The festival season is upon us; that, of course, doesn't mean we won't give any love to the wonderful exhibition openings this month. Between mind building at transmediale and pushing your hearing limits at CTM, try to pack a slice of fine art into your leisure time. 

11.00 Uncanny Valleys Of a Possible Future @ Kunstraum Kreuzberg / Bethanien

WHY: The CTM 2018 exhibition presents a variety of artistic approaches that occasionally playfully but always politically address the festival theme "Turmoil". It explores dualities – such as tension / explosion, apathy / engagement, regression / progress, peril / hope – through the works of artists Frédérick A. Belzile, Guy Ben-Ary, Jessica Ekomane, Peter Flemming, Lawrence Lek, Teun Vonk, Anne de Vries, ZULI, Zorka Wollny & Andrzej Wasilewski. These artists propose different ways by which to navigate the ongoing strain and unease of being torn between polarities.

Kunstraum Kreuzberg / Bethanien / Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin, U Kottbusser Tor / open through 02.04 / more info

THURSDAY 01.02

19.00 Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa – "Third Lung" @ Galerie im Turm

WHY: Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa's multi-part installation „Third Lung“ arises in the context of a series of spiritistic séances, in which the artist connects with the souls of extinct species of birds. Responding to sounds detected by participants in previous séances, the artist has formed a series of clay bird-whistles. „Third Lung“ combines these with four sculptures, forming a constellation that is to be activated through performance. The piece was conceived in 2017 and was on show at the Venice Biennale.

Galerie im Turm / Frankfirter Tor 1, 12043 Berlin, U Frankfurter Tor / open through 11.03 / more info

FRIDAY 02.02

17.00 "All Inclusive" – Finissage @ Group Global 3000

WHY: Holiday in Egypt as a all-inclusive package. Once paid, the rest is done by itself. You can use the voucher carrier instead of the wallet and the immediate relaxation can start.On display is a travelogue in the exhibition space, which turns the thematic worlds of real and non-real into a tour of the all-inclusive principle. Free according to the motto: it is not all gold that glitters.With works (installation, objects, video, photography, paintings, graphics) from Laura Därr, Geeske Janßen and Rahel Zaugg.

Group Global 3000 / Leuschnerdamm 19, 10999 Berlin, U Moritzplatz / more info

19.00 Contemporary Infinite @ Romanian Cultural Institute

WHY: „Contemporary Infinite“ is an exhibition that brings together recent works by Gregor Hildebrandt and Milen Till. The concept of the exhibition and the works shown are inspired by the radical thinking of two Romanian artists, Constantin Brâncuși and Andrei Cădere, whose artistic work explored the universal subject of the infinite.The show aims to emphasize the moment when one goes beyond an artistic influence and takes up the concept of an artist's work individually, addressing the subject matter within current social and artistic contexts.

Romanian Cultural Institute / Reinhardtstr. 14, 10117 Berlin, U Oranienburger Tor / open through 30.03 / more info

THURSDAY 08.02

18.00 Antonio Cosentino – "Summer was a Beautiful Day" @ Zilberman Gallery

WHY: In Antonio Cosentino’s works, one finds a wealth of images distilled from everyday life, the depths of personal, memory, and the visual culture of the artist’s city. Cosentino’s mobile and ludic setup reminds us of the typical obliviousness of modernity, by suggesting concepts such as the fleetingness of megacities and urban architecture, the loss of human scale and localness, the superhuman speed, and consumption.

Zilberman Gallery / Goethestr. 82, 10623 Berlin, U Ernst-Reuter-Platz / open through 14.04 / more info

FRIDAY 09.02

19.00 Bauer Sucht Industrie @ Group Global 3000

WHY: In the exhibition „Buer Sucht Industrie", thirteen artists address the current agricultural predatory competition and ask if there are better, sustainable development models. Tom Albrecht, Sandra Becker, Susanne Gabler, Michael Hoepfel, Irene Hoppenberg, Esteban Lahoz, Gabriela Lesmes Benna G. Maris, Lucie Stahl, Annette Stüsser-Simpson, Mari Terauchi, Sven Wieder & Regine Wolf show photography and painting, graphics, video & installation.

Group Global 3000 / Leuschnerdamm 19, 10999 Berlin, U Moritzplatz / open through 13.04 / more info

19.00 Jordan Wolfson @ Schinkel Pavillon

WHY: Jordan Wolfson is an artist who explores the increasing digitalization of society and other technological developments in a wide range of media; from video, film, installations, performance, print, and photography, to animation, digital reproduction, and electronically-guided sculptures. He explores ideas around tangible and virtual realities, with a special focus on the projection of inner impulses such as desire, optimism, violence and guilt in constructed scenarios and alter-egos.

Schinkel Pavillon / Oberwallstr. 1, 10117 Berlin, U Hausvogteilplatz / open through 01.04 / more info

SATURDAY 10.02

19.00 Arthur Jafa @ Julia Stoschek Collection

WHY: Julia Stoschek Collection presents the filmmaker, cinematographer and artist Arthur Jafa in his first exhibition in Germany, featuring Ming Smith, Frida Orupabo, and Missylanyus. Across 3 decades, Jafa has developed a dynamic, multidisciplinary practice ranging from films and installations to lecture-performances and happenings that challenge prevailing cultural assumptions about identity and race. It is driven by a recurrent question: how might one identify and develop a specifically Black visual aesthetics equal to the 'power, beauty and alienation' of Black music in US culture?

Julia Stoschek Collection / Leipziger Str. 60, 10117 Berlin, U Stadtmitte / open through 25.11 / more info