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Pictoplasma is back in Berlin

8. April 2013 in Art, Berlin, Events, Festivals by Paul

Pictoplasma

As the Kunstbox at The Circus Hostel is no more, we are unfortunately not able to host the wonderful folks from Pictoplasma for their festival this year, although of course we are really looking forward to the invasion of weird and wonderful character art and will be wandering the neighbourhood to check out what is going on.

Pictoplasma is “The world’s leading Festival of contemporary character culture” and is taking place in Berlin from 10-14 April. At the conference there is a mix of artist talks and screenings, and there are also four club nights to keep you entertained long into the evening, but one of our favourite parts is the Character Walk:

“The Festival’s CHARACTER WALK, an exhibition tour through 23+ project spaces, galleries and art venues throughout the city, presents character driven exhibitions by many of the participating conference speakers and international artists, featuring originals, installations, sculptures and limited editions. As a premiere the tour is no longer limited to the Mitte district, but also ventures off into the creative scene of Kreuzberg and Neukölln.”

We will have some maps if you want to explore the character walk, or check out the list of exhibitions on the Pictoplasma website.

Martin Kippenberger at the Hamburger Bahnhof

3. April 2013 in Art, Beer by Paul

Kippenberger

In 2013 the artist Martin Kippenberger would have been 60 years old, had he not died in 1997 due to what the publicity for this new retrospective at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum calls “an excessive life”. Actually, the curators of “Martin Kippenberger: sehr gut / very good” argue that this exhibition is not actually a retrospective of the work of a man that could be described not only as an artist but as an actor, a writer, a musician, a dancer and an exhibitionist, but more it is an approximation of the both the private and public persona of the man.

“During Kippenbergers stay in West-Berlin from 1978 to 1981 he made a name for himself as a short-term co-owner of the legendary punk club SO36. Besides performing as a musician in the band “Luxus” or respectively as an actor, he also once created for Claudia Skoda a floor collage as a catwalk for her Kreuzberg studio that he made from 1,300 photos from the fashion designer’s environment. For the duration of the exhibition, the collage is shown in the historic passage in the East Wing.

A multiple installation – often referred to as “white paintings” (1991) and so far rarely shown – can be seen on the main building’s first floor: eleven white canvases that are embedded into the wall, virtually becoming one with it. Upon approaching the work one recognises glossy children’s handwriting on the images, which quasi certifies Kippenberger’s work by grading it throughout with the mark “very good” – of course on request of the artist.”

The Hamburger Bahnhof, museum for contemporary art is a short bus ride from the Circus (it is not far from the main train station) and the exhibition is running until the 18th August. Entry is €8.

More information on the website

Image: Martin Kippenberger, Ohne Titel (aus der Serie Lieber Maler, male mir), 1981, Acryl auf Leinwand, 200 x 300 cm, Private Collection © Estate Martin Kippenberger, Galerie Gisela Capitain, Köln

Ally takes you to the Long Night of the Museums

13. März 2013 in Art, Berlin, Circus News, Events, Museum by Paul

longnightmuseums

This coming Saturday, the 16th March, is the next Long Night of the Museums here in Berlin. Twice a year over 70 museums open their doors throughout an evening to give a special glimpse of their exhibitions, through guided tours, interesting concerts, special performances and interactive workshops. There is loads to see and do, and actually the choice can be somewhat overwhelming… which is where Ally comes in.

Ally, our bartender and street art tour guide is our self-proclaimed art nerd, and she wants to take you on a unique trip through the Long Night of the Museums to give you a taste of Berlin’s fascinating culture. She will curate your evening for you, so you can let yourself be guided and be surprised at what she has in store.

Tickets for the Long Night of the Museums cost €18 (which includes all entry fees and public transport) and Ally will take you from the Circus and into the night. If you are interested in joining in, please let the reception know as there are limited places available. See you for some culture on Saturday!

New Free Tour – Berlin’s Street Art with Ally

26. Februar 2013 in Art, Berlin, Staff picks, Streetart, Stuff We Like by Paul

Ally1

Ally is not only a great Circus bartender, self-confessed coffee snob, and curator of a wonderful Perfect Day in the city, but she is now guiding a weekly, free street art tour for guests of the Circus. Every Thursday from 2pm until about 6pm she will take you around Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain, where the lucky few who come along will not only see some great pieces of artwork (examples below) but also some of Ally’s favourite places in the neighbourhood, from shops to yummy places to eat. You will also see the work featured in this video:

Read the rest of this entry »

The Circus Berlin Guide – App for Android

3. Oktober 2012 in Art, Bars, Berlin, Berlin Day Trips, Circus News, Hidden Places, Museum, Music, Shopping, Stuff We Like by Paul

Cwiki App

Oh yes… as those of you who have visited the Circus Hostel or flicked through our website might now, we have put together our very own guide to the city that has been written by members of the Circus team. Featuring everything from restaurants and clubs to parks, day trips and hidden places, the Circus Berlin Guide as so far been available online or through the touchscreen in the hostel reception.

App_tw App_threeApp_one App_four

Now it is available as an App for Android, so that you can take the Circus team and their tips and tricks wherever it is you might be… to cool vintage shops, world class museums, neighbourhood bars and infamous clubs – the interests of the Circus team are many and varied and this is reflected in the hundreds of things to see and do you will find in there.

Each entry has information including integrated maps, links and phone numbers, and youtube videos so that you can really make the most of your time in the city. And what’s more, it is absolutely free.

