Art Residencies

All Photographs in this post were taken by Elly Clarke. Visit http://www.ellyclarkephotography.com/

Hosting exhibitions within the domestic space is something that is explored as renting costs increase and gentrification slowly spills over the boundaries of Prezlauerberg and Mitte to places such as Kreuzberg and its surrounding areas. Alongside projects such as Torstrasse 166 (See Post below), a number of shows are being held within domestic spaces as a way to cut costs. But what effect does the domestic environment have upon the interpretation of the work exhibited?

The Clarke Gallery is situated in the corridor of a typical Berlin apartment in Neukölln; a surprisingly spacious hallway that lends itself to small works and site-specific installation. The second exhibition to feature in this space opened last Thursday; comprising a series of single edition photographs taken by Clarke (founder), on her many ventures around the world. One self portrait, in which the artists leg is captured amongst a scenic landscape, links all the images together; the instants or moments captured and controlled are all taken by one person- and the many views and experiences of that person are replayed and shared in stills within the home, surrounded by objects and memories collected in situ.

This successful exhibition was due to the intimate and personal context of the domestic space; it documented a journey that visitors could follow right up until the present moment, as we stood in the artist’s kitchen amongst the boxes of cereal and crockery. It is sometimes difficult to understand another person’s experiences of the world in which we live. This show gave the audience a small insight in to a person’s life, as if they were studying a collection of photographs on the mantelpiece.

Clarke Gallery, Neukölln

Work can still be viewed and purchased at http://www.flickr.com/photos/clarkegallery/se ts/72157610338386714/

As the I am the SpaceWhere I am exhibition moves ever closer, I am contemplating this notion of space, and how a context surrounding an artwork can become part of the work itself. It leads me to question where a piece of work begins and a space ends. If we look at a piece of work created 100 years ago we are able to see its boundaries; but a contemporary work exists within the culture it has been created, and is much more likely to blend with its context. Contemporary works respond to the cultures we create and constantly reinvent for ourselves; relating not just to the current room, but also to the street, city, and country it is situated within. As it states across the front of the Altes Museum in neon – ‘All Art has Been Contemporary’

In two weeks time I will open up my studio, home, and office; revealing the space, and the works I’ve created within it to the general public. Alongside this public versus private contradiction, I have also invited 7 other artists, who are also familiar with the surrounding space, to create interventions that will change the existing space and allow the public to consider it from a completely different perspective. How can a domestic environment be explored and reinvented for an audience, and how can the space be viewed in relation to the artists that have responded to it?

See www.victorialucas.co.uk for work in progress and exhibition information. 

Space in Berlin is generally multi-functional; anyone can open up a bar for example, and empty shops, apartments, warehouses and cellars become communal sitting rooms or bare spaces in which you can drink and dance until dawn. I went to a party that was organised by a friend of mine on Friday night, held in a small bar near Görlitzer Bhf. At first the space appeared to be a typical Berlin bar- sofas and wooden furniture filled the space, a bar to the left of the entrance. Initial comments from friends were ‘how are they going to hold a techno party in here?’

We approached the bar and suddenly noticed people disappearing down the side of it; the cellar had been changed in to a club- the steep cellar steps leading to a dark room filled with people dancing to the muffled noises escaping up the staircase. It was like Alice in Wonderland- the steps were almost vertical and you had to stoop so that you didn’t hit you head on the landing. The subterranean space was raw and unfurnished- a makeshift bottle bar had been set up next to the downstairs fridges and all the stored items had been moved to a back space which was blocked from public use. The context of the event made it very special, and everyone really enjoyed the night and danced until the early hours. 

Ezze Ramone DJing at his event E-MAX. Vor Wien, Skalitzer Str 41, Kreuzberg. 

See http://www.myspace.com/ezzeramon for more information.