BERLIN . JALLA!!!

BERLIN . JALLA! I find it difficult to discribe why last friday was such a rad night! it starts with the location: haus der kulturen der welt?.. not my number one choice of party locations.. then let's have a look at the setting: amidst tie-died scarves and genuine volkshochschule (german adults evening classes) desert arts and craft pots?.. also not usually present during my nocturnal strolls. my fellow party-animals somewhere between their early teens and late seventies.. mighty unusual also!




but then omar souleyman enters the stage, the music starts, and all these elements become incredibly trivial. omar souleyman, the syrian superstar! with round sunglasses, smug smile and self-confindent majestic wave. he is on stage and nothing else matters.













i find myself tapping my foot to the beat, not able to let loose quite as quickly as the dread-locked derwish next to me, and definitely not yet as starry-eyed as the 60+ year-old lady with her arms in the air. but all of that will change. within 30 minutes me, anna and our friends have transformed - we've shed our 'Mitte' air of coolness, have stepped down from our haughty throne and are trilling and booty shaking like everyone else.


2 hours and 1 encore later, omar releases us sweat-dripping into the night. huge grin on our faces. we're all one - and I really need to get a tie-died scarf!


so note fellow readers: if you ever get the chance to see him, don't miss it!

PREVIEW · E SOLO EXHIBITION "SUPREMACISTS' SALON"

SEOUL · from 19 aug – 28 aug
after six month of being an artist in residence at PLATOON KUNSTHALLE E (lee, hyun joon) presents his work in his solo exhibition "supremacists salon". all of E ’s works, whether it is performance, video work, multimedia installation or even a painting, speak the language of pop, which always tries to communicate with the masses. however, looking more closely into it there is always a disturbing energy that seems to clash with the shiny and amusing surface, which marks E’s uniqueness as an artist.

our artist in residence E worked out further aspects of a topic that he was always focused on - racism and its many forms and facets. where is the borderline of political correctness and when does it become an accessory of keeping an honorable face, while feeling superior? who will be truly free of any associations and prejudices, deeply rooted in society and individuals? these are only a few of the questions E tries to answer through his solo exhibition. the audience will be forced to take part in the experiment of communication through art pieces turn into everyday life objects, hidden accusations in playful messages, all-known categories of racism expressed as color synonyms. while doing this E doesn’t set himself any boundaries of expression. his project will be presented in the form of paintings, objects, multimedia installations and performances.but the most interesting part still remains the outcome of the experiment, being direct interaction and ad hoc dynamics created through the audience at the exact place of the exhibition.


exhibition opening with live performance: thu 19 aug · 7pm

CHIN CHIN SOLO EXHIBITION CATALOG OUT NOW!

SEOUL · the catalog on the solo exhibition of our artist-in-residence chin chin is out now. get the catalog for free, take a chance to see and dive into the mysterious world of "귀신 birds sanctuary" until 14 august.

here it is: the first official photo of KUNSTHALLE GWANGJU!!!

SEOUL · the grand opening will take place on the 31st august with the worldwide first complete show of all major projects of swiss art group etoy.CORPORATION.

stay tuned for more updates and pictures...

REVIEW: OPENING CHIN CHIN SOLO EXHIBITION "귀신 BIRDS SANCTUARY"

SEOUL· the opening of chinchin’s solo exhibition “귀신 BIRDS SANCTUARY” took place on aug.5. half the hall of PLATOON KUNSTHALLE was totally changed with long ivory curtains. we were also surprised how our place could change with this new atmosphere. everybody was very impressed!




chinchin made separate space with sliped down curtains. the atmosphere gave people a very unusual feeling, special, even romantic somehow. inside the curtain chinchin presented her three beautiful and surreal paintings. and projected on the right side wall people could read the poem tom wrote. and suddenly some scary ghosts run out from the screen. It makes people are faced with gruesome moment enough.











chinchin displayed the video which she recorded, forest with crows in jeju island. people couldn’t imagine that the forest is in korea. cuz the images are very exotic and mysterious.

























many unexpected people came to opening also, the night was very crowded and lively, fascinating. in addition we invited some ghosts so maybe some people could see or talk with them. 

















you can see her another drawings and paintings in the showcases too. exhibition will continue until 14th. aug. it’s not late yet to see this bizarre art world.

chichin’s catalogs are ready now at PALTOON KUNSTHALLE. don’t forget to pick up and look more deeply into her artworks.

BERLIN · HAVE BALLS - CASE 2 [ECCENTRIC]

BERLIN · this is the last day to check out the ECCENTRIC exhibtion of several of our network members at SPLACE (at the bottom of the TV tower in berlin).
Luis Berríos-Negrón #3151 together with Miodrag Kuc #3555, Morgan Belenguer #3180 and many more, joined forces to create The Anxious Prop; a series of ongoing discussions, exhibition/actions and sporadic publications.




of course, we've already been there and had a tour of the entire place. it's one of those exhibtion that invites the visitor to interact with the art pieces, to rediscover yourself in mirrors and become a part of it all, as you enter the ball-shape burka and only have a tiny slid to look back out at the rest of the room.

























in the words of the artists the show is "a decentralization, or eccentric search for our postcapitalist selves in the form a multiplicity of spherical studies, shunning away from the finished work or nostalgia for democratic constructs and the illusion of justice ebbing from fruition."

so there!










































it is also worth mentioning that most of the pieces exhibited have been constructed in the space itself. in the case of kuc's piece that meant that there would be no way of getting it back out through the door.


the act of actually crashing the piece was caught on film as a slow-motion clip, has thus turned into art itself.

PLATOON BERLIN DONNERSTAGSBAR REVIEW

BERLIN · it is past thursday so I reckon I owe you a report on the past nocturnal tales. Iftah and Elle P. at the PLATOON yard was great. we started out quit early, and for the record: this is not because we're trying to become youth-compatible but simply because this yard of ours has a couple of features that need to be respected. neighbours come to mind. so for future references, if there is an act playing you'd do well in coming on time.





where was I?… oh yes, Iftah and Elle P.! amazing performance from both of them. it was great to see how much passion they brought to the stage (oh yes, there was a stage!.. thanks to marcello!) and how much of this passion seeped through every song. that we got attacked, had surely nothing to do with their music but simply goes to show how many idiots roam mitte at night. somewhere in the middle of their set someone on the street threw a bottle blindly over one of the containers…




















hmmm… the culprits escaped, no one got hurt, hardly anyone noticed and everyone else had one particular picture from the blues-brothers movie in their head: remember the cage scene? rad we need one of those!
see you all again next week!

CHIN CHIN SOLO EXHIBITION:
"귀신 BIRDS SANCTUARY"

seoul · 5 aug - 14 aug 2010

street artist chin chin is inspired by characters and illusions from the borders of imagination, by myths about outsiders and freaks, and by the way they are represented. her works are confusing, bizarre and surreal at the same time. during her residency of 6 months at PLATOON KUNSTHALLE chin chin searched the city for ghosts and superstitions, urban legends and religious observances, and will show her interpretations in her solo exhibition.



www.emelitheander.com