Berlin Art Princess

Against the wind

2011-06-24T14:26:00.003+02:00

So I am alive, though it has been a while since I haven't been writing here. It was due to some unexpected and not so good experiences I have had in the beginning of this year. But I am back. It has been difficult, but I have managed to go through a concentrated string of events that have left some trails on my soul (and body).

One of the things I really like is when the birds are flying against the wind, especially when the wind is strong so they actually stay in one place, not really flying... trying hard to go against the powerful force of nature. And for a while they just stay there, in the air, waving the wings and nothing happens, they don't move a bit. Until the wind gets weaker or it changes the stream... so the birds can continue to fly. But the best moment is when the birds are just there...

This photo was taken by my boss, my Danish boss, who is a wind energy pioneer and actually takes great pictures. I work at the Folkecenter for Renewable Energy (www.folkecenter.net).

Am I Berlin?

2010-08-14T15:19:00.005+02:00

Why did I agree to take part in the "Be Berlin. Berlin Dein Gesicht" project? Well, there are 2 reasons. First of all - I was invited. So I didn't say "no". Second - as a Polish princess - I am very happy to be on the top... of the Siegesaule. Imagine, a Polish woman (wearing a diadem) on the main Berlin monument? How could I reject such an opportunity? Ok, I am among 200 other Berliners, but still! Now the polish princessdom can be officially registered. Finally!

Last Wednesday there was a ceremony - an inauguration of the project - large size photos of 200 chosen Berliners were displayed at the Siegesaule. I was there. The event itself was a bit boring, it was raining and nobody told us what to do, so I had my own fun. At some point I have noticed that people are taking photos with one woman, well dressed, seemed important. So out of boredom I thought: ok, me too. So there I have a picture of me (I didn't wear the diadem, since it is not waterproof and it was raining) with this woman that I have no idea who she is. If any of you, my dear Readers, knows her, please let me know. Till then I am completely blank on that. But at least there was some fun, since I consider the whole project... well. No, no comment on that.

The mysterious woman and me.

The best artwork

2010-08-14T15:14:00.003+02:00

Once my Dad said to me, that when whatever crap piece of art is titled "motherhood" it is perceived as great artwork. He based his statement on observations, I guess. He is an artist (a conceptual artist). I have never made an artwork with that title, but after my recent life changing experience I can say that motherhood as such is a preliminary state of actually creating a great "artwork"...

Missed Louise

2010-06-07T21:09:00.002+02:00

I haven't been following news recently. I missed the embarrassing Smolensk airplane crash, I missed oil spill, I missed flood in Poland as well as the death of Louise Bourgeois. I have learnt about it today. Sad. Again, part of the era has ended, an icon has left us. And I remember as I went to see her back then in 2008 (read my post about it in September 2008) and already then she was so fragile like a porcelain doll. One of the biggest FEMALE artists is not here anymore. What a waste. Saying banal but true: so is life.

By LB, NYC 2008

The Göttingen experience

2010-06-07T13:24:00.005+02:00

Well, it has been quite a long time since I wrote here. In the meantime I've got a baby. Maybe that explains my silence a bit.

However I am still here.

And there are more news. This weekend we went to Göttingen to the "Brettspielautorentreffen" - in English: board game authors' convention.

Why? Because we have developed a board game, we have made a prototype, and we wanted to present it there - not to mention to sell it, be rich - finally - and return to Berlin with a private airplane. It didn't work out like we wanted, but it was still interesting.

Our game, "Ambulance", was unfortunately too drastic for german publishers. An ambulance + a hospital + an accident + victims: (for example) a child + red color = is apparently a no go in german family board games.

Seems they are very careful when it comes to subjects of games. There are for example no war games, not to mention 2. World war games. We have learned from the "boardgamegeek" geek that in the US the market is maybe not so dominated by large board games companies but there are more smaller companies which are more open to "difficult" subjects. Who would expect?

As the professionals (board game companies) were not so interested in our game we have found out that people actually like our game. Not only adults but children. For children both accidents and red color were not so dramatic as for adult game publishers. Interesting again!

So we will not give up, we will continue to promote our game, moreover we will (probably) continue on to develop games. It is such a fun!

Es herrscht Dauerfrost

2010-02-19T17:41:00.004+01:00

Plants on my balcony trapped in permafrost...

Since few months my favourite expression in German is "Es herrscht Dauerfrost". Translated into English should be... "permafrost prevails". Obviously with this winter that we have - this makes sense. I wonder when will this winter end and what do the "global warming" fans say about that. I myself believe (if it is a matter of belief) in global warming, by whatever caused (humans or not). Although this winter made me reconsider my beliefs...

But will this winter ever end? It is frustrating a bit now, we didn't have such winter in years. One should actually say "es herrscht Dauerfrust" (that would mean: "perma(nent) frust(ration) prevails").

But there are also positive things about the permafrost... like the frost images on windows. At least something.

Berlin in Blueprint

2009-10-05T19:40:00.000+02:00

For those of you who know the English design and architecture magazine - "Blueprint"...
In the newest October issue there is a big section about Berlin. And for those of you who know me, you can search for this bit...

Social workers - WAMIB part I

2009-07-22T14:23:00.003+02:00

Just for you to know: WAMIB (= What annoys me in Berlin)

In the same building where I have my atelier, there is one of those typical Berlin social workers' organisation, I don't really know what they do there, but I know one thing - they don't do too much, apart from sitting in the yard, smoking and talking. Is that what they are paid for? Typical Berlin! There is so much money flowing to all those "social" projects in Berlin, I know, I used to work in one and I have seen with my very eyes all that money washed and whatever dodgy businesses took place there. Of course, social projects are important, they help people to make their living, help junkies to quit whetever they take, help ex-junkies to start new lives, fine. This all sounds (in theory) great and "good". But the reality is that I see and hear all those people talking bullshit everyday, for hours. And maybe it is not my business, but what I found really annoying was that as I parked my bike in the yard, walked by a group of those "hardworking" social workers, who were just busy smoking and talking, and said "hallo!" - they did not even answer me! None of them! Not even a sigh (that would do it). Is that too much to expect? Is that too hard? Is that too much work?

Vienna situation

2009-07-22T13:51:00.004+02:00

The Curators & Mr Wagner in Vienna
So we did go to Vienna and we performed (we: The Curators & Thomas Wagner). And nobody threw us out, nobody beat us, actually people liked our SENSOR performance.

Ok, art crowd is more open to strange sound events than real music fans, and second - looking historically - Vienna is the source of action painting and wild music. I was also overwhelmed by the MAK space - the hall was really amazing.

Soundcheck
Besides, the MAK flat where some of the artists lived, and we had a chance to have a drink and a photo session in a bathtub was really posh! I advise everybody to become a MAK artist and stay there at least for few days.

In the bathtub...
On that (big) evening there were different polish and austrian artists perfoming. But I guess we all liked the austrian Go Go Girls! Real ones! Although they did not perform any strip-tease...

A Go Go Girl...

Tonight's painting

2009-05-30T19:51:00.002+02:00

So I am painting. Today I have just finished a painting for friends, who get married today and In 15 minutes we go to their wedding party... I know they like POP and Warhol... and in any case, if they will not like this painting, they might paint it over, and have a canvas for free. We will see. The party will hopefully be cool! Ok, I leave my computer now and go to the wedding party... ciao!

Broken Spell

2009-05-30T19:37:00.003+02:00

I really broke the spell - I started to go to my atelier recently. I have this space since September and I didn't really use it too much. At the beginning I just didn't have time, then I thought... oh, I HAVE to go to my atelier... and it was somehow hard to make the move. Now however, I have decided to paint a painting for Jacek for his birthday. So I HAD to go there... and I did, I did! The spell is broken! I really consider myself lucky - however bad it is, however shitty I feel, I can always just draw, or paint and then I really feel good. That feeling - the release of all the thoughts - inside-outside - putting them on canvas and then that feeling of that strange "satisfaction"... at least I have something that ALWAYS makes me feel better.
In the recent months, as I had all these sad adventures like loosing my job (which I loved) I was upset, so I took time off, mentally, and now I am back! Even more - while painting I am MORE back! I really don't need any happy pills, that is such a luck.

Jacek as King of Africa. Just the way he wanted.
(3rd painting of the "Monkeys" series)
I don't care if this painting is politically incorrect... it is not.
Oh, and it is also good to have a muse... a male one as well.

Vinyl of the day

2009-05-14T14:49:00.004+02:00

The Curators' first vinyl!

