Berlin Art Week 2: Everything That Moves

Berlin Art Week 2: Everything That Moves

Ho Tzu Nyen at Michael Janssen Gallery

“How do I recognize what’s part of the Future Now Festival?” a visitor asked me on Sunday at the Hamburger Bahnhof. “Everything that moves,” I said. 

When I saw the Wurst-stand at the entrance of the new Berlin Art Fair looking exactly the same as it did last year, I knew that imagination hadn’t been part of the new concept. 

I could only see the art fair later on, at home, on other people’s Instagram. I looked at what people posted in wonder how they can see what I can’t see. 

At KOW Michael E. Smith’s work left me neutral. “I have no opinion,” I said to somebody who asked.

At Sprüth Magers I could see that Barbara Kruger had done something with the space that had an impact but it didn’t make me warm.

Barbara Kruger

At Guido Baudach I was asking myself if the army camouflage stuff on the wall was very burnable and in case it was, how I would escape. 

At Arratia Beer, Holly Hendry’s sculptures would have been more interesting if the press text hadn’t explained them.


Holly Hendry

At Esther Schipper I was thinking that somebody should tell Karin Sander to take a course of Kritische Weißseinsforschung at the Humboldt University so that she can finally learn what she’s doing with the color white.

I didn’t go to Thomas Fischer because I’ve seen Sebastian Stumpf jumping from rocks too many times to still find it interesting.

I got excited at Blain Southern about Michael Simpson’s bench and ladder paintings. They are benches and ladders and at the same time they’re something more. 


Drawings by Michael Simpson upstairs at Blain Southern

And I got very excited about the excellent zombie movie by Ho Tzu Nyen at Michael Janssen Gallery and spent the rest of the night there, with artists Aiko Tezuka, Akane Kimbara, art historian Mariko Mikami and the artist himself. We were talking about the zombies in the film and then we were chatting about people in real life. Although after a while the zombies and the living got mixed up.


Talking about zombies, fiction and non-fiction
Good times at Michael Janssen Gallery



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