What are you working on at the moment?
We are currently preparing Sebastian Stumpf’s new exhibition, his fifth at the gallery. The show will include a sound work that documents Stumpf’s bike ride from his studio in Leipzig to the gallery in Berlin, or rather the sound of his breathing.
What are you reading or listening to at the moment?
I’m a huge fan of the musician and composer Maya Shenfeld, and I’m now listening to her new album ›In Free Fall‹, electronic music that she assembles using analogue synthesizers, brass, and vocals. I’m currently reading Kirsty Bell’s ›The Undercurrents: A Story of Berlin‹, which interweaves her own story with Berlin history in a collage-like narrative. Her language opens so many new perspectives on the city, even if you think you’ve lived here so long and know so much.
What would you do if you didn’t work in the arts?
That’s almost unimaginable. A tax accountant?
Do you have a favourite building?
The former GSW headquarters that were designed by Sauerbruch Hutton on Rudi-Dutschke-Straße is an incredibly elegant and energy-efficient building. Every time I ride past it, I feel inspired. And, since it was completed in 1999, it symbolizes the atmosphere of 90s-Berlin, a cool euphoria when everything seemed possible.
What animal would you like to be?
None, really. Do I have to choose one? Then a hamster.
Who would you like to meet someday?
It’s less a person than a place. A year ago, I moved with the gallery to Mulackstraße in Mitte. It would be incredibly interesting to have a walk down this street in the 1920s. Right next door was the Mulackritze, a legendary bar that was frequented not only by Marlene Dietrich but also by Berthold Brecht and Gustav Gründgens. A kind of Grill Royal of the last century.
Do you have a daily ritual?
Getting up in the morning. That’s usually a success.
What was the biggest mistake that you’ve had to admit?
Hm, there have been a few of those. But the biggest mistake would be to admit them here.
What accessory or object is essential for you?
I have a new piece of furniture by Konstantin Grcic, Stool-Tool. It’s a combined chair and table, but can also be used as a stool or a side table. It’s so multifunctional that we once even used it as a pedestal at the gallery.
What do you do after work is finished?
Since there are so many overlaps in the art world between private life and work, Sunday is often the only day left that’s gallery-free. I like to use it for bike rides in the Brandenburg countryside.