There we have the first Curators' single on vinyl! How did happen? Simple - today at the HHV store on Revaler Strasse there is an event: "Cut your own record" (for free). So I went there about 11.30 this morning (the action runs 12.00 till 20.00) and I was waiting in a queue to be one of the first to get the record. Of course I was not the first one - I was the 7th, but of course some nerds slimed in before me - yeah, german "gentlemen"... what can I say? Anyway, the deal was (still is till the evening, till they run our of blank vinyls) that you give this man a CD with a track and he records it on a "legendary" vinyl recorder T-560 (whatever that means) and then you have it! So I stood there with my CD (had only one coffee this morning...) with the Curators' song "We are the Curators" :) and after like 50 minutes it was m turn - the man recorded the song! I was a bit ashamed as he played our song loud but it's us, it's our music. Around 1 pm I was ready - and left the shop with my vinyl! Cool! They still cut records as I write this post. Funny, because just 2 days ago we were considering cutting a vinyl - but it is too expensive and who needs 250 records at once? However it is a pleasant thought. Then I met Patrick (the third Curator) who came a bit later to make the record - he had to stand in the long queue but at least we had a coffee!!! An that was a good ending to that "morning" event.

The man and the machine

Strange nights in Warsaw

2009-05-12T13:51:00.006+02:00

On April 25th I took part in Hożarty - a festival of the Hoża Street in Warsaw. It was a one day event with exhibitions, actions and music along the whole street. Everything went smooth although I have had some adventures.

the ARRIVAL

I have packed all my things and my works - the "German Lesson" project (6 paintings, 2 pink banners - 8 meter long each - with "Achtung!" sign on them, metal wire, 2 turnbuckles), my computer, 20 Galerie ZERO catalogues and off I went with the train to Warsaw. I must admit that my luggage was incredibly heavy. Not to mention I also took my computer. I was very happy that my best friend, Frau, came to pick me up on the central station. It was not far to Hoża Street, but I was glad she helped me to carry all that stuff. Those of you who know Warsaw, especially the central station surroundings, you know that walking there can be problematic - there are no real street crossings (it is the centre of a capital of a big european country, whatever) - one has to walk down and up the stairs and go through underground tunnels and passageways. So with all these kilograms of my luggage at some point I have decided to take an elevator. Well, it was just there, you walk in, push the button and go down to the lower level. Seems easy - but it wasn't. My friend Frau, she said she won't go with this old dirty lift. I though - what the heck, I'm brave and I am tired of that suitcase - I should go with the lift. Normally I am very scared of lifts, really, but this time I thought it was just 1 "floor" - from the upper street level to the underground passageway, so what can happen? But the lift got stacked. I thought it was not real. In my worst fears and nightmares I always see myself stacked in an elevator, which is then broken and falls down and I die. So I was not at all happy about being stacked between 2 stupid floors on the street.

I was stacked...

I don’t really have any claustrophobia but for one moment I was really scared when the lift made a strange noise… I thought I will fall. So I lay down on that dirty floor, imagining that the lift falls down and I break my legs, I die, all burns down… I pushed the “red button” – it was supposed to be an “alarm” button, but as I heard the beep there was actually nobody hearing it.

Trying to push the red button (ok, it was yellow, but meant emergency anyway)

There was nobody on the other end. If not Frau, who had a mobile phone, I would have been there stacked till today. She called the elevator security and after half an hour a man came, and opened the lift with a key.

My saviour with the key

Can you believe it? In the centre of Warsaw I got stacked… if I didn’t have a phone…

the HANGING

When I was released from my metal prison we went on (only using stairs, no more lifts!) to Hoża Street. There I met Kasia, the organiser of the festival. We decided that I will hang the paintings in Kawangarda (a bar in the nearby street) on the next day – tonight however I was supposed to hang my pink banner on the street. It was getting late, so I thought ok, I need a man to help me. In the end, about 9 pm (it was already dark), Kasia’s boyfriend and me, we went to hang the banner. We had some tools, like metal cutter and a screwdriver but as the banner was supposed to hang high enough so nobody can destroy it, we needed a ladder. As we passed by that cool bar, Cykloza, there we were supposed to meet somebody with a ladder, but that person didn’t come. We were waiting there a bit and suddenly a young (like 20 years old) local boy came, he was totally drunk and he started to chat with guys from the bar that they should not have bar tables on the street, that some people (older people) who live there, they don’t like that. Of course he didn’t mind, he just came to warn the bar owners. Let’s not exaggerate – there was just 1 table, a small one, but in Poland such initiatives are usually not understood. It is a real shame. That is why I am sometimes glad I live in Berlin. Here we can put a table on the street, have a beer, have a dinner, and locals wish us bon appetite! Different culture. Ok, enough of small talk. We had to get moving. We went to the corner of Hoża and Marszałkowska to hang my banner. All legal. But we had a problem – we were supposed to hang the banner between 2 big columns, and without ladder it was impossible. And again, the young drunk boy – Paweł - appeared. He was carrying a plastic bag with sandwiches and he said he just broke up with a girl and he just walks around (drunk) and wants to be helpful. He was a bit annoying but in the end I asked him if he had a ladder. Indeed – together with Kasia’s boyfriend Janek, they went to his flat and they brought a ladder! Cool. And in the end it was that drunken boy who went on the ladder and hanged up my banner really high. I was so scared when I saw him dangling and holding on to that column… I thought he would fall… but he didn’t. In the meantime the guys with a ladder appeared, but we have already (almost) hanged everything with drunken Paweł.

Drunken Paweł with a stick...

Afterwards he wanted to drink vodka with us but we were not really interested. We thanked him for his amazing help. Without him we would have never ever hang that banner. He was glad he could help and he said that the last time he had helped a hedgehog... weird.

the EVENING

As we got back to Kasia’s and Janek’s home I have decided to stay there for the night. It was practical. The only thing was that I had to share the room with 2 artists from Berlin 2 guys! I didn’t really have a problem with that, although I didn’t know them. Although I imagined it they were Germans then definitely I would have to sleep on the floor, but as these guys appeared not to be Germans (Vietnamese and Israeli) they have given me the bed and they slept on the floor. Before I went to sleep I helped Kasia, who is pregnant, with her collection of clothes for children. It is funny, but the last time she was in Berlin she was inspired by self-made children clothes and not she decided to make her own collection with cool silkscreen prints. So I helped her sew the brand tags on the clothes. I like to sew so it was actually a pleasure.

the EVENT

On Saturday morning I have hanged my paintings, I must admit in 20 minutes. Comparing to the banner it was a piece of cake. And so I was ready. The Hożarty festival have started in the courtyard of the Department of Physics where the students were presenting some experiments, there was free coffee (very good!) and some grilled sausages and meet.

I will update this post with photos as soon as I get my camera back – I have left it in Warsaw. All these fotos are made with my mobile, so they are not too good.

It was really cool to see a young student doing an experiment with liquid nitrogen… he was putting different objects into a bin with liquid nitrogen and it made all these objects really frozen… and then he was breaking them. Cool!!! Along the whole street there were many other events – music and some street art in Cykloza, some performances on the street, artworks in windows of some shops, and in one bookstore one could present and sell self-made products for children. I have met some friends and many people I didn’t know but we hanged around together. It was a good atmosphere, I must admit. About 4 pm we were gathering on a courtyard in front of LETO Gallery where an artist from Berlin (the one with whom I shared the room) was supposed to cook. Artistic food! Everybody was hungry and everybody wanted food for free.

Everybody waiting for the free artistic food

Due to small problems with gas, we had to wait… impatiently. As I am realistic (at least in some cases, when it comes to food) I knew it was better to eat something elsewhere before everybody gets a piece. So I went to a shop for a herring salad, I also bought a little bottle of white wine (I don’t drink beer anymore) and a small vodka (Żołądkowa! The best!).

I have hanged spontainously my second pink banner

As I got back some people were already eating their microscopic portions of artistic food, I was glad I had something before. You never know if you get a chance to eat free food when there are so many people waiting for it.

Artistic food

the OPENING

As we were sitting on this yard, the opening of an exhibition started in Gallery LETO. More wine, more art.

To make it short – I have spent that vernissage inside of one of the installations (work by Konrad Smoleński) which was a little hut made of paper and cardboard.

Konrad's installation in Gallery LETO (that black object on the left). foto: LETO

We (some friends, Konrad the artist and some strangers) were sitting inside that installation, in the middle of the gallery, drinking and smoking (surprisingly it was allowed) and we have missed all the cool “Warsaw” crowd walking around the gallery admiring art on the walls.

Inside: Daniel, moi, Ivo, Ania. Foto: Konrad Smolenski

On the way to Kawangarda for the party I have met a large group of people leaving the famous Raster Gallery, and there was my writer friend from Berlin (he is polish) and I have made him carry my other pink banner stretched on the street as we walked to the bar. Why not? He agreed. In the end I have finished my long day in that bar, but the very end of that evening slipped out from my memory.

My paintings in Kawangarda, my last photo on that evening... I don't know who is that girl.

after the PARTY

I woke up with a hangover. Instinctively I have decided to go out, to leave the city for one day. I went to the station to get a ticket to a town nearby Warsaw where my friends live. I felt still drunk. At the station in a Vietnamese bar I bought chicken soup and coke. As I sat there alone, at the table in front of the station, an older drunken guy came up to me asking for money… but as soon as he saw my tired eyes, he smiled and said: “I could kill a rooster for you” and went away. Weird?

