The Foreigner in Berlin goes to art galleries in Mitte

I am probably among the last people in the Berlin blogging world qualified to utter sophisticated opinions about art, not because I have no idea what art is, but because I rather prefer to avoid entering into artistic considerations. My basic reaction is to know what I do like and is close to my cultural and intellectual apprehension and when it does not happen to keep quiet. I never tried to cultivate too much my skills of a potential art critic, despite almost two years spent following the MA classes in the history of art. Due to my political science/history background I always end up by considering art too much as a social/society mirror and I know I am wrong.

Despite this deviation, I go regularly to exhibitions and I visit art galleries, especially in Berlin where the art is mushrooming: on the walls, old and new building and, of course, in the socially assigned spaces for such activities. 

The menu for today was a 2-hour jogging on Auguststrasse searching for new spaces and art that makes me think outside my small box.

I started with Liebkranz Galerie, with Melissa Steckbauer's exhibition: Architectonics of Love. According to the presentation: "The architectonics of love and vice versa. The former begins with an investigation into the structure of relationships, both material and metaphysical". I saw other exhibitions of Melissa, but I loved this one for the coherence of the theme and of the approach.

The next stop was 5 minutes away, at the Galerie EIGEN+Art, where Rémy Markowitsch is presenting his series ALP. Mixing literary and visual influences from German-speaking literature in Germany and Switzerland it explores the visual 'philosophy' of the Alpine Clubs, in an openly ironic way. At the other Gallery with the same name, there is a group exhibition of Isabelle Borges, Osvaldo Budet and Adina Popescu. The travel writer and photographer in me, loved the works of Osvaldo Budet, short visual essays about social intervention and nature.
I went for another couple of minutes to the neighbouring gallery, Jorday/Seydoux, where Tony Cragg's works are exhibited till the end of the month. Interesting for the admirers of minimalism, but myself I am no more one of them so went further ti 

At Michael Fuchs Gallery two Swiss artists - Silvia Gertsch and Xerxes Ach  - are telling not only the story of their individual work, but also of togetherness. I might sound extremely stereotypical, but nobody's perfect. 

The exhibition here was still work in process, so I went to DNA where  one can see Mariana Vassileva's installations. As for me, I found it too emotional and complicated but the other exhibition, from Dittrich and Schlechtriem, about Dinosauria sounded better in writing. Next.

At ifa I've found a group exhibition of artists from Cambodia , the first ever of this kind I've seen, with interesting  food for thought about different materials (the work above was made using colored pencil shavings) and styles, as well as what are the limits between art and social and political manifesto.

The last high-end artistic experience of the day - and of the week as well -  at the n.b.k. was the most unpleasant, not because I saw the mention of some historical nomina odiosa, but because of the main topic, Suicide. I must behave as a sour housewife that does not have any spiritual resonance to the big issues of arts nowadays, but I simply did not like it and will not recommend to anyone. The overall setting looks fine and interesting though.

The exploration will continue most likely the next week with more galleries in and outside the Mitte area. I am still looking for a hard-core artistic experience when I will something that will make me keep silent for 7 minutes.

To be continued...