Pool Gallery

About:

Pool gallery is a contemporary fine arts gallery located in Berlin. Founded in 2006, the gallery offers and cultivates a platform for young and emerging talents, as well as established and accomplished artists. The gallery is committed to presenting trans-discipilinary contemporary art to an international public both in the gallery and through participation in international art fairs.

Notes:

This gallery is comprised to two adjoining rooms, with a nice window front that displays the work nicely at street level. It is located in the heart of the most dense gallery area in Mitte (near KW). It is more on the commercial end of the spectrum but has a young fresh vibe to it and they are working with conceptual work mostly in the disciplines of photography, drawing, painting and installation.

Go to Pool Gallery

Tanas

About:

The project space Tanas is meant to further follow the continuous developments of contemporary Turkish art and to present them in Berlin - in close cooperation with Turkish persons engaged in the cultural sector and independent from representative duties. Tanas is supposed to be a platform for the steady discussion and interaction of Turkish artists and curators with the German and international audience. Berlin represents the proper position for this purpose with regards to the local cultural landscape as well as the social and political implications. Not least Istanbul and Berlin are connected by a sister-city arrangement since 1988 within the context of which a fine tangle of relations in the field of art has been created, for example by grants and cooperations of cultural institutions.Tanas is managed by René Block who now continues his long-standig examination of contemporary art from Turkey. 

Notes:

There is a very large Turkish population in Berlin (the largest concentration outside of Turkey). I'm not sure what the percentage is but it does account for a fairly high percentage of the population. I'm not sure how much you know about it but basically in the 50s, 60s and 70s Germany opened up immigration to Turkey for 'migrant workers' to come and work in the service/construction sector that was missing workforce. Thousands of Turkish people came to work on guest work visas, started families and never left, many invited relatives from Turkey too. Since there is such a large number of Turkish people in Berlin (& Germany) there are Turkish communities that are not integrated into German customs and language. Anyway this has been a topic of debate here for a long time. 

The project space is very well organized and beautiful. From the current show to the archive, it looks like and interesting centre to work with. It does position itself as being Turkish but considering the high population of Turkish in Berlin it is representing quite a significant aspect of the Berlin art world.

Go to Tanas

The Belgo of Berlin/ Kunst am Hamburger Bahnhof Heidestrasse

Notes:

The group of galleries housed on Heidestrasse are kind of the equivalent of the Belgo Building galleries in Montreal. Located Just behind the famous Hamburger Bahnhof art gallery, in a semi industrial/field/empty lot/car garage zone, are these great galleries (I just love the name of the gallery Haunch of Venison). Some of the galleries even have 3D tours on their web pages, which is the first time I have seen it. There are actually a few here that are interesting, in different ways but quite a few of them are in between exhibits so I could not visit some of the spaces. I am going to post on Tanas but the following also look interesting:  

Galerie Schuster 

Galerie E105

Hamish Morrison Galerie

Christian Hosp

Go to Heidestrasse

KW Institute for Contemporary Art

About:

KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin is a place for the production and presentation of discourse oriented contemporary art.

KW has no collection of its own but instead views itself as a laboratory for communicating and advancing contemporary cultural developments in Germany and abroad by means of exhibitions, workshops and resident artists' studios, as well as by collaborating with artists or other institutions and by commissioning works.

Notes:

The KW has multiple (beautiful) exhibition spaces, varying in size, and presents and excellent array of quality conceptual art in their programming. I attended a guest lecture as well as the current exhibits which include an installation piece, photography and video. There are three current exhibits/events on at KW so for a collaboration, one of their exhibit spaces could be dedicated to the show, not the all the spaces since it is probably about 4000 sq ft. They appear to be open to collaborating with other institutions (from their mandate) and are not commercial. Their shows are well documented and included press releases and exhibiton publications. The two shows that are currently on are well curated and organized. They are an institution so I am not sure if they would be interested in collaborating with a smaller gallery (since they normally collaborate with large institutions) but perhaps if the project involves a really innovative collaborative curatorial concept it could work. As far as I can see, KW would be a dream partner, although perhaps it is a bit ambitious.

