013 - Karl Marx's potential return in no man's land
Arts of the Working Class, Issue 13
Karl Marx answers BLAU
Hello Smart Art Lover,
In my search for Berlin art magazines I found the arts of the working class. The title sounds as if Karl Marx had published an illustrated book in addition to Kapital. The layout corresponds to a classic newspaper in the smaller Welt Kompakt format, the German Daily. The front page irritates me with letters in Cyrillic and the pink panther. María Inés Plaza Lazo with a background in the world of art magazines and the Polish-German artist Paul Sochacki as editors follow a similar layout aesthetic to CubaParis. You already know my opinion on this. Not my cup of tea. Offline you can buy this magazine in selected art bookstores from London to Quito, but also from the homeless in the Berlin underground. Online I discover an expandable calendar of events, a list of contributors, another list of institutions reviewed and a selection of published texts. The shop for current and past issues should not be missing. I browse through ...
And discover the socialist answer to the elitist small talk of BLAU. Articles include texts in Cyrillic, German, English and, if I understand it correctly, Devanagari, the written form of Hindu. At the beginning, two street vendors are given a voice and thus awaken my empathy. Further topics are on identity, an alternative reality with neo-Nazis by Ingo Niermann and the opposition in Belarus. But I also discovered texts about the artists Christian Jankowksi and Simon Fujiwara. There is even a poster edition of the latter with the Pink Panther in the centre of the magazine. The artist Anna Witt writes about the German constitution. In general I cannot overlook the feuilleton character. I like the international touch. And the attempt to convey new perspectives beyond conspiracy theories. Like an apparent antipole, the advertising unites in a wild mixture advertisements from the Rhineland-Westphalia Art Collection, the traditional West Berlin Paris Bar and, to my amusement, the Dildoking, a discounter for erotic toys. But the advertisement of the Fluentum private collection, which presently shows Christian Jankowski, makes me wonder if I can buy an article as well. The magazine is not what I hoped for. But when I'm next sitting on the underground and a salesman is advertising this newspaper, I'll buy it.
Arts of the Working Class:
Issue 13
Eurothanasia
artsoftheworkingclass.org/shop
Available in Berlin at
Ashley, Oranienplatz 37, 10999 Berlin
Bücherbogen am Savignyplatz, Stadtbahnbogen 593, 10623 Berlin
Pro qm, Almstadtstraße 48-50, 10119 Berlin
SAVVY Contemporary, Plantagenstraße 31, 13347 Berlin
Marc Bauer, The Blow-Up Regime (Detail), GASAG Kunstpreis 2020, Berlinische Galerie, Berlin
The master of drawing in no man's land
I found no time for EMOP this week, but I recommend Marc Bauer's solo exhibition. In the no man's land of Kreuzberg, the Berlinische Galerie rests as a state museum for modern art, photography and architecture. The surrounding area first attracted a lot of attention through the church of the Galerie KÖN. The collection pursues the honourable mission of collecting and exhibiting Berlin art from 1870 until today. Unfortunately with mediocre results. The exhibitions in this institution often act on my mind like a slow nerve poison. After 30 minutes of enthusiasm I am exhausted. The architecture of the converted glass warehouse does not help the institution much; especially that the entrance area is a narrow tube with very high walls. You notice that this museum does not have the best Feng Shui in my eyes. But under the director Thomas Köhler, the team is trying to make the best of it. Including a very experimental communication strategy. So there is a podcast series. On the Gallery Weekend website the director talks about his Berlin. And the museum appears regularly at Cee Cee Berlin, in the coolest newsletter in the city. All under the professional direction of Bureau N. Bravo!
In a smart move, the Berlinische Galerie 2010 convinced GASAG, your trusted energy provider, to announce a prize for young Berlin artists every two years, which is linked to an exhibition in a tube. Focused on the interface between the vague terms of science, technology and art, Marc Bauer received this year's GASAG Art Prize. The Swiss artist is a master of drawing. His blow-up regime reveals a history of the 20th century. Accompanied by a very convincing soundtrack and spiced up with text fragments from Sybille Berg's cynical novel GRM. Brainfuck. The drawings tend to be kitsch in some places, but the exhibition is well worth a visit. And it still gives me the energy to watch the film in IBB-Video Space before I leave the no man's land for a Flat White in Mitte.
Marc Bauer
The Blow-Up Regime
GASAG Art Prize 2020
September 9, 2020 - April 5, 20201
Berlinische Galerie, Berlin
Be brave, gentle and smart.
Yours,
Florian
