Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Naked Moscow, interview with Fedya Ili






Tell us a little about your background and inspirations?

I'm Russian, lived most of my life in Moscow, worked as art director. I left Russia 10 years ago and started to literally live around the world, meeting local people, chatting, learning the culture and taking photographs. So people inspire me, their personal stories, and travelling of course.


What brought you to Berlin and how do you feel embraced by it?

I moved to Berlin almost 4 years ago from Buenos Aires, for its diverse, emerging and fun art scene. And we became very good mates with the city.


What attracted you to photography and who are your icons?

People. We are all trying to discover ourselves, who we are, what is love and where is our place in the world and society. Capturing the person in a moment of time. I admire Mapplethorpe and Rodin for how they show human nature, not only body and sexuality but opening a lot of emotions.


What is the situation in Moscow for artists and gay people right now?


I'd say Moscow is gay, but not openly. And exposing publicly anything lgbtiq can cause unpredictable reactions and issues, but more from official then from citizens.




What is the exhibit at the Ballery all about?


I've been often asked about gay life in Russia. 'Do they really kill gays?' So Naked Moscow exhibition is the answer - it shows the city and its iconic architecture with personal stories of 15 guys living there. And yes, they pose naked. Although like Berlin does not show situation in Germany, Moscow doesn't reflect whole Russia.


What is the power of photography today?

Photography was invented 100 years ago, don't think it has changed its power over people's minds. It's a memory of something you saw, have never seen or will see.



What is your opinion about Berlin as an art city?

We do have a few exhibition openings every day. That's amazing. The best one can do with art and for art is to show it, giving bread and wine for minds.


What is project is next for you?

I continue with Naked Cities, Buenos Aires to be released in late February.
What are you hoping for?
Love.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Nicola Samorì at Gallery Eigen & Art, Berlin

Otherworldly bodies painted, carved with masterly craft but at the same time imbued with a contemporary urgency that reminds us that our world is constantly changing being altered is decomposing while it composes a new symphony of living.

Mala fonte is the process that destroys what it has build painstakingly to make space for new visions to emerge from the temporary darkness that will allow an even brighter light to emerge. Beauty has never been more haunting then in these amazing works of art

more info at


http://www.eigen-art.com/index.php?article_id=1141&clang=0&archiv=1141&back=10


Rainbow Arcade , exhibit Schwules Museum Berlin

Amazing exhibit at the Schwules Museum in Berlin shining a light at the gay creators of games that often worked in toxic working environments to share their talents. This is an immersive experience and also offers lots of insightful text to understand the climate in this industry

more info at

https://www.facebook.com/SchwulesMuseum/



Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Interview with Berlin artist Otto Oscar Hernández Ruiz

Interview with Berlin artist Otto Oscar Hernández Ruiz


Lives and Works in Berlin and Weimar, Germany.
from Havana, Cuba.
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What is your background in art and what do you like about living in Berlin?

I remember when I was in elementary school that all my notebooks were full of scribbles and drawings together with the theorems, tables and the class notes. Years later I graduated as an Architect at the University of Habana, Cuba and as an Artist at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany.
There are only 3 cities that I have lived in. Havana, Weimar and now almost 6 years in Berlin. In all of them I have always developed or built a kind of bubble that I call "precarious luxury". But only in Berlin I had the opportunity to explore more deeper what I am and where do I want to go with my artistic practices.


What is your first memory of experiencing a piece of art?

looking at my father sitting at his desk working on his paper sculptures and collages of dreamed cities.


When did you realize you wanted to become an artist?

We are all artists ! But just to do that “Art” or the realization to become that “artist” devoted in bringing out artistically all inner whereabouts, came to me after working three years as an architect.


What other artists inspired you?

Oh dear ! . So many of them… and I cannot wait to find more. But always I feel the presence and the inspiration of the Cuban painter Wilfredo Lam, icons like Grace Jones , David Bowie and Jessye Norman and recently following the work of Tino Seghal.


What is the central theme in your art?

I have a very strong relationship with the east German landscape. Of course for me is like the battle field of my existence in the last 16 years.


You like the use different medias what elements in your creative process are fulfilled by that, like drawing painting video?


I will say…my artworks are always based on my personal narratives .I need the color, the sound and the movement to feel my self fulfilled or at least to be truthful to that particular experience I want to share through a drawing a painting a song and a performance .







What is the role of art or at least can be?

To be.


How does Berlin inspire your art?

the performative plays a central role in my life. To play, explore and define my body with in diverse ways of speaking, ways of walking, ways of be have , ways of dressing of different social bodies enriches me as a human being and of course and therefore as an artist.


What are you working on right now?

On a few things…
-Finishing two paintings for a future exhibition in Zurich.
-A performance based on one of the songs of the Ruckert lieder by Gustav Mahler together with the pianist Anna Lysenko in Weimar.
-live performances with the music label Giegling.
-Planing with my music partner Tilman Porschuetz our next “SYN3A” Album release Tour .
-Helping my life partner Simon Williams to run his gallery “ The Ballery ”in Schoeneberg , Berlin.


Where can one see your art?


From January 15 to the beginning of April a part of the gallery space "the Ballery" will be transformed into a studio and showroom. Here you can see some of my paintings already finished and the process of the new ones to come. Always from 3 o'clock in the afternoon the doors are open in our space on the Nollendorfstrasse 11-12 in Schoeneberg




Otto Oscar Hernández Ruiz
Dipl.-Ing. Architektur

Freier Künstler

http://ottooscarhernandezruiz.com/
Tel.: 0176 99320314
ottorum@yahoo.com

Saturday, January 5, 2019

Lee Bul CRASH at Gropious Bau Berlin by Richard Schemmerer




Lee Bul's work is stunningly disturbingly beautiful in all the unexpected ways life forms can dazzle us but in this case it is otherworldly remnants of an artist's phantasy land. This is art creation in the hands of a unique creator that has obviously a degree in aesthetics from an outer planetary university. I loved the spaciousness of the exhibit that was for once not heavy handed but felt light as an angels touch. I felt satisfied and saturated and impregnated with visions of a future world where even garbage is mesmerizingly gorgeous.

more info at

https://www.facebook.com/gropiusbau/

https://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/de/aktuell/festivals/gropiusbau/aktuell_gropius_bau/start.php