001 - Match Point and dancing beetles
Hello Smart Art Lover
In preparation for my BerlinViews tours I visited the Barbara Thumm Gallery last week. I got into conversation with the gallery owner about some very current questions, which also came up again and again in my four lockdown artist talks The Future of Contemporary Art.
As something that has been given an enormous boost by the lockdown situation, what is the art world's position on digitalization? And, which is more important: the art experience offline, direct visits to exhibitions or artist studio visits? Or online social media platforms such as Instagram?
Offline / Online
Until now, I always assumed it was either/or. Barbara Thumm thinks that the question of offline or online is too black and white. In the future, it is only possible that they will work together.
With this in mind, I search for great exhibitions in Berlin galleries, project spaces and institutions every week. Parallel to this, I look for surprising online projects. If something special happens in the Berlin art world, I will tell you about it.
My offline favorite of the week
Elmgreen & Dragset, or as I like to call them, the Gay Godfathers of the Contemporary Art World, are exhibiting in Berlin again after more than 15 years. And for the first time at KÖNIG, in one of the city's most difficult spaces - the nave of St. Agnes. Others may have failed because of this, but in the exhibition Short Stories I recognize true mastery in the conception of its installation in space and also in the quality of its execution.
A tennis court is built to its original size. An old man, dressed only in trousers, sits in a wheelchair with his eyes closed, sunken into himself. A boy lies face down on the tennis court. A third sculpture stands turned away from us at the far end of the room, a cup in his hand. The sculptures are listed as individual works in the exhibition list, but they develop a whole story in my head. Is the old man lost in memories of a scene from his youth, a tennis match with a far-reaching outcome? Why does the winner, Flo (no joke), look so serious, almost melancholic? What was the real prize?
This installation stands for an artist duo at the height of their creativity.
Elmgreen & Dragset
Short Stories
16 May to 2 August 2020
KÖNIG, Nave, Berlin
Photo by Galerie Barbara Thumm
My online favorite of the week
Back to Barbara Thumm again. In the time during lockdown the gallery owner started an absolutely brilliant project: New Viewings on Instagram. Week after week, her empty gallery space is digitally curated by curators. This has resulted in exhibitions that ignite a wild and new creativity. And in this way they are only possible digitally. The dancing beetle by Bianca Kennedy & The Swan Collective, curated by Philipp Bollmann, is completely off the wall.
Photo by Marcel Scharner @marcel_scharner
What's new in the Berlin art world?
Well, I am launching scary-art.org and florianchristopher.com, art consulting with a focus on access and education. My goal is to introduce art lovers to the art world in several steps, brave, gentle and smart.
In the Brave Art School online course, art seekers learn basic knowledge about the art world and the aspects of buying and collecting art. The course is scheduled to start at the beginning of September.
The curious will visit openings and exhibitions in small groups together with the Gentle Opening Night or Gentle Saturday Afternoon. In collaboration with BerlinViews I offer exclusive tours in small groups through the participating galleries of the online platform. From August 8th until August 8th we will discover the galleries of Charlottenburg, Tiergarten, Mitte, Kreuzberg and other districts by foot or by bike.
Experienced ones will explore the art world of Berlin with the Smart Art Advisory Tour. From one afternoon to several days they discover exhibitions and artists' studios. In late summer the Gallery Weekend Berlin will take place from September 11th to 13th - a very good reason to book an advisory tour. And, in the following weeks, you can take your time to discover the best exhibitions in the city.
Florian Christopher offers an all around service as an art consultant for an internationally demanding collector clientele, from airport pickup with visits to artist studios and the showrooms of galleries to exclusive dinners.
Be brave, gentle and smart.
Yours
Florian
