Berlin is always bustling, but when April’s last weekend rolls around, art collectors check their line of credit and get their hair done. Since 2004, some of Berlin’s most active contemporary art galleries have been establishing a weekend packed with openings all across the city.
Approximately 50 galleries will be taking part in Berlin Gallery Weekend 2018, taking place April 27 to April 29. While the established galleries and museums (think Hamburger Bahnhof and Kunstwerk), push their production limits, the city’s long list of smaller art houses will take full advantage of the 20,000 or so guests that flock to Berlin for the weekend. It’s worth noting the invited art collectors—they number at over 1,000—that also make the trip to the German capital, strictly for business.
We’ve put together five top picks for openings to see at this year’s Gallery Weekend. Many of these shows will also be on view through the month of May and June as well.
Bettina Pousttchi at Buchmann Galerie
At the Buchmann Galerie, German artist Bettina Pousttchi will debut her new exhibition, Allee/Avenue. By manipulating everyday street furniture like tree barriers, she is trying create a gap between their purpose, potential, and anthropological meanings. Their moss green colour is a nod to the camouflage often associated with nature and its willing disguise.
In the past, the Mainz-born, Berlin-based artist has crafted acclaimed installations like the Drive-Thru Museum in Dallas and the skyscraper wrap on the Wolfsburg Palace. Her work in the Buchmann Box experiments with scale in similar ways.
On from April 27 through June 23, 2018
[Andreas Greiner at Dittrich Schlechtriem](http://www.dittrich-schlechtriem.com/exhibitions/hybrid- matter/)
In Andreas Greiner’s debut show at Dittrich Schlechtriem, the German artist explores the themes of boundary, namely in regards to technology and nature. His collection Hybrid Matter focuses on genetic engineering. Sculpture mingles with multimedia and audio installations to explore our role on this planet and how sure we are about what we know. Expect scientific experiments, large-scale cell images, and perhaps more questions than answers in this exhibit from the former medical student.
On from April 28 through June 23, 2018
Los Carpinteros at KOW Berlin
Artists Dagoberto Rodriguez Sánchez and Marco Castillo Valdes have been crafting unique takes on multimedia art since 1992. In this latest exhibition, they have documented Cuban culture and society—in positive and negative lights—through their use of film, watercolor, and sculpture.
As their first show in a German gallery, the duo has assembled a forceful collection, probing the often tumultuous nature of Cuban politics. Commentary on Cuban social class and society are also explored through film and painting, describing the sometimes great disparity from one family home to the next.
On from April 28 through July 21, 2018
Stanley Whitney at Nordenhake
Stanley Whitney’s latest show is an experience in changing the priorities of colours and space. According to the artist, he is working within the notion that “space is in the color” and not the other way around. By asserting limits on his direction—in paintings he works exclusively in grid format—Whitney explores color as a geographic characteristic. As seen in titles like James Brown’s Sacrifice to Apollo (2008), Whitney takes cue from art history, music and pop culture in his native United States.
On from April 28 through May 26, 2018
AA Bronson + General Idea at Esther Schipper
In collaboration with Frédéric Bonnet, Esther Schipper is showing a collection of AA Bronson and General Idea photos from 1968 to 2018. As the only living member of the prolific photography trio General Idea (formerly consisting of Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal), Bronson is taking the opportunity to curate this retrospective covering a half-century of photos. There will also be a collaborative installation at the KW in Mitte featuring other works by Bronson, who is now based in Berlin.
On from April 27 through May 26, 2018
Cover image: Espuma Cúbica cuatro Díptico, 2016 © Los Carpinteros, courtesy the artists and KOW Berlin.
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