Article by Judith Vallette // June 17, 2020
48 Stunden Neukölln is back again this year with a combination of virtual as well as in-person opportunities for engagement. This year’s assembling theme ‘BOOM!’ is up for open interpretations by participating artists to create pieces evocative of this onomatopoeic word. ‘BOOM!’ and the artworks it includes are connotative of the Big Bang, sudden change and eruption. The festival creators invite the public to take part in this year’s experimentation with connecting to art through the portal of digitalization. The exhibited artworks will be released online on Friday June 19th when the program is set to start. Possibilities for interaction through the screen include live streams from within artists’ studios, the release of video art and video tours. Additionally, there are certain physical locations in Neukölln that will be made accessible to the public by way of shop window viewing and even a few exhibition spaces open to visit, with appropriate distancing guidelines in place. Berlin Art Link has selected a few highlights from the ‘BOOM!’ program: artworks and installations that speak to 48h Neukölln’s proposal to jolt us out of the everyday.
Claudia Bassier: Untitled, 2020, Photo// courtesy of Claudia Bassier and Poster Gallery // 48 Studen Neukölln
‘Firehouse Sessions #03: AFTER THE BOOM’ by Trial and Theresa
As an audiovisual feminist collective, Trial and Theresa wants to break the daily grind of the prevailing gloom and address it by showing care, exposing vulnerability, celebrating life and reviving connections between people. The group was founded in Berlin in 2018 with an emphasis on the presence of women* in the electronic art scene. Trial and Theresa’s artistic practice is based on collective experimentation in the fields of Live A/V, cross-media performance and Live Cinema. Alongside guest sound artists, they will tell digital stories for the after-boom and address the shifts in our inner lives, dreams and fantasies at Berlin Mondiale and via live stream.
‘Boom Shroom’ by Miniman
This polaroid photo series of mushrooms showcases the quick sprouting of fungi from the ground. Fabian Kochendörfer, who goes by his artist alter-ego Miniman, has been producing and manually editing his distinct polaroid pictures since the turn of the 21st century. ‘Boom Shroom’ emphasizes the almost serendipitous sprouting of mushrooms as they rely on a precise set of conditions to become visible to the world. Similar to BOOM!’s theme – meant to startle and jolt the public into a re-conception of our current realities – Miniman’s goal throughout his work is to make the viewer reconsider and reflect on their surroundings.
Miniman: Boom Shroom from the series “Magic Shrooms”, 2019, Impossible 600 Film // courtesy of Fabian Kochendörfer and Poster Gallery // 48 Stunden Neukölln 2020
‘Transformation 2020: 200 Women’ by Fiona Kelly
Using the Sea Spider as a first strong character to guide us through her connecting web, Fiona Kelly starts from myths and literature with strong women characters and invites 200 women to transform their perspectives on life into a different expressive form. With a focus on perception, she asks: how do we translate our vision into stories for contemporary situations? These very personal experiences are transformed in different performances and will appear in the exhibition ‘Transformation 2020’ at the Temporären Galerie.
‘Melting Point’ by Leo de Munk
Leo de Munk’s work emphasizes reusing and recycling materials. His human-sized sculptures are crafted by condensing and fusing plastic objects. Inherent to his work are messages about waste, consumerism and sustainability. The compressed objects, as well as the title of the work itself, convey a sense of claustrophobia or unease. The repurposed plastic sculptures may be viewed through the shop window at Umspannwerk Neukölln, as well as online.
Sculpture: Leo de Munk: “Collapse”, 2013-2015, plastic utensils of different sizes, On the Wall: Marta Djouring: oT, 2018, Direct exposure on analogue photo paper, self-made film negative, unique specimen, 510 x 250 cm, four parts of 127 x 180 cm each// courtesy Leo de Mun, Marta Djouring// 48 Stunden Neukölln 2020
‘Lucky Punch – I could explode with Happiness’ by Claudia Bassier, Jasper Kühn and Roman Liebe
48h Neukölln will present the 3D exhibition ‘Lucky Punch – I could explode with Happiness’. The title of the oeuvre is symbolic of the two meanings the artists aim to convey. ‘Lucky Punch’ is set to motivate viewers to seize their ambition and realize their burning potential. Bassier explains that “I could explode with happiness” deals with the subject of self-optimization while also being reminiscent of a looming volcanic eruption of positivity. The adrenaline rush inherent in this exhibition is reflective of BOOM!’s explosive theme. The show can be viewed in person at 3 separate locations: Umweltconsulting Seminaretage, Kunstmatrix and Live Kommunikation.
‘Portrait Series: Moments’ by Manuel Tozzi
The animation, video and media artist Manuel Tozzi brings to Neukölln a multitude of audiovisual works under the title ‘Moments’. As part of ‘BOOM!’, Tozzi will showcase his video sculptures (3D renderings of digital sculptures displayed by a 360-degree video playback), as well as multimedia installations intended to stimulate a discussion about our contemporary society and our digital architecture. Tozzi’s work explores the discourse of media infringing on reality: the tools necessary for the creation of media, followed by its permeation into our realities. With ‘Moments,’ Tozzi highlights how reality is both captured and created.
Exhibition Info
48H NEUKOELLN
Exhibition: June 19–21, 2020
Online program and venues: 48-stunden-neukoelln.de
