Trevor Morgan – “Head_X3: Ulicia Piotrovska”, Courtesy of Coup de Dés and Saskia Neuman, photo by Amir Guberstein
Berlin Art Week is sure to overstimulate you this weekend, but if you are looking for a quiet, in-depth exhibition away from the mainstream hubbub, Coup de Dés’ “Memory of Present” is well worth the trip. This group show is the first iteration in a series meant to materialize, as the founders write, “the moment before the dice fall, the moment of the undecided”. Hidden in a modernist private house in Charlottenburg overlooking the Lietzensee, the group of works exist in a passing moment: the house is currently unlived in, but the memory of its past glory is present in every room. The artists were carefully chosen, but their transitory moment could not be fully planned, and makes for an interesting story. The show will be on view only for a week, after which the house will be renovated and its memory as an art space will also pass.
Chris Gianakos – “Cube Chairs”, Courtesy of Coup de Dés and Saskia Neuman, photo by Gerda Leopold
The exhibition’s curators, Julia Greber and Saskia Neuman, decided to use the house’s structures and spaces as they are, including the restrooms, pool area and overgrown garden. Their careful installation connects individual works with their spaces and with each other. In certain rooms, the story they tell becomes intimate, in others it can make you feel as though you’ve discovered a hidden work, or an unplanned meeting between two pieces. It is in these connections, rather than in any single work, that the element of chance and unpredictability the curators describe becomes material.
Installation view, Courtesy of Coup de Dés and Saskia Neuman, photo by Gerda Leopold
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Additional Information
Coup de Dés
“Memory of Present” – GROUP SHOW
Curated by Julia Greber and Saskia Neuman
Exhibition: September 10 – 16, 2012
Kuno-Fischer Str. 3 (Click here for map)
“Memory of the Present” includes work by: Kandis Williams, Chris Newman, Aron Flam, Amir Fattal, Cris Gianakos & Barbara Knight, Dodi Reifenberg, EVOL, Jimmie Durham, Meric Algün Ringborg, Satch Hoyt, Trevor Morgan and David Hammons.
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Blog entry by Adela Yawitz in Berlin; Friday, Sept 14, 2012.
