer just fund an exhibition abroad. Arts Council funding is for projects in England, so that is counted out, which means thinking about independant and charitable funds. I am also thinking about having an exhibition here, or in Berlin to try to sell some of my large scale Berlin Drawings to help pay for the installation work.
I also have to think of a title, I have a quote from Rilke that I feel is really relevant, however I discovered it in The Hamburger Bahnhof, in an exhibition, so it might be spotted as a bit of plagarism if I do use it.
Enquiries are also being made about another venue in Berlin with a view to showing a development of the mirrored video work shot in the Royal Palaces of Brandenburg.
Exciting times.