In the end I have spend Sunday in my friend’s house, chilling in the garden, getting better after a hard days (last) night. And on Monday I have collected all my works from different places along Hoża Street and went by train to Poznań, to visit my parents and stayed there for a week. And there I really chilled, I was reading a book, some comics, doing almost nothing, sitting in the sun (so unfortunate that I have burned my legs and they look like I wear red stockings), I was planting vegetables in our small vegetable garden (new experience) and that was basically it. I really relaxed…

Klaus, der Ast

2009-04-23T15:04:00.002+02:00

Hereby I would like to introduce you to my new friend, Klaus der Ast*. I have met him last Saturday. Saturday night actually. You see, it was a really long evening. First we went to see a lecture by "The Yes Men" at the TAZ Kongress in Haus der Kulturen der Welt, after that I went to a birthday party of A.L. (he is a boyfriend of my writer friend, T.D.) - I love their parties and it is also nice to spend some time with writers instead of visual artitsts... And after the party, all 3 of us, went to the opening of 2 news clubs in the neighbourhood. On one hand it is practical to have so many clubs in Friedrichshain, on the other - there are more dubious crowds getting drunk... and there is the danger of the gentrification, which seems to be happening in that (our!) area alredy... so with all these philosophical thoughts we made our way to RAW in Revalerstrasse. On the way, on our quiet (still) and empty (still) street I found... I met HIM! Klaus der Ast (in german Ast means branch)... he was lying there, sad in the darkness... so I decided to take him with us. I didn't take his brother, Horst, that would have been too much and we didn't have enough invitations. Actually it is my little hobby to collect branches, I did that few times, back then in Poland. But it is a different story. So now the 4 of us went to the opening of the Astra Club in RAW area. Unfortunately as I saw bold and big bouncers I have decided to leave Klaus hanging on the nearby fence. I was wearing my crown, that was already too much for micro brains of the doormen, but they let us in. Klaus had to wait. And the club itself... well, big, however empty. Maybe we were too early (2am)? All the drinks were like for 1 euro, but in my vodka drink there was no vodka. Should have had a beer. Still a juice for 1 euro is reasonable. I was just a bit disappointed. DJs were playing (I admit) boring music. So we moved on to Suicide Circus, the next club in RAW which was opening that night. And again, as I saw the bouncers I decided to leave Klaus out of it. He was waiting hidden behing a door. And that club? It was smaller, and full - maybe that was just a feeling or simply the proportions. Drinks were... oh, gin-tonic for 6,50 euro... no happy hour, oh no. But at least there was alcohol in it. Music? Old time techno, which is ok. The rhythm is so simple that you can't really dance with wrong movements. Left, right, back and forth, bam, bam, bam, easy. As it was a long marathon-like evening soon we went home. On the way I picked up Klaus. On Revalerstrasse (in the direction our quiet street = home) a group of young, drunk as we were, people started to chat with us, especially with Klaus. I introduced him to them and we talked a bit. It was actually a nice and methaphysical talk. I can't really remember the details, but it was really mystic. Somehow. I felt like in Poland, I felt like home. And I liked one girl. That happens to me sometimes... old times. Finally we reached our street, we said good night to Horst (the brother of Klaus) and climbed the stairs home. I took Horst with us. He lives now on the balcony. I don't know how long will he live, he has no roots, but I have noticed, to my surprise, that he really lives - he has buds! Is it spring? Is it magic?

Klaus der Ast in his new home.

*No, it is not the dean of my Architecture Department at the Poznań University of Technology, Robert Ast. Any similarities are purely coincidental, although there are some similarities, I reckon, as I look at Klaus... similar name, similar mustache... heck, who knows?

Sentence of the day

2009-04-23T13:03:00.001+02:00

Since a month I park my bicycle next to a dead bird. Every day.

The Friedrichshain Hank Williams Incident

2009-04-10T12:02:00.003+02:00

In the developed country called Germany, in the cool and arty city called Berlin, in the hip and underground district called Friedrichshain, in the hippie area called RAW in Revalerstrasse, in the rockin' place called R'nR Highschool... people, like the club owners were so close-minded that they have thrown us out while we playing music. Last night we had a concert with Doc Schoko, Doc is a "real" musician, he is known in Berlin. So we were invited to perform together with 3 other bands. Yes, a real concert. The first band started around 11pm, with nice and soft rock. And after we played our versions of the Godz's songs. I must say what we do, what we did is a bit different than rockabilly or rock'n'roll... we play improvised music. And even there were not many people in the audience, after 6 songs which we managed to play, somehow some people didn't like it, mostly the club owner and his girls. So when we played the "Hank Williams Song" he turned Jacek off, and turned his music on and he shouted we should stop playing. Doc was furious, he was still playing wildly, shouting and singing, I wanted to fight, Patrick didn't notice anything. So there was a little... there was an argument and in the end they have really switched us off. I mean, even if one doesn't like a band, still, we played half an hour, it was not that dramatic to switch us off... it is just very uncool and very unpolite. We were really offended and we went off the stage. I think it is a shame for the club, very uncool. And so we went to the last place of the freedom in F'hain, to Sheriff Teddy - it is a very local and cool bar (thank god) far away from the uncool tourist areas of F'hain. Our last bastion of the freedom of expression! We even played there once, last summer. We did cover songs of Kylie Minogue. Long time ago. In any case, we went there and we chilled.

It was the second time we were thrown away from the stage. Well. and again, we have a song from this incident - we have recorded the Hank Williams Song and the argument - it is free for download here:http://www.sendspace.com/file/66xgyx.
We were the REAL bandits there, with our music! Ha!

Stadtplandienst vs Anna Krenz

2009-04-04T14:42:00.005+02:00

In February I was in Rotterdam, on a journalist trip - we have visited Design and Art Fair, we have been to Rem Koolhaas' office and some young dutch designers' studios. Once we went to see an exhibition in the office of a collectors' family (I don't really remember their name). We have been treated with coffee and sweets and a young woman, the daughter of the rich businessman and his wife, an art collector, was telling us, that she continues the family tradition and buys art works. she said she was really happy and proud to buy works from young (and older) dutch (and international) artists thus support them.

Oh, lovely chocolates...

Oh, coffee... (at the collectors' office)
I was in a way astonished that there was this rich girl who was actually happy to support artists! But that was in Holland. The Dutch are different. And What do we, the artists in Berlin, get from german (or polish) businessmen? Are they also happy to be able to support young artists? No? I tell you what they do.
In January I have received a letter, from lawyers of the company which runs a website "stadplandienst". It is a website with maps of Germany. In this letter was an invoice - I was supposed to pay 2200 euro for using a piece of map (from stadtplandienst) on our gallery website. Yes, I have put a screenshot (about 500x500pixels) with a map and our gallery marked on it. I am almost sure nobody was really using it, but still - seems it costs 2200 euro.

(of course this is not a real map, I am paranoid, even if one takes a photo of a map - not a screenshot and publish it on a website - one may get an invoice...)

Not to mention I have lost my job, being realistic about art market in Berlin, and global crisis - this money was just what I needed to spend. So I have got myself a lawyer, yes, yes, I have had a lawyer of my own! Talking to him and arranging everything in my poor german, whatever. I have learned some german law vocabulary - at least something positive. After weeks of arrangements, letters and statements (like I had to proove I am a poor polish immigrant, an artist - which was not that difficult - it's true anyway) my (own private) wonderful lawyer has made an agreement and the stadtplandienst lawyers lowered the amount of my fee. In the end I didn't pay 2200 euro, I have paid less, I guess I cannot tell you how much, still - it was all together way TOO MUCH.

So this year started not-so-lucky-as-I-thought. I have learned few things by the way and I have told myself to never ever use stadtplandienst anymore, which is a shame, I was really using it to find adresses, and I think the website is a good one - but now I have to use Google maps.

And I just hope I will not be sued for this post...

Catastrophes and design in Wrocław

2009-04-01T17:47:00.004+02:00

Two weeks ago I went to Wrocław to give a lecture about "Design and catastrophes". Yes, As I love to give lectures, I don't really care on which subject. The BWA Design Gallery asked me to speak about something, related to design I guess, so I answered quickly without thinking (as I was painting my catastrophic paintings): "sure, I hold a lecture about... catastrophes! And design!". As I have sent the title... I had like few weeks to come up with something about design and catastrophes. And so I did - I analysed, thought through and came up with ideas and conclusions. The lecture started with a movie of an asteroid distroying the earth... and the rest went smooth. But I don't want to write about the lecture here, but about Wrocław.

I love that city (although I come from Poznań) because the people there are really different - they are very open, nice and a bit wild (in a positive sense). My adventures in Wrocław and my relationship with this city started in 2000. Back then we did a project in Wrocław (we even won a prize in the Euro Art Meeting Festival for it). It was a mirror ball (2m diameter) in Zelaznicze Passage.

