Winter took its toll last week and locked many of us in several layers of blankets and various forms of pajamas. What we simply could not miss was the opening of the CTM Festival, for we felt adventurous and adventures in music and art were promised to be seen and heard. Other than that, we casually dropped by (not carrying a camera, unfortunately) to OTHER Projects to see what that wicked witchcraft in the description of the show is all about (click!). And we were brave enough to fight the cold all the way to Kuckei+Kuckei, only to encounter some more winter in the displayed paintings. 

FRIDAY 24.01

 CTM Festival opening @ Kunstraum Kreuzberg Bethanien

WretchUp / Mouse on Mars + Hacklab Opening + Shadow Puppet? + Generation Z : Renoise exhibition opening

One of the cultural highlights of Berlin is this festival that always brings the best of current electronic and experimental music; mostly for the cerebral and not so much for the physical experience. Although this is the city where people go to clubs to worship electronic music by dancing for 12 hours straight, this festival does not seem to be about dancing at all. That was also the first impression upon arriving to the opening where one of the rooms sounded like a dance floor but did not look like one. Two girls were trying hard to get into it, solely to support the artist who was probably also their friend.

After an hour of cruising around the hallways of Kunsthaus Bethanien, I went back to that room, or more precisely - I tried to get back there but it suddenly became so crowded and impossible to squeeze in. Quite frustrating, because the performance by Mouse on Mars was what I came there for, and then I missed it.

Meanwhile, I discovered the exhibition "Generation Z : Renoise" to be quite interesting and amusing. It was also crowded there and I saw many drinks being spilled around the entrance where the shoving was intense, but it paid off to be a little bit patient and see the show at a slow pace. 

The show was educational in a very amusing way; weird, somewhat disgusting instruments (pig bladder with a vein string on a mop, for example) provoked a lot of curiosity, but not as much as the room with instruments that were available for noise making (plus points for all the people not being shy to beat the s* out of those noisy things).

You could also try out playing theremin (the best instrument ever?).

All in all, worth visiting, and highly recommended to see as much as possible during the festival. 

SATURDAY 25.01

Andreas Angelidakis: Crash Pad @ KW

^{Photo by Uwe Walter}

The first commissioned work for the Berlin Biennale opened at KW on Saturday afternoon. "Crash pad" was by Andreas Angelidakis, and it was resembling a classic Greek or Ottoman lounge, complete with rugs on the floor and the walls. Due to the snowy shoes, they made you wear bags on your feet, but overall the atmosphere was almost cozy enough to take your shoes off all together. An informal discussion between Andreas Angelidakis and Juan Gaitan, curator of the 8th Berlin Biennale, took place discussing the work, the presence of WIFI in lounges, and the current states of Berlin and Athens. Ouzo and Greek bake goods provided. (E)

Vlad Yurashko - Trapped In the Woods @ Kuckei + Kuckei

Snow is in the air; people are off the streets. A perfect scene of bliss - Berlin in the cold. Last Saturday at Kuckei + Kuckei, the bliss continued in a small opening to ring in Vlad Yurashko's paintings. I counted six people in the gallery - myself included - and while the intimate atmosphere could have easily turned awkward, the crowd was welcoming and inviting.

Also welcoming and inviting were the platters of pretzels and meatballs - +7 for the little rituals. (N)

As for the artworks, there was a strong feeling of winter (perfect timing!) and Andrei Tarkovsky's influence. The latter maybe not directly and intentionally, but I believe that Yurashko's paintings do have the motifs and the vibe that can be found in the movie Ivan's Childhood. Watching the movie recommended prior to seeing the show; served best at -10 degrees. (A)