This article first appeared on the 13th of June 2021 in the art magazine DEEDS as the 5th book in the Tagesspiegel. The writing “No one should have to live without art” is inspired by Rirkrit Tiravanija, Buenos Aires. (Article in German language.)
Dear readers of Der Tagesspiegel, we would like to thank Der Tagesspiegel for giving us the opportunity to be part of this Sunday edition and would like to briefly introduce ourselves. We are the creators of the art news site DEEDS.WORLD, the art platform ART COMPASS and ART@Berlin, one of the city’s most comprehensive art portals with over 3,000 published exhibitions by a wide variety of visual artists.
Under normal circumstances, i.e. without coronavirus, we publish the art newspaper DEEDS.NEWS twice a year. During Gallery Weekend and Berlin Art Week, we make DEEDS available to take away at key art locations in Berlin, such as over 350 galleries, many art-related museums and Berlin cultural institutions. However, due to the current restrictions, significantly fewer people than usual are visiting these venues. To ensure that our art newspaper – and thus the message of art – still reaches you safely, DEEDS is being published this time as the so-called 5th book of the Tagesspiegel. With this special edition in the Tagesspiegel, we would like to draw your attention to the work of visual artists and gallery owners in Berlin and inspire you to take an interest in art.
Some of you may sit back and read this article with a knowing smile, because you are already very familiar with contemporary visual art. In that case, you will find topics on the following pages that are sure to appeal to you. For others, however, this article will offer many new insights, as they have had little contact with this art form to date. If the statistics are to be believed, this is by far the larger group. Essentially, this article is aimed at the art lovers and collectors of tomorrow. However, it does not focus on collecting, but rather aims to help readers discover a love of contemporary art. There are good reasons for this.
Three times no
Berlin’s art and gallery scene is colourful. It is young. It is established. And it is, in no small part, internationally significant. But do Berliners even notice this? Is it appreciated? Is it honoured? One is inclined to answer these questions with a resounding ‘no’. One gets the feeling that we all fail to appreciate what artists and their work actually mean for Berlin. For the social climate in the city, the diversity of the city, the balance of Berlin, indeed for the attitude to life in Berlin.
#buyart, because #artmakesbeautiful.
When ART@Berlin took its first tentative steps in autumn 2012, the art world of most artists and galleries was still in good shape. There was no champagne mood, no ‘la vie sans soucis’ as the French like to say, but things were fine. However, this order has been thrown into disarray over the past 18 months. Corona has brought with it a deeper sense of uncertainty. Galleries have only been able to open to visitors under difficult conditions. Art fairs, which in normal times make a significant contribution to the economic existence of artists and galleries (up to 60%), have been cancelled or have disappeared almost without replacement due to the pandemic.
The current situation
But now there is a glimmer of hope. With rising vaccination rates, declining infection numbers and the resulting gradual reopening of social life, artists are also hoping for a return to normality, at least to some extent. Normality – a word that Wikipedia explains to us as follows: ‘In sociology, normality refers to what is taken for granted in a society, which no longer needs to be explained or decided upon. This normality concerns social norms and concrete behaviours of people. It is conveyed through education and socialisation.’ But what does ‘normality for artists’ actually mean in Germany? Berliners, like the rest of the republic, hardly buy any art. Germans account for less than 2% of the annual global art market, which is worth approximately 50,065,000,000 US dollars, or around 1.001 billion US dollars. With 83.2 million citizens, that amounts to 12.03 US dollars, or the equivalent of 9.88 euros per person per year for art. We Germans spend an average of £24.03 per year on currywurst at snack bars, at around £2.50 per sausage, totalling £2 billion – almost two and a half times as much. With this knowledge, even the most delicious currywurst (whether meat-based or vegan) sticks in your throat and you want to exclaim: ‘Oh, Germany, land of poets and thinkers, you do not love your artists.’
Back to normal?
Is this the normality we want to return to? Honestly, no. If we could make a wish, it would be that more Berliners recognise how beautiful and enriching it is to live with art, that art not only beautifies walls and spaces, but also the people who integrate it into their lives.
Because when viewed in a differentiated manner, the situation is probably even more drastic. It can be assumed that many people have had no contact with contemporary art whatsoever. They assume that art is unaffordable anyway and reserved for an elite circle. This may even be true for some of the scene. But for the majority, whom we are promoting in this issue, we can assure you at this point: you are all more than welcome and invited, regardless of your educational background or wallet. Any fears about crossing the threshold are totally misplaced and inappropriate. The gallery owners look forward to your visit and are happy to provide information about the exhibition programme. Best of all, admission is completely free. But it’s not for nothing, because you’re sure to take something away with you. Art broadens horizons and gives you insight into new worlds and new perspectives. And if a work has piqued your supposedly insatiable interest, you can even purchase and own it in galleries – unlike in museums. There’s something for every budget.
I can only recommend this to anyone who hasn’t seen much art yet: start doing it, it’s extremely enjoyable.
Stephan Balzer, entrepreneur and art lover
Engaging with art is meaningful and important. Promoting and supporting this area of our society is of paramount importance to us all. When asked about their motives for buying art, 20 renowned art collectors cited the following reasons and expressed themselves as follows, among other things:
Art brings joy, inspiration, stimulation and energy. It opens a window to other worlds, leads to conversations, discourse and new interesting contacts. It serves as a catalyst for perception and an alternative to everyday life. Buying art is a challenge, an experience and a value creation. Art is also an asset, an investment and an object of speculation. Above all, however, art makes life more beautiful, more intellectual, more sophisticated and more valuable. Art primarily generates an emotional return.
All art collectors have one thing in common: they can no longer imagine life without art. It is an integral, inseparable and cherished part of their lives, representing identification and quality of life. Because art is simply part of life. All art collectors have one thing in common: they can no longer imagine living without art. It is an integral, inseparable and cherished part of their lives, representing identification and quality of life. Because art is simply part of life.
It has a lot to do with pleasure; I am a very pleasure-oriented person, I love life: good food, fun, and art is also part of that for me. It’s the mental stimulation I give myself, and that’s not going to change. I caught this wonderful art bug years ago, and I don’t want to get rid of it. I can only recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen much art yet: start doing it, it’s extremely enjoyable. People who only have a small budget can collect contemporary art by artists who are around us, who enrich our lives with their work.” (Stephan Balzer, in: KUNST Magazine Collector Interviews, conducted by Jan Kage, 6 May 2010)
Take advantage of this opportunity, as there are currently many interesting exhibitions to visit in Berlin. Several galleries are showing exhibitions that they curated for Gallery Weekend, some of which have been extended until the summer holidays and beyond. This is arguably the most important art event of the year at the end of April (alongside Berlin Art Week in September), which received little visibility this year due to coronavirus restrictions. Now the galleries are organising a Gallery Weekend Summer Special from 18 to 20 June 2021, to which the galleries warmly welcome you.
On the following pages (editor’s note: DEEDS appeared in the Tagesspiegel newspaper on eight pages), you will find lots of tips on recommended exhibitions. And you can find even more on our exhibition platform www.artatberlin.com.
Written by Andreas Kramer and Stephanie Schneider.