Our installation with the screen during a performance (Gućwiński on the photo - he was the director of the famous Wrocław ZOO) in 2000.
It was one of the best times of my life - not only we successfully did an instalation, but I had so many friends with me, my parents came, even my long lost cousin came - I have met her for the first time in my life! We found each other by accident... that is a different story. However one of my dreams came true then - I was always dreaming of driving one of those silver shining garbage containers which I saw in Poznań once. These containers were on the streets only for one day - for the day of the (polish) Pope's visit in Poznań. The day after the visit - containers were removed... such a shame - they were so new, so clean and so silver! On the evening before I was out in the city with my friend, we saw one container and I wanted to sit on it and drive away... however as soon as I climbed in on it... out of nowehere.. out of the bushes came a guard and ousted us away. That was in Poznań. Long time ago.

One of those silver bolides... a real dream.
So when I saw one silver container in Wrocław, all new and shiny, and we have already drank some tequila... my friends put me on the top of it and we drove off... to the next bar. As my dreams are quite simple - it is easy to fullfil them. Practical! And it was one of those dreams... No wonder I love Wrocław. Later of course I remember wonderful time during my exhibition in BWA Awangarda... And now - again - I have spent 3 great days, wandering from one BWA gallery to the other (there are 3 all together), having coffee and food with all my Wrocław friends. I tell you - Wrocław is not only a bautiful (in its way), it is also very walkable and as for the food - oh! There are so many inexpensive bars with healthy food... a real paradise. I miss that in Berlin. I miss good food (biiig portions) for reasonable price.

Isn't that satisfactory? Isn't that portion big? Oh, I love it... big.
What I also like are all those strange shops (although that is typical for the whole Poland)... like that second-hand shop (all in the BWA neighborhood)...

What I find totally interesting is... the chandelier... Wrocław is famous for porcelian and glass...
And about the BWA itself - another funny discovery! In the yard behind BWA Awangarda there is a cage... a cage in the trees... yes. Strange. It appears that the cage is for a marten (polish: kuna) - appartently there are martens living in Wrocław. So the scientists from the Polish Science Academy installed a cage with a bait (eggs) and a sensor - so when the marten is in the cage there is an alarm in the lab and scientists run quickly to the BWA's garden, catch the marten and stamp it with a number. All scientific! We didn't see any marten, but... we saw the cage.

The cage waiting for...

post Marzahn

2009-03-30T13:50:00.005+02:00

So we have survived Marzahn - even more - it was really cool. We played only 25 minutes but it went very good. For the first time (ever) I heard what I played, I heard my guitar... maybe the boys just turned my amp louder on the sound check, I have no idea - however I was heard finally - by myself and seems by the audience as well. As soon as I get any reasonble fotos from the performance - I will post them.

The Curators LIVE in Marzahn

2009-03-28T17:03:00.003+01:00

The time has come to tell you the news: the Curators play a concert... in Marzahn. I don't have to explain that place to Berliners, needless to say - we may not be back...
Here some info about the concert:

SENSOR performance: t.w. blum feat. The Curators
Saturday 28.03.2009, 10 pm (22.00)
Galerie M
Marzahner Promenade 13
12679 Berlin
www.galerie-mh.de

Basically we do the SENSOR performance with Thomas Wagner, we did that in Warsaw last year. There will be action painting, music, all connected by cables, sensors and our favourite toy - Tenori-on.
Hope to see you there... and hope to see you after that event as well... if we survive.

And seems that the Curators are on, I mean we also play in April with Doc Schoko (more info soon) and I guess we also play in Vienna (MAK) in June. Yes, we do the SENSOR performance there. So as for the global crisis, as for my unemployment situation - I have more time and energy to be creative. Glass is half full.

The catalog... is here!

2009-02-21T15:21:00.003+01:00

As I was sending invitation emails about our catalog and the launch party (that happens to be tonight) I still didn't have that book actually. We printed it in Poland, in Warsaw, I don't know if it was cheaper, but I chose that printing house because they were also printing "Vox Design" and I knew they were good. And professional. And I was in contact with them anyway. So as the boos were printed it took me one whole day on the telephone (I hate calling on the phone), and it took us 3 weeks for the books to come to Berlin. Why so long? The transport of that 500 kg was for free, so it was worth to wait. There were many people involved on the way, so there were also moments when some of them just "forgot" about forwarding our books to the next person. And last Monday (Feb 16th) I was really scared - what will we do if the books don't come this time? But they did. The transporter car came to our front door on Monday afternoon. Oh, what a relief!

500 kg of books.
We finally have the book, it is well printed, without errors, at least I hope so, I can't bring myself to look through the catalog, because I am afraid I will find a mistake. So I live in sweet unconsciousness. Anyway, if I write an article, I never read it when printed. So as I did the book, I cannot really look into it... But generally - looks good. I guess. My first book, first layout... A to Z. And tonight we celebrate!
If you want to know more on tonight's event - go to ZERO website. We will have a concert (Seiji Morimoto), readings (Tanja Duckers and Yaneq) and...
www.zero-project.org/zero_katalog.html

Twitter

2009-02-14T18:12:00.001+01:00

I don't twit.

Catastrophic dreams

2009-02-09T18:50:00.004+01:00

Since some months I am continuously working on my project about catastrophes... having dreams, watching movies and drawing.

Warsaw... (new skyline) from New World Burning series

Dubai... - from New World Burning series
This series features icon buildings from fast and furiously developing countries like Emirates, China and even Poland. More to come! The new world is burning!

Lódź by night (only)

2009-02-02T15:44:00.006+01:00

In January I also went to Łódź, a city somewhere in the middle of Poland. A beautiful city, industrial, with one main street, new art museum and high unemployment rate. I went there because I took part in a group exhibition "MIT MITOLOGIA MITOMANIA o współczesnych pojęciach mitu" (Myth, Mythology, Mythomania, about contemporary myths). The exhibition was really really good, great works. Usually I am not really looking at art at the openings, this time I saw everything. Really cool stuff.

"Mit Mitologia Mitomania"
The journey itself was an experience. It was metaphysical, I went alone. And it was local, especially if you go with local trains. Also on the train to Poznań there was art on board - in my compartment - which becale like a preludium to an art exhibition.

Art on the train Berlin-Poznań
When I was changing trains in Kutno (somewhere locally) I bought a coffee to go in a very local kiosk at the station. It is our polish version of "turkish coffee", which I really like. And I also like coffee to go, especially in a paper cup (like in an american movie!). This cup however was sort of plastic. And as I got on the local train to Łódź, happy with my warm (if not hot) coffee, it became impossible! The rails must have been so wry that the whole train was jumping and wobbling in all directions. Half of the cup spilled around... I couldn't drink it - was still too hot, I couldn't hold the cup, much too hot (this plastic seemed to be a lousy insulation)... but hey - a local coffee on a local train.

As I finally reached Lódź, it was in the late afternoon - I walked to the gallery for the opening. And then I have realised that I always come to Łódź when it's dark. Each time I am here, it is dark. Well, I don't visit Łódź that often, still - it is always night. Maybe they don't have days there, maybe the sun does not shine there at all? Or is it just me...

Łódź by night
I walked, trams were passing by, it was cold, but I enjoyed it.

And seems Łódź is a strange and mystic city - I saw that tram going to "Kurczaki" - that means "chickens" in polish. Well, well. Where does that tram go really?
As poetic as it can be, polish province is lovely. There are so many undefined things, things that make you wonder, where am I? Especially if you see train stations in small towns, there are things that slip away normal understanding. That is why I love to travel by trains in Poland.

On the train station in Kutno.

On the train station in Kutno as well.
Sometimes however that "urban", "train", "local" poetry may go in a very wrong or weird direction...

But this is another story...

Bau Bau Bau in Dessau

2009-02-02T15:35:00.004+01:00

As you can imagine I was busy in January. Thinking about life, catching up with deadlines, writing reports, searching for sponsoring for the gallery, painting, drawing, going out etc etc. Two weeks ago I went to Dessau, I was invited as a guest critic for student projects.

I admit - I love to be a guest critic. I did that some years ago at the TU (Architecture Department) in Berlin, and it was great. This time as well - there were some very interesting projects involving ecology, nature and bionics (my subjects!) and architecture. In another studio there were more history-based projects. I will not comment on these. I really love to talk about architecture, to write about it and discuss it. So being a critic is like really it.
Funny, Dessau and its Bauhaus heritage. Seems it is a heavy one. And of course, the food was good. Especially in the mensa in Bauhaus. As you see - it was cool.

Note: I usually don't drink Coca-Cola, this one, Cola Light means I had hangover. And indeed, I had one - a Dessau hangover.