The Circus Berlin Guide for Android at Google Play

Rock The Block in Kreuzberg

1. Oktober 2012 in Art, Berlin, Events, Festivals by Paul

rocktheblockOver the next couple of days the Rock The Block festival will be taking place down in Kreuzberg, in the colourful block of houses between Adalbertstr., Skaltizerstr., Mariannenstr., and Oranienstrasse, and all a short U-Bahn ride from the Circus and Rosenthaler Platz.

In cooperation with Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, dozens of Berlin artists will provide art venues, performances, workshops and parties, in and outside. The block will be opened to the public in cooperation with the residents and will come alive as a creative organism. An entire cosmos between four streets can be open for strolling. The event will be directed towards a wide audience. Within the framework of different workshops, children and the youth together can redesign billboards on the block. Whoever left too quickly or missed something in the turmoil of the night has two days to play in the cards. Performances and workshops will also keep the block in movement on the 3rd of October. As early as 12 o’clock, there will be the possibility to look at the complete works of art on the block.

Here are some of the highlights we picked out from the website, where you can find the full programme:

Tuesday 2nd October

Festsaal Kreuzberg (Skalitzer Str. 130) – 8pm

Ghetto-Wrestling Showkämpfe: Halloween meets Hulk Hogan. Let’s play in the spirit of carnival and staged delirium. Aftershow Party ab 1 Uhr Djs: Dejoe, Marc FM, Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop feat. P-Rzm, (Two turntables, a funky piano & a handsome violine), Runex

multi_layer_laden (Adalbertstr. 4) – 8pm

KANAKWOOD inna KOTTI MOOD
Urbane ProMigrant DigiVibez & Poetry hosted by Don Rispetto; Peter Reiling, Zigan Aldi & Guests

Wednesday 3rd October

36 Boys Shop (Adalbertstr. 4)

Radio MUTTI KOTTI
hosted by Don Rispetto – Live radio event wid Soundz, Skills & Special guests from da first to da now school

Or@nien net (Oranienstr. 185)

SPEED SHOW: GML curated by Aram Bartholl

A group show about the graffiti motion protocol Graffiti Markup Language with Evan Roth, Chris Sugrue, Jamie Wilkinson, Theo Watson, Golan Levin, KATSU …

SO36 (Oranienstr. 190)

Flea Market: Urban Art, Spielzeug, Vinyl, Sneakers, Klamotten, Djs

Culture Clash by Nina Stähli

19. September 2012 in Art, Berlin, Stuff We Like by Paul

The above video – “Culture Clash” – is from a very talented artist and good friend of the Circus, Nina Stähli. Regular readers of the Circus blog will know that we have a long relationship with Nina, who not only spent a summer in our Kunstbox with the Holy Pig of Berlin, but she also has artworks in all three of our houses.

What also might be interesting to know is that the video was filmed at the Intelligence Department Studios in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen. These studios on the Gensler Straße are located in the former Operative Technical Sector building of the former restricted zone of the GDR Ministry for State Security (Stasi). In this building, just down the street from the infamous prison, the Stasi developed, produced and maintained their espionage equipment, such as wiretapping devices, cameras, camouflage and monitoring instruments. Twenty-three years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the building now houses studios for around a hundred artists from around the world, creating things to inspire, amuse and entertain, rather than spy on, the community.

Nina Stähli
ID Studios Berlin-Hohenschönhausen

re:MMX – a new platform for public art in the neighbourhood

11. September 2012 in Art, Berlin, Events, Our Neighbourhood by Paul

re-MMX iLogo

The MMX open art venue was located on the Linienstraße, just around the corner from the Circus, during 2010. During the one year of the project over 200 international artists exhibited on the ground floor of a formerly squatted and now abandoned building in the heart of the commercial art district. It was a project that channeled the spirit of the early years after the Berlin Wall fell, as a group of young, creative people put their energies into something that proved popular with locals, visitors, and the schoolchildren from across the street.

In 2011 MMX was over, and the building became the venue for undercover street artists in a project that became known as “The Cave”. Meanwhile, the folks behind MMX moved to Torstraße 111 and under the name Co-Verlag opened a new art space in April 2012 (which we previewed here on the Circus blog). Now they are back where it all began, on Linienstraße 142 and this weekend sees the project launch of re:MMX.

re-MMX image

(above: Ulu Braun)

The original space will be re-opened on Saturday and Sunday, giving us all the chance to revisit some old favourites such as the Circadian Light room and the sound sculptures of Bernd Bleffert, view the street art from The Cave project for the very first time, and also check out new panoramic video works, photography and painting. The idea behind the new project is to bridge the past and the future of the location, using the fact that the place is currently a construction site to explore the idea of transformation, and create a dialogue around the topic of art, change and the development of the buildings.

Following the project launch, you will still be able to visit the new public video box in the front garden that will feature a weekly rotating program of video work dealing in context with the growing metropolis. During the Festival of Lights in October there will be a new outdoor optical light installation on display by Jeongmoon Choi. Here’s the final word from the re:MMX team themselves:

Art is embedded in the foundation of the changing city, starting at the earliest phase of modification. re:MMX will utilize and repurpose the traditional “non-space” of construction into an active site for engaging the public with art.

For more information please visit the website. The project launch is taking place on September 15th(2pm-10pm) and September 16th (2pm-8pm) 2012, and the public video box is open daily from 5pm-10pm for the next six months. Go check it out.

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