-Why did you come to Berlin to work?
-I have promised myself I will not answer any more questions about Berlin.

First of all football. So Germany triumphs over Greece, to get beaten to a pulp by Italy, who in their turn got absolutely ridiculed by Spain in the final. It feels like  there is a karmic statement in there somewhere I just don't see it right now.

Second of all: THIS exchange. I often admit to standing on the outside of situations  looking in for a meaning. But this?   

I translate:
Mrs Horn, director of KW posts in facebook 7th bb is gone (where?) but look at ... follows the link of, not one of the thousand negative reviews, but of the bb itself. (The King is dead, long live the king? ) 
Then Mr Birbidge (artist and project space owner) answers, well you see what he answers. (How does he dare? Do they know each other?  Are they related? Is this the famous internet democracy? Can I go up to Damien Hirst and write on his wall: You suck! Is it a rebellious statement? Why now? Really what is the purpose of writing that NOW?)  
And then Mrs Horn’s come back- in upset English. It was a statement! better to have one than only to talk about
(What does this mean?) Alien Alien Alien...
 
( FIY you can pick up the Jesus sculpture-Styropor boards in KW. For your home, your office or to jump around naked. 50 pieces (each 1000 x 500 x 200 mm) Contact:  Antje Weitzel, aw@berlinbiennale.de, 030. 24345975 )

I can think of  a lot of things which are better „only talked about“ than done: Killing, suicide, stealing works from yours gallery depot, scratching or adding a line to abstract works etc.
And then there are the things better left completely unsaid. Like biding farewell to the middle aged American collectors you just met with the statement: „See you on the other side!“
But more on that later. I actually left the Basel impressions account un-finished, as I was writing it in Greece the night of the elections and I switched to looking at real estate prices for selling Athens apartments. 

alien volksfest outside Basel Liste

So Basel :
- When the bill came at this gallery restaurant dinner, I witnessed, to my horror, the host gallerist pointing at only two of the four present house artists in the I-got-this-kind-of way. He ignored the other two artists, who dutifully took their wallets out and paid for themselves. This left me feeling very unsure, I would NEVER join a dinner like this if I were to be asked to pay at the end... Did the artists who had to pay did not earn enough for the gallery in the last six months and got black-dinner-listed? Or did they earn so much that they can pay their own damn fancy dinners?  I swear this job is a minefield.
- I thought there is nobody who dislikes artists as much as other artists. (see our hate-o-meter feedback). But of course there is. The set up people for big galleries or big art fairs.  Especially as they tend to be artists themselves. Our insider source Philip T. said the elevator to the depot of Basel Unlimited was covered in thick layers of graffiti expressing in variations the same sentiment: ****UCK YOU!! ****UCK ART!! The world inthe eyes of the people who have to install Le Big Coons, seems to have different priorities.
- I had the privilege ( it felt like a privilege) to stroll around the upper floor of Art Basel with two well known and respected American collectors, who had just bought me ( I like this expression albeit wrong on so many levels).
What a whole new magic world that was!! The smiles, the polite interest, gallerists suddenly had all the time in the world, people were actually talking about art! This is the world I want to live in, dad.

basel -clothes for private investigators

I have not used this column for petty complaints until now but this is the Summer Loch:
Dear “journalist“ if you HAVE to ask THAT question about Berlin, please respect my answer and don’t sneakily cut it out first with the lame excuse there is not enough space, then with the barely covered reproach we find the answers too short and thus cannot be used for a written article (is there an oral article?) and then with the unresourceful lie we have been too busy to let you know in time. Acting professionally takes up the least time!!

Besides, the notion that the legth of a statement is directly proportional to its value is what has brought us into this press mess.