Sweet ignorance

2009-01-20T16:50:00.005+01:00

I was raised in communist Poland, I remember it quite well, I remember my childhood back then. It was hard, different. We didn't have Coca-Cola (we had Pepsi and at some point we had River Cola), nor we had bananas. Life was gray, and I mean colors of living, of the streets, shops, clothes, toys or sweets. Well, ok, I had LEGO. But as it comes to food - I am thinking that back then, vegetables and fruits were much more healthy. They were not stuffed with so many chemicals, emulgators or other stuff. I am not sentimental, not really. I remember also sweets we had - especially those lillipops, funny ones, sugar pure. That was perhaps chemistry, who knows?
So it was funny when I found that lillipop yesterday, exactly the same as we used to have then, in deep communist Poland. I found it in a turkish kiosk.

Anyway, our generation was stuffed (and still is) with chemicals either through food, shampoos or colorful drinks like lemonade. We are artificial from within. Of course back then I didn't think of all odd substances our food was full of. And when I found this "historical" lollipop I was thinking - was it already then so artificial? Definitely yes. The only difference was that it didn't have the list of ingredients written on the back of the package.

We really lived without that knowledge, in oblivious ignorance... and happiness in a way. But it was the same, same chemistry. We just didn't know. I didn't know - I was a child anyway.

(Bitter) Sweet Life

2009-01-15T19:12:00.003+01:00

Life is bitter, or is it people who are bitter? The latter one, I guess. As you imagine, the year didn't start to too good for me. But in all that sadness I have found a bit of sweetness. Not a little bit, a big bite! One day I have received a package, big box, from Poland. A I opened it I was shocked. The whole box wall full of chocolate! Big, small, bitter (chocolate), sweet, marzipan, cherries... you name it. what a surprise! Who send it? Well, a young man, a polish guy, who worked here on the corner in a pizza bar, some time ago. Whenever I was ordering fast food there and he was there - we talked, sometimes he was visiting us in the gallery. After some time he left Berlin, went back to Poland to work, like I guess he got a "real" job, not a "berlin" job. So he works in a chocolate factory or somewhere, and he remembered us and sent us that sweet box. I not only needed that chocolate (endorphins) but I started to believe there actually are good and selfless people in the world. Isn't it a nice Christmas happening? Definately sweet.
p.s. I didn't eat the whole box, don't worry.

Being fired

2009-01-06T17:11:00.005+01:00

The New Year has started. We will see how it goes, if it will be a better year than 2008. As for me - it started... half-half. Some good, some bad. But intensive. Did you ever get a formal letter by post, saying: "you are fired"? If yes, then you know how I felt (yesterday). If you didn't - I tell you what to do if you get one. Especially, when the job you lost was great, especially when you found about that (you being sucked) from a third party 2 days before Christmas, especially when you really liked the job, it was your only real job at the time and especially when you don't really WHY you lost it. Here is what you should do:

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

STEP 3:

Playing (on) Christmas

2009-01-06T16:57:00.003+01:00

As I was writing, we have spent this Christmas in a big family situation in Gdańsk. It was cool, better than I expected (although I didn't expect anything, as usual, ok, maybe I expected to relax and reset my brain after all what happened - and that worked). So new way for spending Christmas. We were like 11,5 people (0,5 is the daughter of my cousin). Family, food, presents, christmas tree - real Christmas. Apart from standard christmas activities we also played... scrabble (instead of watching TV)...

and we also played... instruments. As I got a Hawaii guitar from Jacek, we all got inspired and cousin Michał brought all his instruments - we did a "family session". It appeared however that 2 of the family members are musically educated (cousin Michał and uncle Wojtek), not like the rest of us.

Ha! We will see what happens when we record a "family album" in summer. If we do it Curators-like then the "professionals" will have to play instruments they don't know. Anyway, did you know that my Dad and his brothers had a band in the 1960'? It was the first polish beat band, called "Blue Jeans". They had self-made electric guitars, some percussion etc. Yes, yes, shame we don't have any recordings... but that was long time ago.
So - playful Christmas!

Christmas spam

2008-12-23T00:41:00.004+01:00

I am not in the Christmas-mood at all. Not only I had so much work and didn't even have time to put my Christmas decoration at home, but also... maybe I am getting older. I don't believe in Santa Claus any more. This time also, for the first time since I am in Berlin, we will celebrate Christmas in Poland. Big family feast. Something new for me. I am also hoping that 2009 will be better, than 2008. I have this theory - odd years are better, than even years. And yes, things change, I hope to leave all the bad memories and experiences behind me. I hope I will manage to deal with what happened 3 days ago - I will let you know later, as soon as I have "this" on paper.

While sitting on my computer for the whole time in the last days I keep getting emails, not only spam, but also Christmas wishes. To be honest - why do people do it? I mean - why do people send round emails for Christmas? I delete them as I delete spam email. Sorry guys, who ever sent me a round email with wishes, not only I am not in the mood, I don't have time to answer, wish the same to you, I delete these emails. All goes to the trash bin, as well as my job.

Still here

2008-12-10T12:01:00.005+01:00

If you were wondering, why I didn't write too much recently - I can tell you why - I was/am so busy that I don't even know my name anymore.

In inDesign

Some of you may know, that we (Gallery ZERO) are making a book about the gallery. It will be a real book - with 17 texts from various authors (like Andreas Broeckmann, Tanja Duckers or Ingeborg Ruthe). Apart from the theoretical part we have also listed all exhibitions, all 106 of them (I think it is 106, something about that), each of them on a page. So what does all that mean? It means that Adobe inDesign is my best friend now. I do the whole layout myself. More tham 500 images, texts (in german and polish) etc etc. And the deadline for the printing house is... now... Next year we will do a big party with the book. Maybe it will be a nice good-bye...

In/out VOX Design

Yes, November/December is the time we finish the next issue of VOX Design. It is also a lot of work, since, again, the printing house is just waiting. And then, we will see how things are next year. The financial crisis got to us as well. And I thought it will never get to me... thinking naive, as I am.

And apart from these 2 major "jobs" I do many small ones, some websites, illustrations for a book, etc. And the Gallery of course, that also takes time, if someone asks. And we will see how it goes, if we run the Gallery next year... In all that end-of-the-year mess, I am at least satisfied that I have learned how to make layouts (if I ever loose my editorial job, can do books), I have some exhibitions of my own works coming up - so it is ok.

Tribute to the Godz

2008-12-10T11:27:00.003+01:00

There was this band once, called the Godz. Not quite well known. They couldn't really play the instruments, not to mention singing. They recorded a record in 40 minutes by ESP Records back then. Some of it sounds familiar, doesn't it? (the parts about playing or singing). The Curators decided to make a tribute to the Godz.

Last Sunday we invited Doc Schoko to record the album "Contact High with the Godz" in Festsaal Krenzberg. I don't have to say, that this place on windy Sunday afternoon, all quiet and all just for us, with its red walls and mirror balls... was an experience in itself.

So what we did was: we were playing each song of the Godz and then playing it, just like that. It was not difficult since some of the songs didn't really had lyrics. For example in the first one the Godz sing only "miau, miau"... well, piece of cake - even for us. So we went through the whole album, recording our songs. Apart from that we also have a video material, brilliantly made by Dietmar Post. Something may come out of that Sunday afternoon... what? We will see.

The Curators in Juno

2008-11-22T12:08:00.004+01:00

On Thursday we had this concert in Juno Lounge (Josetti Höfe). This time it was different. We played with Thomas, but this time we couldn't do any painting actions due to the interior - it was all white. So Thomas played the music along. We had video projections in various themes, like catastrophes (my subject!). How was it? Hard to say, a friend of mine said, he was expecting "songs"... Surprise, surprise! Ok, we can "do" songs, but as we improvise, each time they are different songs (read: we can't play the same songs). This time, however, we didn't do "songs". And as for me, I guess I was too quiet, nobody heard my guitar (is it enough that I just stand there, mute, with my gorgeous pink guitar? I guess not). In the last piece I realized that for the whole time, I was just turning the volume button on my guitar in the wrong direction... well, well. No comment on that.

The Curators in Warsaw

2008-11-20T13:22:00.004+01:00

I guess I owe you a little report on how was it in Warsaw. Warsaw, foggy capital...

On November the 8th we (the Curators) had this audio-visual performance, SENSOR with Thomas Wagner in Jadlodajnia Filozoficzna.

It was cool, I guess. We played on Tenori-on, which was loaded with Thomas' sounds and was controlling video. Then Thomas was painting with an oil-paint brush with a touch sensor, so his painting was also influencing the video projections, distorting it. All in a loop of music, video and action painting. Here some photos, you can find more on my flickr >>>

Photos: Marzena Turek-Gas

Polish Nails

2008-11-10T19:24:00.005+01:00

I am in Warsaw now, on Saturday we had this concert with Thomas Wagner (was great), now I still hung around here, working on VOX Design a bit. And I watched polish news on TV and that is why I am writing. I am so ashamed, seems (as we all know anyway) that some polish politicians are really racists. The comments on (the cool) new US president Obama, are ridiculous. I won't even quote, I am so ashamed. These people are so stupid, so racist that I don't really know how can they be working in a parliament of a country, even a country like Poland. Sometimes I am happy that I don't spend here too much time to watch that circus.

