A corridor that stretches thirteen meters long from the entrance to the back wall and set two meters wide is now a gallery space run by culture coordinator Julia Björnsdottir, photographer Thorir Ingvarsson and architect Birta Frodadottir. The gallery is situated within the main entrance of their shared apartment in Moabit. In January, Birta moved in with Julia and Thorir to collaborate on their mutual creative vision for the new space. 13m is considered a ‘home gallery’ where visitors encounter the work within a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.
“Visiting a stranger’s home usually has some influence on you and we like the idea of people experiencing art in an unusual setting. What makes the experience special is that people are entering a private space. People behave differently and in a way it is a more humble and grateful experience,” Björnsdottir stated.
The founders were interested in the diverse possibilities of the large entrance of their shared Altbauwohnung. For them, it’s important to create a relaxed space where lesser known Berlin based and international artists can exhibit work. In the past, exhibiting artists were often inspired by the confinement of the gallery. A variety of different solo shows have been realized for 13m traversing a wide range of disciplines.
The last show, by Japanese artist and animation filmmaker, Hoji Tsuchiya, expanded into the living room with a video projection of several short animations. In the main gallery, the focus was on Tsuchiya’s artistic process, displaying his drawings and paintings and slightly personal visual diary. Using stop motion animation, Tsuchiya employs a playful, hand drawn aesthetic. His soundtracks, created with toy like instruments, embodies his playful interpretations of everyday situations.
Hoji Tsuchiya – “Sphere” (2012); animation, 3,17 minutes
In collaboration with the exhibiting artists the founders, originally from Iceland, have utilized the space to its full creative potential. They want to discover artists, urging them to produce solo shows at 13m. With five exhibitions since the beginning of this year the intimate and versatile space has functioned as a platform for creative people to socialize and exhibit work.
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Additional Information
For more information visit: www.13m-moabit.com
To see more work by Hoji Tsuchiya visit his website: www.hojitsuchiya.com.
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Blog entry by Jazmina Figueroa, an artist and writer based in Berlin; Thursday, Sep. 7, 2013.
