Reports from Gallery Weekend 2024

by Ananyaa Sathyanarayana // Apr. 30, 2024

As Berlin unveiled its rare blend of sunshine and gentle breeze this Friday to mark the start of the 2024 Gallery Weekend, an unexpected spectacle unfolded at the M1 tram stop. A limo, positioning itself conspicuously, became the focal point of conversation among waiting commuters. Amidst the general vibe of anticipation, a young girl’s fleeting attempt to capture a photo with the vehicle quickly shifted to shock and embarrassment, as someone suddenly opened the door. I caught myself looking back as I walked into the crowded M1, hoping I could find an empty seat on the tram, but secretly wishing I could have ridden this limo from gallery to gallery.

Renata Lucas: ‘o perde,’ 2024, neugerriemschneider, Berlin // © Renata Lucas, courtesy the artist and neugerriemschneider, Berlin, photo by Jens Ziehe, Berlin

Arriving at neugerriemschneider’s hidden and peaceful courtyard, we’re met with a scattering of colorful billiard balls strewn around the cobblestones outside. This unsuspecting display is part of Renata Lucas’s piece ‘o perde,’ a sculptural installation that invites audience participation. The piece explores the relationship between interaction and absence as the balls come into contact with one another during the game but surpass the confines of the billiard table and extend into the surrounding space, creating an unpredictable element beyond the players’ influence. In a more conventional showcase, the gallery is also exhibiting a collection of loose sketches and unruly works by artist Andreas Eriksson. These drawings of nature resemble an intimate and nostalgic representation of the artist’s home and surroundings. He hones in on the details in nature, the loose structures of stones and lakes meant to be inspired by Japanese zen gardens, giving the exhibition its title: ‘of stones and lakes.’ The artist is primarily known for his large abstract landscape canvas paintings, and this is the first time this series of drawings is exhibited.

Andreas Eriksson: ‘Untitled,’ 2020, graphite on paper, 22.5 x 31.8 cm // © Andreas Eriksson, courtesy the artist and neugerriemschneider, Berlin

A pleasant 10-minute walk from neugerriemschneider, I arrive at Sprüth Magers, which is presenting the group exhibition ‘territory,’ featuring works by five artists who explore the borders and boundaries that limit living beings. Entering the gallery, we’re confronted by a giant concrete wall, a work in the exhibition by Gala Porras-Kim, ‘Untitled (Efflorescence).’ The piece is made of concrete supersaturated with salt, which will cause its slow deterioration, and references built-in natural methods for by-passing regulations for the historical preservations of buildings. In another room, works by artist Tan Jing play with our sensory experiences. The room accommodates only 10 people at a time, thus fostering an intimate feeling within the space. Her video installation, titled ‘Nook of A Hazy Dream,’ is shown on four handmade glass panels and depicts the story of Lap Hung, a fictional character created in the image of the artist’s grandfather. The hazy appearance of the glass coupled with what looks to be water droplets scattered across its surface invokes the same feeling as looking out a window on a rainy day. ‘Floor Tiles and Flowers’ engages our sense of smell, as Jing created the fragile plaster tiles by blending native Thai spices into them. She allows us to get a sense of home, almost as if we were invading a personal space. The plaster tiles threaten to break beneath our feet if stepped on. In order to capture the serenity of Jing’s room, several of the visitors took their phones out, further disrupting the intentions of the piece and forcing us to tune into the ways in which human presence can irrevocably disturb a space.

Mire Lee, Liu Yujia, Gala Porras-Kim, Tan Jing, Zhang Ruyi: ‘territory,’ 2024, installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin // Photo by Ingo Kniest

I wait at the tram stop yet again for my trip to Dittrich & Schlechtriem, which, for the 2024 Gallery Weekend, presents the works of Haley Mellin in an exhibition titled ‘Biodiversity and Betadiversity.’ The show is dedicated to environmental justice concerns, featuring photo-realistic paintings and large-scale charcoal drawings that resemble Japanese kakemono (hanging scroll) paintings. Mellin’s paintings portray vastness or stillness through the lack of human presence, depicting flora with detailed precision and giving the impression that the viewer is looking through a window rather than at a painting. Primarily using greens, browns and whites to depict the foliage, the intrusion of other colors, such as blue, highlights the sun falling on the leaves, despite the gray cloudy sky, which resembles the weather when I decided to head to the little garden in the back to enjoy a complimentary beer.

Haley Mellin: ‘Northern Highlands,’ gouache and ink on canvas, 45 x 62 cm // Courtesy of DITTRICH &
SCHLECHTRIEM and the artist

My next stop is Klemm’s, where Jonas Roßmeißl’s solo exhibition ‘Streitbildhauerei’ brings out narratives on the economic viability of an image in social, political and ideological terms. With his work ‘Faust,’ he shows a metal fist holding a deep sea fiber optic cable. The hand clutching tightly at the severed cable symbolizes the systems of interaction between humans and machines. However, the artist’s theoretical pursuits overshadow the work’s aesthetic impact, leading to more questions then answers. The political focus of Roßmeißl’s work—its aim to dissect image economies, question societal structures and explore the interplay between traditional and innovative forms—is rife with complexity, some of which, in its sculptural form, might elude the average visitor. This failure to obtain clarity is part of the concept, however, with the presentation taking place inside the “unfinished architecture” of the gallery’s new space and referencing the interruption of a creative process.

Jonas Roßmeißl: ‘Faust,’ 2024, 1200 mm × 370 mm × 550mm, AlMg3, deep sea fiber optic cable // Courtesy of the artist and Klemm’s

neugerriemschneider

Andreas Eriksson: ‘of stones and lakes’
Exhibition: Apr. 27–June 22, 2024
Renata Lucas: ‘o perde’
Exhibition: Apr. 27–June 8, 2024
neugerriemschneider.com
Linienstraße 155, 10115 Berlin, click here for map

Sprüth Magers

Group Show: ‘territory’
Exhibition: Apr. 27–June 29, 2024
spruethmagers.com
Oranienburger Straße 18, 10178 Berlin, click here for map

Dittrich & Schlechtriem

Haley Mellin: ‘Biodiversity and Betadiversity’
Exhibition: Apr. 24–June 29, 2024
dittrich-schlechtriem.com
Linienstraße 23, 10178 Berlin, click here for map