Obama's poster in NYC, May 2008

I know that Polish people always loved Americans, in a sort of an American Dream. Always waiting for the Americans to "save" them, which never happened. Sometimes this love was going really far, maye too far, like when the polish government (the last one) bought some old military airplanes (F15) that were to be thrown away by the Americans anyway, in order to hope for a visa-free entry to the US. That deal, of course, never happened. We have the planes, we still need the visa. Polish government was always licking the ass of Uncle Sam. Till now. As the new (cool) president has a colour of the skin, slightly different than that of the slavic "chosen nation" reigned by the queen Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, called Poland. So what happened to the polish American Dream?

My website – re-launched

2008-11-01T16:27:00.003+01:00

Since years, every day (sometimes even twice a day) I make a „to-do” list. I need lists, where I can overview all the things to be done. And since months, no, actually since years, on my daily To-Do lists there has been a mark (usually at the very end of the list) saying: “my website – update (or even) make new!” I always make websites for others, and never had time to take care of my own. So last week I took a day off from all the other things and really made a new website (finally) for myself. Ok, it is not finished, but it will come. There: www.annakrenz.net

Berlin Art Fairs part II.

2008-11-01T15:02:00.011+01:00

Part II: Art Forum & Bridge Art Fair

I was really really positively surprised about Art Forum - I liked it. Honestly. There were many cool works, much more than last year. You see, I like to think in structural ways, I put everything in tables, lists, systems. Those of you who don't know me better, may be surprised, but I am actually not chaotic, I am a structured person. In my art, in my texts, there are structures, even when I am cleaning (ok, not my favourite activity) I think of doing everything in optimized systems. And as I visited Art Forum, I tried to put the works in systems, because after 5 booths, I was unable to perceive things (art!) clearly. and again, from the visible trends at the art Forum we have:

A - acrylic, A - architecture, A - abstract, A - akwarela (watercolour), A - a la design
So here some examples:

A - acrylic - plastic fantastic is a popular material, Murakami-like.

Murakami was there... or not?

A - architecture - many projects with architectural models or photos or whatever, with better or worse results.

Cheesy house! Cool, huh?

Come on, you wouldn't pass your project with such a model on architectural studies, believe me!

A - abstract - still alive, and is big and colorful

Ok, that one again, I think I saw that plexi last year...

A - akwarela (watercolour) - more and more popular

Watercolour... makes sense.

A - a la design - many artworks are really almost design products. The difference lies... not in price anymore, but in a label - what is called art and what is called design. Almost the same works could be seen on design exhibitions as on art exhibitions. Interesting.

Design-like art work... I've seen something like that on some design blog... maybe was the same project from the same person?

Design or art?

Almost Qubus... but/and cool.

As for the motifs, well, apart from the "classical" ones one sees every year, there was more nature (like mystic forests - either paintings or photography) and fantasy (fairy-tale themes). Also I have seen a baseball bat... twice. Seems an inspiring object, that old bat.

Seems an inspiring object, that old bat.

I guess I skip Berliner Liste this year.

After Art Forum we went to Bridge Art Fair, which was quite interesting, and the gallerists were much more friendly - you know Americans and their easy-going attitude. Big contrast to the tense and silent European gallerists. Although when I was at the Kunstsalon I got 2 pens from a (German) gallerist - yes, yes, one silver and one golden (well, not real gold, of course).

But it was funny, to get pens with the gallery logo on it. When I looked closer I also found little phrase: Made in China. Whet else!
- I will use the silver pen on the common days... - I said to the gallerist - and the golden one...
- On Sunday! - he replied.
- Exactly, on the washing day. - I answered and left with my treasures in hand.

I must admit Bridge Art Fair was cool, with some good works. They did not get that much press as the other "standard" satellite fairs, but it was a good experience. However at some point I couldn't anymore... I couldn't look at art. I've had enough... so we left to Bang Bang Club.

Mahjongg plays...

2008-11-01T14:51:00.002+01:00

It was so refreshing to go to the Bang Bang Club after all these art openings. I needed something different (than art). There were 2 concerts: Program (the band of Alex) and Mahjongg (apparently a cool band). And Mahjongg was cool. They started hard and rough, with beats, and continued hard and rough. Boys, boys, boys! Mahjongg boys, in their washed-away sleeveless T-shirts, are truly a band for the girls. Sweaty, manly and wild, Chippendales with drums, just more punky. And I tell you what's the secret - it is the rhythm. Just like in sex, after the (necessary or not) foreplay, of hormones, pheromones, or whatever chemistry you want, it is the rhythm that makes the world spin. So did I come? No, I just went home.

Berlin Art Fairs part I.

2008-10-30T14:46:00.005+01:00

Part I: Berlin Preview & 5. Berliner Kunstsalon

Starting from Berlin Preview...
As usual I am not writing any comments on the Art really. Just one remark, yes, abstract geometry in 80's colours is in (still and again).

As for the buffet - I managed to get the last Spritz (my favourite drink: Aperol & white wine) before they ran out of glasses. And they did run out of glasses very soon, too soon.

Moving north, stopping at the Berliner Kunsthalle, where Wowi had a speech about art, was hot, crowded and smelled with food...
...towards Kunstsalon.
And as always, Kunstsalon was great. I was a bit afraid that the works exhibited in those vast industrial spaces may disappear, but they didn't. It was a good mixture. Many great works (much more than at the Preview) and of course some not that brilliant. We call an exhibition good when there is an artwork with a monkey or a helicopter. There was a monkey collage (I don't have a photo) and a helicopter sculpture. So the Kunstsalon wins as for the first part of fairs I saw.

That is also a cool sculpture... could have easily been exhibited at Preview.

However art at Kunstsalon is punk... I guess one of the most popular events was a concert and the naked singer... So in which order should we take all that: art, music and tits? Or tits, music and art? I am for the latter one.

One of the trends was definitely gay art... in various forms...

Buffet - partly for VIPs, partly for the mortals... just those meatballs were a bit too heavy.

29.10.2008 - Art Marathon in Berlin

2008-10-29T14:13:00.005+01:00

Who can take so much art in one city? As tonight there are 3 art fair openings in Berlin. Three on the same day! Who came up with the idea? I mean in the last years satellite fairs to Art Forum were opening every other day, one after the other, but now! Preview, Liste and Kunstsalon - all tonight! And it is cold and raining... ok, maybe the good thing is, once you see all three openings one one evening, you've just had it, all at once. And guess what, apart from the Art Forum, 3 satellite fairs, there i another fair, a brand new one, even more - american! Bridge Art Fair opens however on October 30th. Fine.

Busy Curators

2008-10-28T19:43:00.002+01:00

It seems we will be having some gigs in November. We - I mean - the Curators (the band). First of all we play in Warsaw, in Jadłodajnia Filozoficzna (a cool club) on November 8th. It is a special project we are now preparing - the Curators featuring (that is what curators do) an artist and musician Thomas Wagner (Sensor/Herr Blum). It will be a concert with live panting, video and music - all looped and connected. And the cool thing is that we will play Tenori-on (again!). Those of you who are not familiar with Tenori-on – it is this cool Yamaha instrument, designed by Toshio Iwai (costs 900 euro! but we have it… for free).

So you are all welcome to see our gig in Warsaw!

This is not all however. We will also play in Berlin, with Doc Schoko (tribute to the Godz) which is a very private event (closed) and once with Thomas Wagner again. But the second gig is less private… all of you who read my blog (yes yes! a bonus for faithful readers) and want to see us live with Thomas in Berlin, just email me, skype me, call me – I will let you know where and when we play.

In any case - link to the Curators myspace is on the right side >>>

Design in Prague

2008-10-28T18:59:00.005+01:00

2 weeks ago I was in Prague - a business trip - VOX Design was media partner of 2 polish exhibitions at the Designblok (design festival). The festival itself was quite interesting - mainly Czech designers and mainly glass. In various forms... sometimes also filled with lovely fluids... like wine, vodka or simply Bombay.

Bombay Sapphire glass... at the Designblok
When you say Czech design, you think of Qubus. They design porcelain, glass, basically everything. And they are great. At some point we wanted to give a present to our friend, who let us stay in his flat, Marek, and we gave him a Qubus cup (bought in a designer shop). But then he was honest enough to say - well guys, I am selling Qubus, I have plenty of their stuff in my studio anyway. oh! Why didn't we think that every Czech person has a Qubus already, bringing wood to the forest... And yes, he uses Qubus in many various ways...

Qubus' plate in front of Marek's studio.

Few things caught my attention. Once, while walking around we found a strange piece of metal garbage. We were not the only ones who found it inspiring and very "design"-like.

Designer Garbage on the street
Later on that evening at one art exhibition opening there was this metal sculpture... which I must admit was less gorgeous than that simple thrown away garbage. This is art world!

The Sculpture... in fancy art gallery.
Prague is lovely, full of contrasts... once you go to the new and cool art center DOX (where Designblok exhibitions were) and on the next street you see all that funny local situations. Many people have mobiles, like everybody - you can even get a tram ticket by SMS. And then, again, you find that shop windows, where you think - hello! Is it already 21st Century or is it already gone?

