Thierry Mugler: Couturissime, Munich

Couturissime exhibition is the first time that Thierry Mugler’s work is being presented in an exhibition. This was a reason why taking the train down from Berlin was definitely worth it.

You get to see over 150 incredible costume designs, photographs and videos including this master’s works of art. For me this exhibition goes beyond fashion because what Mugler has created is not just clothing, but artworks that you could exhibit as standalone pieces in any museum and they would be admired as such. The craftsmanship is simply astonishing. Of course, the exhibition space itself was another wow factor accentuating all these exquisite artworks in all the right angles.

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What immedialy strikes you upon entering the exhibition is the vast number of materials Mugler has worked with, from metal to rubber, which is unusual for a fashion designer.

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Reading about his life and career I realised that he was the originator of so many fashion ideas that were just copied by others over time. I’m glad we now have this exhibition to set the record straight and to simply admire the genius of Mugler.

The exhibition has been prolonged until February 28 2021, so if the covid situation allows it, make sure not to miss this gem of an exhibition if you find yourself in Munich.

For more images of the artworks please visit the Instagram page 🙂

Ost-Berlin. Die halbe Hauptstadt, Ephraim Palais, Berlin

Exhibition about East Berlin was held last summer at the most beautiful corner of Berlin, Ephraim Palais. It was a lovely display of the exuberance of life on the east side of the divide.

It was also a very busy Wednesday of the month because there was heavy rain so everyone was hiding inside the museum. I was just thrilled that my camera didn’t get completely wet in my canvas bag.

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The exhibition was spread over 3 floors and consisted of many different aspects of life, from cafe culture and sports to shopping and entertainment.

One of the biggest artifacts was this space rocket from Spreepark, the East Berlin amusement park that has become one of the city’s biggest attractions in its run-down state.

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It was a truly immersive experience because it was one of very few exhibitions that had great leaflets and brochures. They recreated an East Berlin newspaper with many wonderful articles and interviews with the people who lived through the era, from foreign workers in the Vietnamese community to cultural workers such as classical musicians and photographers.

The exhibition was just one in the sea of many cultural projects and museum events celebrating 30 years of the fall of The Wall.

For more photos from the exhibition, please visit the Instagram page 🙂

Near Life, James Simon Galerie, Berlin

The recently-opened gallery on Museum Island in Berlin is hosting its first exhibition and the topic is plaster: Near Life. The Gipsformerei – 200 Years of Casting Plaster.

The exhibition follows different casting techniques that were used throughout history, from antiquity to the present day.

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Although there are many plasters you would surely recognize, such as Laocoön and His Sons, there are also some more disturbing revelations in the 20th century plaster casting practices.

Germans used to force indigenous people of colonized countries into various contraptions to produce plaster casts, and you can read about the people’s horrific experiences through collected testimonies.

The exhibition is open until Sunday so if you have an hour to spare, it’s worth a visit.

For more photos from the exhibition please visit the Instagram page 🙂

Fighting for Visibility, Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin

The exhibition at the Alte Nationalgalerie focuses on the female artists whose work is part of the collection of the museum. It includes painters and sculptors.

It is quite a small exhibition compared to other exhibitions at the same museum, but that also speaks to the fact that women have been marginalized in the art world for an incredibly long time.

The exhibition is divided by period which makes the increase of female artists in the collection through time clearly noticeable.

The most heartbreaking part of the exhibition for me was the period around WW2, because many descriptions panels stated that the artist was taken to a concentration camp. Unfortunately, so many pieces were also lost during that time, but placing their black and white copies on display makes you realize even more how many great artists and art were lost in consequence.

What makes this exhibition a bit different from the others is that the brochure that you can use in the exhibition has short biographies of all the female artists on display. It makes it all the more interesting, and perhaps some of the inspiration behind the pieces is revealed.

The exhibition is still open and it closes on Women’s Day.

For more photos from the exhibition please visit the Instagram page 🙂

Nordic Design, Bröhan Museum, Berlin

Current exhibition at the Bröhan Museum covers the evolution of Scandinavian furniture and design aesthetic. It is a must-see for any design enthusiast.

What I loved the most was seeing a piece – a chair that I used to have as a child, and it made me evaluate the quality and the genius of its design. We often don’t think of our everyday objects as design items and potential museum exhibits, but that is the incredible power of great design – serving its purpose while being utterly stylish.

Throughout the first floor of the museum you get to see all the old design classics, as well as more contemporary furniture and a special section dedicated to children’s toys and furniture.

I still feel like a kid when I see the colourful children’s furniture and I wish they also produced adult-sized pieces because I can’t be the only one who would like to have them.

One of the sweetest pieces in the exhibition for me was a Lego poster from the 1980s. It is still my favourite toy and nothing can beat the creativity of the little bricks.

The last room of the exhibition is the most colourful and immersive experience thanks to the design genius of Verner Panton. On the walls you can also see photographs of some of his most famous works. One of those magnificent joyous spaces is now fully preserved at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Arts & Crafts Museum) in Hamburg, and I’ve been lucky enough to have seen it on my own. Being in that brightly coloured space evocative of the 60s (created in 1969) immediately lifts your spirit and makes you smile.