Go to KW

IFA Gallery Berlin

About:

The Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, ifa) is an organization operating worldwide to promote artistic exchange and dialogue between civil societies and to provide information about foreign cultural policy.

As the leading German institution for international cultural exchange, ifa devises and organizes German contemporary art exhibitions worldwide. We fund artists' exhibition projects and award scholarships; the ifa galleries in Stuttgart and Berlin feature contemporary art, architecture and design from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
We bring together people from different cultures through exchange programs and international conferences, and we support civil conflict resolution and transformation work. Special media programs enable us to support the development of structures in civil society. Ifa is also active in a wide variety of other projects in co-operation with foundations and other civil society organizations both nationally and internationally.
The specialised library in Stuttgart, the KULTURAUSTAUSCH (Journal for international perspectives) and the ifa internet portal are the most important forums for information about foreign cultural politics in Germany.
Ifa is funded by the German Foreign Office, the State of Baden-Württemberg and the City of Stuttgart.

Notes:

This space is interesting in two ways: 1 in that it has an exhibition space and hosts international exhibits and 2 that they also fund international exhibits and artists travelling to Germany on a cultural exchange. 

The exhibition space is quite nice (one large divided room plus two smaller rooms that are currently being used for videos) and again, located in the gallery hub that is Mitte. The current exhibition is quite well curated and very interesting in that it manages to give one insight into the theme with a diversity of work. The press information is also well presented. They are also host to a wide variety of activities amongst which are art publications, artist talks/ lectures and touring exhibits. They are well funded and would in any case if not as a partner be an excellent resource for this project as a source of funding. Their web page is totally devoid of exhibition space pics so I could go back and take a few more to give a better sense of the layout than what is given here.

Go to IFA

n.b.k. Neuer Berlin Kunstverein

About:

n.b.k. is a site of contemporary art and discourse production. It was founded in 1969 with the goal of presenting contemporary fine art to a broader public, and to inviting that public to actively participate in cultural processes.

n.b.k. and its partners aim to promote recent artistic developments and underline the social importance of current art. Together with Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, n.b.k. publishes the book series “n.b.k. Exhibitions”, “n.b.k. Discourse,” and “n.b.k. Berlin”. “n.b.k. Exhibitions” will provide information about the artists exhibited. “n.b.k. Discourse” will present current approaches in the theory and practice of art. “n.b.k. Berlin” will provide insights into Berlin’s cultural life. n.b.k. understands itself as a platform for the young art scene in Berlin. The residency program of n.b.k. with its studio apartment in the renovated garden city Atlantic, Berlin-Gesundbrunnen offers fellows the opportunity to explore Berlin and develop projects. In 2009, n.b.k. began participating as a site of contemporary art and discourse production in the eipcp network (europan institute for progressive cultural policies), an organization of European art and cultural institutions.

Notes:

The n.b.k. is a much larger institution than just a gallery but their programming is quite good and they have a beautiful space (although there is currently a video exhibition which makes it difficult to portray). I talked with the gallery sitter who was very helpful and friendly and found out n.b.k. recently changed direction which has also changed their mandate to be more young and contemporary since before it was apparently more modern art. The location of the space is excellent, right on the street and right in Mitte (one of the main gallery districts). Since they are also active in publishing exhibition books, appear to be well funded, have well curated shows and well written press releases on their artists, they would be a very attractive partner. The main drawback of this group is that their mandate is supposedly (from what I was told) much more geared toward socio-political art and they are more institution than just a gallery so they may not be interested in collaborating with a smaller gallery. 

Go to n.b.k.

Program -- Initiative for Art & Architecture Collaborations

About:

PROGRAM is a nonprofit project aimed at testing the disciplinary boundaries of architecture through collaborations with other fields. Initiated in 2006 by Carson Chan and Fotini Lazaridou-Hatzigoga, PROGRAM provides a discursive platform for artists, architects, critics and curators to explore ideas through exhibitions, performances, workshops, lectures, and residencies. PROGRAM intends to enrich and broaden our definitions of architecture, and to challenge traditional, domesticated modes of architectural practice and representation. Developing each project independent of an overarching agenda, PROGRAM is striving to diversify the ways we understand and make architecture. Central to our project is to engage the discourse with emerging creative processes that activate the space between pure theoretical research, professional praxis and architecture's social role.