Mobile Garbage or Mobile Museum?
There are animals in Prague. Some of them real and living, some of them are just avatars... in a way.
A cat... (a street away from DOX)

A real dog (on the same street where DOX is)

Another dog... (somewhere)

and more dogs... (even more somewhere)

What to think of that?

Bad Hair Life

2008-10-24T14:13:00.002+02:00

I am a happy person, basically. As a Gemini, I am torn between extremities - chaos and order, love and hate, as a polish person I am somewhere (as most other polish people) between wild Russians and precise Prussians. When we (the polish) are emotional, or we drink (like I like vodka, yes yes) then our eastern Russian soul wakes up, when we work, we can be as precise as the Prussians are. We are in between, at least I am. Just to mention - my grandmother was Russian.

I am in control of many things, but one - my hair. The chaos on my head is just wild. Sometimes I cover it with the crown, sometimes I try to comb, but that usually doesn't help. It was always like that. As I was a child, I used to have short hair, that was helpful. But the other side was - as I was not really a girly-girl, when I was like 3 years old, I thought I was a boy. Well, short hair, trousers, climbing trees, doing all that, yes, I thought I was a boy. Till I felt in love for the first time, when I was 4, I felt in love with a boy. Since then I am constantly in love. Platonic or not. Since then also I keep my hair growing, till I get bored. I cut it then, short, just to skip brushing. Then I let it grow again. Like now. Every day for me is the same - just literally Bad (Wild) Hair Day.

This is an old photo I found in my computer. I had short hair, it was back in 2001. And actually that photo was taken in Berlin, long before I moved here. (Photo: Ale Arizmendi)

Rain in Venice

2008-10-23T17:26:00.006+02:00

It is a bit outdated post, but I thought I should write that anyway. As every 2 years I went to Venice for the Architecture Biennale (September 2008). I go there since... oh, 10 years now. And I must admit I like the architecture better than art Biennale. Why? Maybe I just like architects more. This time I went with 2 of my friends, instead of going alone. Was funny, because I remember some years ago, the polish pavilion was closed, with a big lock on the door, there were no Polish fans around, now - it is a new hip for the Warsaw chic people to show off in Venice, being as important as they know everything. Times change. But I will not write here about the polish pavilion, since we took part in the competition for it and we (apparently, as you see) lost. Besides, being called a "Schwabe" (it is a negative description in polish for a German) due to my german-sounding last name, and the fact that I live in Berlin, by some polish architect, I won't even mention all that polish-in-Venice situation. For a change, though, I was warmly welcomed in the German pavilion, not only by the beautiful Matthias, but also by a press lady, who knew my name. So what was cool in Venice? Apart from meeting some good old friends? As usual - buffets, openings, champagne, parties... same old, same old. Of course, as always, Venice was full of famous architects, just the way I like it.

So here a little riddle for you, my faithful readers, who's that girl with such a round shape (in the middle)?
Solution on the bottom of that post.

And the openings, yes, one was especially funny... the Chinese Pavilion in Arsenale. We went there not only because we were interested in the projects but I was expecting a good buffet. And we were not disappointed.

However Betsky (the director of the Biennale this year) wanted us to go beyond the buildings, it was the weather hat made us long for real wall and ceilings. One day it was like 30 deg C, the other day it was pouring with rain. I just remember my immortal pink umbrella.

Ok, you read through that long post... here is the solution for my puzzle: This is... we all know.

She really goes with the time. Last time I saw Miss H. in Venice or even in AA, she was always surrounded by young beautiful boys (how does she do that? ok, it's money and fame, stupid). Anyway, this time, however, she went with the flow and picked up a group of young girls, Japanese (like Gwen Stefani) or maybe Chinese (like the fashion tells). This is what I call being trendy.

Got hit (hard)

2008-10-21T17:12:00.003+02:00

Today I got out from the house and that is what I saw...

That morning I got hit by a leaf, twice. I was riding my bicycle and a yellow leaf just hit me (hard) on my face. Few hours later, again, another leaf hit my face. What a nature! Did these leafs wanted to tell me something?

No boycott for Cohen

2008-10-06T17:50:00.005+02:00

So I didn't boycott the O2 arena, no. I don't feel good about it, but I have decided to go to the concert of Leonard Cohen last Saturday. We were like 5 people, so it was ok. And besides we didn't really pay for the tickets, so that is ok as well. Visiting O2 arena is a dubious experience. We all know it is big, some of us hear the music while opening the windows on the other side of the river. And if not the free ticket we would have spent a fortune on this evening. The most horrifying thing was that the parking costs like 5 euro! And once inside you want to have a glass of wine you spend 6,50 euro! It was not even a glass glass, it was a plastic cup. Ok, with glitter so I took it home.

The concert was much better than I thought. I was afraid I would be disappointed, and I wasn't. Cohen was as great and as beautiful I saw him in Lörrach. And I also cried half the time. I must admit the video projections were really amazing, not only a great image quality but the cut! Real pro! What was rather not so good was actually the acoustics in the big hall. I guess nobody really thought of that, maybe they forgot to include that in the brief, but the geometry of the hall is like... acoustically bad? So that was it, Saturday night. I did go there, and once was enough.

Red Lord

2008-10-06T17:35:00.006+02:00

So yesterday I wrote a 10.000 characters long text on Venice Architecture Biennale for "Architektura&Biznes" (a polish architecture magazine). Somewhere in the length of the text I managed to write: "nieustraszony Lord Foster" (in translation fearless or dauntless). So you see, I follow my hobby (read post below). I just hope the editors will not cut it out.

While writing this text and researching, I stumbled upon a very interesting news on the Internet. You see our immortal Lord Foster was just honoured with a a China Friendship Award by the People’s Republic of China. He was an only architect among other 50 people who got the prize. It was for the Olympics, actually for the new Beijing Airport. That is the news from Sept 29th, 2008. Very new news. Read what the Lord said about all that:
“I am deeply honoured to receive this most prestigious award. We have been privileged to work in China for over ten years now, from the Jiushi Headquarters in Shanghai to the new Beijing Airport – the largest and most advanced in the world. I was very proud to see the new terminal fulfil its role as a gateway to Beijing in good time for the Olympics. I would like to pay tribute to all the talented individuals and collaborating teams that have, with the BCIA, worked together to realise this project.”
I don't need to comment on that, do I?

Porsche

2008-10-06T17:08:00.003+02:00

In short: I just heard that somebody burned a Porsche in Mitte. Well, well, better but still - this does not solve the problem. If whoever makes that, wants to get to the rich of this city, burning a car... makes no sense. Why? Well, first of all the rich have insurance for their cars (they get the money back!) and second, the rich have few cars, that Porsche wasn't definitely the only car that person has.

Our Lord (Foster)!

2008-10-02T11:17:00.002+02:00

So the next issue of Vox Design officially went to print today. Those of you who will have a chance to read it (ok, it is in polish) may stumble upon my little hobby. So in the next Vox Design, in our calender section, we have info about some architectural event - a competition (don't remember which one), where the Lord is chairman of the jury. In a moment of craziness, as I was editing this text, instead of leaving the text as it was "architect Norman Foster" I changed it to "Lord Foster". Later on, our editor changed it again to "lord Norman Foster", but I thought it was too... casual. So in the last moment I changed it again to "Lord Foster". I also wanted to add "immortal Lord Foster", but I guess that was too much. So, go and find the Lord in Vox Design nr 11.
You see, as I write about architecture (for architecture magazines) I always try to mention Lord Foster. Even if there is no context, I find one. Why? Apart from a hobby, I really think the Lord is so popular, he is everywhere, so why not writing his name all over again. Once I met him, sorry, Him, again, in Berlin at the UIA Conference in 2002. He was getting another prize, I don't know which one was that. Anyway, that was the time when He was getting prize after prize. I was bored with that so I went to Him to congratulate. Shaking His hand I said: "How does it feel to be Michael Jackson of architecture?" He was confused and answered "oh, I am just a normal man..." and he ran away. Well, the Lord is not normal at all. And for me, He is a pop icon.

LMD again

2008-10-01T15:54:00.002+02:00

Sometimes I publish my drawings in Le Monde Diplomatique Polska (polish version of LMD). This time it will be about the US presidential campaigns... These are actually "old" drawings which I did for Beyond Baroque, a magazine from L.A., in 2004 for the bushy Bush elections. Somehow they are still actual. This is funny. So, hands on the polish (October? November?) LMD!

To burn or not to burn?

2008-10-01T15:47:00.002+02:00

How sad can it get? Few days ago somebody burned 2 cars on our street in F'hain. It is a very peaceful and small street, and still! I know, they do burn cars here, especially in Kreuzberg or Friedrichshain, as part of the fight with the system. I can understand that. And one of the cars burned on our street was a Deutsche Bahn - Car Sharing car. Ok, understandable, to some point. But the other car, as I read in Berliner Zeitung, belonged to a young girl, who didn't have insurance... F'cked up for her. So that dubious fight against the system, got actually bad for an innocent girl, a Friedrichshain girl, a student? or a hippie? young mother? Why don't they burn all these BMWs, Mercedeses or Porsches in Kudamm? Or in Zehlendorf?

