BWA Contemporary Art Gallery in Katowice

It took Berlin a long time to become what it is now: a no-concessions artistic metropolis, which is at best cheerfully heterogeneous. It abounds in as many various scenes as there are mini-neighbourhoods, which are called kiezes. Berlin is an exceptionally harsh environment to work in, as artists tend to become heavily engaged in the widespread DIY scene, which comprises self-supporting galleries and workshops that have been set up in various vacant premises. The world has not seen a self-inflicted exploitation on such a scale before. These initiatives seem to function on different planets, as they use a wide variety of funding options, organisational structures and group dynamics. As a result, on an evening out in Berlin in 2015, you might find yourself diving into a multitude of worlds. Most artists say that members of the audience can always easily engage in a dialogue with one another, that commercialisation plays a minor role only, and that self-organisation is definitely understood to have political undertones.

Most artists appreciate the fact that members of the audience are always able to quickly find a common language with one another, and that the Berlin artistic scene still boasts an impressive variety of media and styles. Its temperament is subject to unpredictable shifts. ‘Wild’ eruptions happen concurrently with internal sentiments. There is no ban on stereotyping in Berlin, but steering away from convention is well justified if this convention is not ready to look at itself with irony. Thanks to its disparate nature, Berlin has become a place full of possibilities. It is nice that it is sometimes possible to enjoy everything at the same time.

Everyone can dream their own hipness. What matters is that a resulting work of art should be in some way exceptional. The air of nonchalance, including attitudes towards the Besserwisser, is a powerful attraction. Pure style is reserved for the ignoramus. Through the presentation of twenty different artists, the exhibition ‘Berlin Artists’ Statements’ aims to testify to this stylistic freedom. Their works — ranging from paintings and drawings to sculptures, objects and video installations — will be shown in three galleries in Katowice. Also, there will be a showcase of Sven Marquardt’s posters in urban space. The exhibition spans a diversity of topics, but it is all about Berlin — a city that is going through a long-lasting phase of regeneration. The BWA Gallery presents paintings and objects that specifically regard art-related issues, acknowledging the importance of art as a practical means of slowing reality down, and seeing colour and paint as the centre, the ultimate cause and the landmark. This focus is exemplified in works by Sofie Bird Moller, Tatjana Doll, Valérie Favre, Eberhard Havekost, Peter Krauskopf, Bernhard Martin, Frank Nitsche, Adam Saks, Sophia Schama and Fabrizia Vanetta.

There are sculptures by Lucas Foletto Celinski, Alicja Kwade and Natalia Stachon, which resemble a teeming mass of riddles. Wolfgang Plöger points to the autonomy of filmic time and anti-narration, whereas Jörg Herold looks at remembrance sites and myths across Europe, using Silesia as an example. In the Rondo gallery, Aharon Ozery’s and Ulrich Vogl’s objects form a landscape made of light and shadow — a poetic trap. KLUB7 artists launch attacks from their hiding place in a vacant shop in Mariacka Street. Each artist has a unique personality, which makes it difficult to provide the character of all their works with one label. The exhibition shows twenty different artistic approaches, explores their inter-relations, and examines spheres of the existing reality and less tangible selves, dealing with the overlapping tradition and modernity and revealing phenomena that are characteristic for art which emerges in a contemporary multicultural metropolis — Berlin. The participating artists represent young and middle generations, some of them were born in Germany, others in Poland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Switzerland, Brazil and Canada; today, they all live in Berlin.

Christoph Tannert (curator)

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