Notes: 

This space was recommended to me. It is much more Architecture oriented, as you may have noticed,  but there is a significant photo/video/installation component from what I saw at the present show and trolling thought their previous exhibits. The work is conceptual and they appear to have a variety of both emerging and established artists but all contemporary. The exhibition space is gorgeous and they have done collaborations in the past (with London). The artists who told me to check it out also said that this centre would be good for me to check out since it is independent but very well funded. The sq. ft area of the gallery is quite large but the entire front is windows and it is quite open (no dividing wall like Les T.) so the wall space may actually be comparable. I did not on the other hand chat with anyone there since there are offices are in a separate room but all and all a nice professional space. 

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Galerie Feinkost

About:

Aaron Moulton (director & curator): My work as a gallerist will be to step back and ask some simple questions that should be asked more often such as: “What is the purpose of art in relationship to culture?” And even more basic: “Is that art and why?” The programming is two-fold with one space dedicated to solo presentations and the other to curated shows. Both work against and inform each other to create a context. Curated shows will be topically based in current cultural, social and political issues and not just art world-centric ones so that anyone who reads a newspaper will have a frame of reference for looking at contemporary art. I see my role as a curator and an advo- cate for those I work with more than that of a merchant but I also have to pay the bills. Berlin, unlike New York, London or Milan, is one of the last places where interesting collaborations can un-self-consciously occur without a necessity of guarantees.

Notes:

This gallery has quite an interesting space and the show that is currently exhibited is very intelligently and interestingly curated. The owner was present at the gallery and was very welcoming, although spent more time looking at the show than talking with him about the organization of the gallery although it appears to be more commercially oriented from what I have found online, the gallery does not actually have a mandate on their web page but there are several publications on the gallery that discuss the concepts and work of the owner as a curator that position it as being very conceptual in the approach and content of the works exhibited. 

Go to Feinkost

Galerie Axel Obiger

About:

“Galerie Axel Obiger” opened on 18th September 2009 at Brunnenstraße 29 in Berlin Mitte with a group exhibition. Each year, the gallery will present six two-person exhibitions, one group exhibition of current work, guest artists and a supporting programme of performances, readings and artist talks.

Galerie Axel Obiger exclusively shows contemporary work. All media will be represented by the gallery artists, including painting, photography, sculpture, drawing, object-making, installation and video. Each artist's work makes strong references to dense figurative-spatial forms of expression.

Notes:


This gallery is also quite new but had a really great photography show on (well curated) that is part of the European Photography Month Berlin. The gallery is comprised of two spaces (one main 2 room space and a second show room next door to the gallery making it approx 800 sq ft. I chatted a bit with the owner who was friendly and knowledgeable about the pieces contained in the show. Great location. It is not all together evident how the gallery is funded but it appears to  be more "independent" than commercial in the approach to curating and organization. More photos of exterior to come.

Go to Axel Obiger

PM Galerie

About:

PM galerie, founded by Aurelia Defrance and Julie Grosche in 2009, is a combination residency program and gallery space. We host international artists invited to live and work with us for the purpose of creating a dynamic engagement between artists and curators. The residency culminates in an exhibition of the pieces created in situ.

The gallery’s goal is to create a cultural exchange of ideas on contemporary art, with an emphasis on sculpture, between international artists and the Berlin community. Moreover, the programm gives an opportunity to young artists to expand their practices and gain great visibility on an international circuit. It encourages them and their artistic concepts to enter into a critical arena.

Notes:

This gallery was recommended to me by an artist I met. I managed to talk with the owners while I visited and asked them all about their gallery. They started the gallery about 1.5 years ago, so it is a fairly new project but already getting good press. The owners started wanting to work mainly with installation but have been refining and re-evaluating their programming. The owners are originally from France and both studied fine art in Lyon. The space is organized as a non commercial gallery.  The space is composed of 2 rooms (about equal size to Les Territories).

Go to PM Galerie