The exhibition is open until March 1, and if you’re unable to visit Hamburg to see the incredible Panton design, make sure you check out the Instagram page for photos 🙂

 

Innenansichten aus der DDR, Museum Pankow, Berlin

Last year was 30 years since the fall of The Berlin Wall and many museum and gallery spaces in Berlin opened exhibitions dealing with the topic from different angles. The one in Museum Pankow exhibits B&W photography from inside GDR, with many everyday items to showcase what life was like for the people inside East Berlin.

Many of the things that I saw in the exhibition do not feel so far removed from my own experience growing up in the Balkans. It tells you a story of people’s spirit, resilience and creativity in what is considered a very dark time in German history.

The contrast between B&W images and colourful objects on display is a great detail that I didn’t think of at first, but it kind of shows how the perception might have been from the outside (B&W) and how life was actually on the inside (colour).

 

If you would like to experience this little exhibition, you can do so for free by the end of the week, as it closes on Sunday, January 19.

Olafur Eliasson, Tate Modern, London

Model room (2003)

For my last post of the year I decided to review Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life as it has been one of the most exciting exhibitions I have visited this year. It has most definitely been the most technically challenging and on a scale that rarely any museum can produce. We are very lucky to have Tate Modern as an institution that can meet even the most difficult challenges and deliver a spectacular art show.

Room for one colour (1997)

First of all, it is a retrospective, but it is also a show in which you actively participate. Over 40 works in the exhibition include immersive installations, sculptures, photography and painting.

Moss wall (1994) & Wavemachines (1995)

Besides having an incredible amount of fun and interaction with Eliasson’s pieces, there was one piece that completely moved me to tears – The presence of absence pavilion (2019). It felt as though the world had stopped and my heart broke. It is a plastic cast that was made around a large piece of ice. The cast is positioned in the middle of the room and you see this gaping hole inside where once the ice was. The nothingness enveloped me in that quick second and it was hard to walk away.

Untitled (1993)

So many of the works, no matter how elaborate they are, definitely cause an immediate reaction. Whether it’s the Moss wall (1994) that you want to touch (and you are allowed to), or Your blind passenger (2010), which is a 39 meter long foggy corridor with changing colour that makes you slightly disoriented.

I grew up in solitude and silence (1991)

So many of the pieces have a notion of urgency to do something to change the global climate catastrophe we’re heading to. Eliasson hopes that by experiencing his art the visitors will become more aware of their senses and maybe the people around them, which could impact a new sense of responsibility within people.

I highly recommend this exhibition because it will make you self-reflect and open your eyes ever more to the world around you by heightening your senses.

The exhibition is open at Tate Modern until January 5.

For more photos and videos please visit the Instagram page 🙂

Cold winter sphere (2012)

Summer of love, Palais Populaire, Berlin

This year’s big exhibition at Palais Populaire was Summer of love: art, fashion and rock and roll. It was a suitable colourful affair to shine a light on the hippie movement and the cultural changes it brought.

The space of the gallery was filled with over 150 items from the San Francisco Museum of Fine Arts, from clothing and album covers to posters and photos.

Some of the more serious work included short documentaries and speeches by activists such as Martin Luther King.

My favourite pieces were most definitely the incredibly designed psychedelic posters. I wish music posters were more artistic today. More photos of posters can be found on the Instagram page 🙂

Menzel. Painter on Paper, Kupferstichkabinett Berlin

The exhibition currently open on Kulturforum showcases around 100 works of Adolph Menzel, who was one of the most prominent German painters of the 19th century.

Exhibited works include pieces done in watercolour, pastels, gouache etc. It is the most extensive exhibition of Menzel’s paintings on paper to date.

The space is divided into chapters chronologically presenting the works based on the various techniques used, which is wonderful as you get to see the progression in his artistry.

I really liked the exhibition, especially the female portraits and delicate fabric depictions. I wouldn’t mind having one of them on my wall, and that is something I rarely think upon seeing an artwork. They give a sense of intimacy, as if there should be only one viewer at a time, they all feel very personal.

Another subject which I loved were cloudy skies. The mood set in those paintings stirs emotions and makes you ponder.

I highly recommend this exhibition as it is a great little collection of pieces that bring incredible artistry to the front and inspire even the most artistically challenged among us (myself).

Accompanying the exhibition are Menzel’s etchings exhibited alongside his greatest inspiration – Rembrandt, in on of the rooms of Gemäldegalerie.

The exhibition is open until 19th January, and for more photos please check out the Instagram page 🙂

 

 

 

 

Modern Cinema, Film Museum Berlin

On Throwback Thursday I bring you another cool but closed exhibition from the Film Museum in Berlin. Modern Cinema, Film in The Weimar Republic showcased the links between cinema and everyday culture, and especially the technical innovations in the film industry of that period.

Cinema of the era 100 years ago perfectly reflected all the changes in society, from fashion to sports, and even gender issues.

There was even a special section of the exhibition dedicated to female professionals within the film industry: producers, screenwriters, directors, set designers. It served as a great reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we still need to go in terms of equality and diversity in the film industry.

What I loved about the exhibition was that it was divided into sections dedicated to fashion, sport, psychology, night life and other different parts of a modern life in the 1920s. Each section also had short accompanying videos about the topic.

Throughout the exhibition you could also see various models of the Metropolis film set which usually cannot be seen in the permanent collection, so it was a special treat.

It was definitely one of my favourite exhibitions that I’ve ever seen at the Film Museum.

For more photos, please visit the Instagram page 🙂