Not taking yourself too seriously

by 
Alicja Kwade, Detail Installationsansicht, Gegebenenfalls die Wirklichkeit (2018), LinienLand at Haus Konstruktiv, Zürich, 2018. Courtesy of KÖNIG GALERIE, Berlin/ London/ Seoul, Decentraland, Foto: Roman März

»What’s up today?«, we ask a number of prominent figures from the city’s culture scene about their Berlin Art Week plans. On 17 SEP Birgit Jammes of GASAG is heading to Berlinische Galerie for a look at Alicja Kwade’s exhibition.

I think Berlin Art Week is incredibly worthwhile; you can take in such a rich and diverse range of contemporary approaches and trends within a few days. So many institutions participate, collectors invite visitors, there are special programmes and tours. It provides exclusive insights—all in the course of a long weekend. That’s what makes Berlin Art Week so special.

Going to Berlinische Galerie is like coming home for me. I meet a team of wonderful people who do their job very competently and the place is very welcoming. I find inspiration and dialogue, encounters and discourse. Thomas Köhler and his team have accomplished wonderful things there in the last few years. And last but not least, Berlinische Galerie hosts the GASAG Art Prize every two years.

Alicja Kwade, Principium, Detail, 2020, Courtesy of the artist; KÖNIG GALERIE, Berlin/ London/ Seoul/ Decentraland, Foto: Roman März

Alicja Kwade, Selbstporträt, 2020, Courtesy of the artist; KÖNIG GALERIE, Berlin/ London/ Seoul/ Decentraland, Foto: Roman März

What I like about Alicja Kwade’s work, which is on show at Berlinische Galerie during Berlin Art Week, is the way she tackles questions of science and philosophy. Her exhibition ›In Abwesenheit‹ (In Absence) finds the artist engaged in self-reflection, trying to gather as much information as possible. Her exploration ends with the realisation that we actually know nothing at all. Considered from that perspective, it’s absurd that we all take ourselves so incredibly seriously.

 

You can find more tips on Berlin Art Week 2021 from GASAG here

BERLINISCHE GALERIE
Alicja Kwade. In Absence
18 SEP 2021—4 APR 2022
Opening 17 SEP, 6—10pm

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