Beautiful People

2008-09-27T15:28:00.003+02:00

Last night we went to the Leonard Cohen Tribute Night in Babylon, an event co-organized by Jacek and led by Oli Übel. Well done event, with cool band and many people.

After that we went to this arty event, 166 Torstrasse exhibition. We came quite late but still there were many people, in various stages of drunkenness. The whole building was arranged with art works, which I must admit were not bad!

A room by Raumlabor
But what was really amazing is that there were so many beautiful people, men, women, boys and girls. Actually everybody was beautiful. Where are they all coming from? Mitte? As we went to this "private" lounge, passing through bodyguards checking the guest list (we were not really on the guest list), we ended up in one big flat, with loud music, more beautiful people (the chosen ones by the guest list). It was actually a funny social event - one could buy drinks, but only in bottles. A bottle of Vodka was like 30 EURO, so it was logical to share one with friends, if you had some. Sharing, connecting, drinking... all with beautiful people.

Installation in 166 Torstrasse
Just one funny thing - this whole exhibition, which looked like a squatted house, the one we know from the past, was sponsored by a depot company Hornbach. Subversive? Maybe, but at least something!

VOX Design, Rumkugel & Life

2008-09-27T14:27:00.005+02:00

Last week we were finishing the next issue of VOX Design (www.voxdesign.pl). This time, however, I didn't have to go to Warsaw - 2/3 of my editorial is now in Berlin so we do it, here. Better being in Moabit than in Warsaw. I guess. So as the weather was delirious, work was fine with a little help from... Rumkugel. I discovered this wonderful German sweet invention while being once in Wannsee. Rumkugel is for me a real West-German thing, actually a real "Western" thing, the taste, the smell - it is all Western. You have to remember I come from an "Eastern" country, where as I was a child, we didn't have such goodies.

Rumkugel....
But this is what I really love at the moment, my work and the idea that I can be anywhere, anywhere in the world, like sitting in my office in the gallery, being chief editor, getting paid from Poland, and then, in the end there is this magazine, printed in Poland, delivered to so many people in the whole country! That is what I call a contemporary nomadic job.

My own private Atelier....

2008-09-08T12:58:00.002+02:00

Recent news: I have got an atelier from the germans and I have got a scholarship from the polish. Isn't that nice? Nothing else but go and paint. The atelier in very close to the gallery - in Cuvrystrasse, perfect. The scholarship is some (little, but better than nothing) money from the polish Ministry of Culture. It is my first time that a polish government gave me any money. Maybe previous political party didn't like my works... You see, I was writing scholarship applications to the polish government, from time to time, just as a hobby, to be honest. This time it worked. That is ok, good stimulation to draw and paint! So I will be now cruising between the gallery and atelier... nice nice.

Cohen in Schwarzwald

2008-09-08T12:23:00.003+02:00

and not in the Clinic...
Yes, a month ago Leonard Cohen had a concert ... in the South of Germany, in a small town called Lörrach. We went there, stayed on a camping, a real german camping!

The all-around-German Camping in Lörrach

The concert was really amazing, on an old market, very cosy. Cohen lives and looks good, sings great. I was crying like crazy the whole second half of the concert.

The photo is not so good (taken with my mobile), but hey - I was standing in the second row!

I am also going to Cohen's concert in Berlin, I guess, he plays in O2 Arena in October... and that can be problematic. I wanted to boycott the big blue monster on the Spree... and I can already imagine the concert will be different - big concert hall is not the same as a local market-square in Lörrach. Hm, I will be disappointed probably... The comparison may be too horrible. Maybe I will boycott in the end. The arena, not Cohen.

I also took up with my favourite hobby...

However while driving around good-old-german Schwarzwald... we came across a very very strange thing. So strange that I couldn't believe it. The place is called Balzer Herrgott. It is in the middle of the forest, you can walk there (3 km on sloppy hills through the dense woods, oh! real trekking!) or if you talk to the locals - they give you directions how to get there by car... and then you have to walk about 900 m on a flat road. Well, we decided to take the second option, and adjust it to our metropolitan lifestyle - drive through the last 900 meters by car as well. So we did drive the whole way. On the last 100 meters that we walked, we met a badger... a real one. He looked and ran away. And then... we reached Balzer Herrgott. In the 30s someone hanged a sandstone figure on Jesus on a tree. As years passed the tree... grew Jesus in. Shit, that was so weird.

Balzer Herrgott

This is how it happened...

(a photo of an info poster). How weird is that?
I must admit the atmosphere, the energy in that spot was really strange. Heavy. Weird. Meaningful (of what? Dunno). And why did the tree grow the way it left the face there, not feet for example. If any of you visits Schwarzwald... go to Balzer (sic!) - it is just next to HexenMuhle (sic!).

Action Figure: Louise Bourgeois

2008-09-02T15:09:00.004+02:00

Maybe I forgot to mention, some time ago we went to NYC - it was my first time there. We stayed at my best friend's apartment in Manhattan (yes yes!). It was great of course - not only due to dollar-euro liaison. One of the memorable events I reckon is my visit at Louise Bourgeois. the procedure to get there is a bit complicated, you have to call a number, write an email etc etc, but in the end, on that sunny Sunday - I was there. Her flat somewhere in Chelsea, looked rather like XIXth Century Paris flat than a world famous artist's apartment in NYC in 2008. There was a whole bunch of us-visitors. Fans, admirers, wanna-be artist, artists, journalists - even her son came by and gave her a box of Tapioka for the Mother's Day. In the darkness of the room I noticed a table with all sorts of alcohol (for the nervous guests like us), drawings and press clippings hanging on the long-not-pained walls.... really amazing interior. And there she was - Louise Bourgeois herself. And yes - she is still alive.

I took one photo of her, although it was not allowed, but due to my respect - I am putting a sketch I did there.

I am not sure if she really heard us, or saw us... but she was there in the spirit of her genius. We were showing our portfolios mostly to the 2 assistants who flanked her at the table. They did the talk as well. I could see that they really had control on everything, the meeting, her moods, even the light. I am not sure if they liked my works, well, you know my stuff, but I didn't really care. I also don't think she really saw me, I don't care about that either. She drank Schweppes with a straw, holding the can in an old metal cup. It was really an experience. It got me so much that as soon as I left this shady place and welcomed New York sun on my face, I went info a shop and got myself a Jesus Action figure to my collection of plastic (mostly made in China) religious figures and toys.

GO GO Dance at the Gallery

2008-08-29T15:42:00.005+02:00

As I am trying not to write too much about our gallery, this time I have to. Last Friday we had an opening of the exhibition by Jurek Kosałka (cool artist from Wrocław, Poland). He literally turned our gallery into a bar. There is a sofa, there is a bar, plenty of Coca-Cola, mirror ball and there is a pole. So for the vernissage we have planned a GO GO dance on the pole. It's not that everybody could dance - there were polish female curators (only!) dancing. Ok, two real curators and me - this time as a gallerist. The evening was brilliant! Jurek was making magical tricks - turning Cola-cola into wine, mixing Cola Light and Mentos, he even conjured up a gold fish. All of you who weren't there - you missed that one! And we - polish female curators - we danced!

more here >>> www.zero-project.org/kosalka.html (english version)

Polish Female Curator nr 1

Polish Female Curator nr 2

Polish Female Gallerist

and yes, on the next day an unexpected guest from the far country....

Donna Madonna

2008-08-29T15:30:00.003+02:00

I was there... I was at Madonna's concert yesterday (Jacek gave me the ticket for my birthday). And I must say - it was great. Not only because Madonna is an icon, she is not that young but still looks great... it was an experience!

And as everybody is discussing her muscles... and whatever National Inquirer says (that she trained so much to piss Guy Ritchie who doesn't like too much muscles) - I also add my opinion - well, yes, she has very masculine muscles (ha!) ... her arms! But hey! In this age! Better such muscles than floppy fat body. I love her anyway and I am not ashamed to say that!
Funny, at the concert she played a pink guitar (dos that ring a bell?), she wore pink (ha!), she played kind-of a metal solo piece (well, seems she can't really play the guitar, but who cares? Do I know it from somewhere?) and at some point she danced on a pole (that comes in the next post!)
Audience? At the concert there were 3 types of people: gays, polish and polish gays.

I was there!

Karim was there

2008-07-17T19:48:00.005+02:00

Oh, I completely forgot to tell you how was it at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milano. Yes, I was there, I was there (it was in... April). Apart from thousands of kilograms of press papers and free drinks (my lovely Bombay Sapphire... :) I have just one beautiful memory... it is Karim, Karim Rashid. He is an export star-designer of Bombay Sapphire. And he is everywhere. One cannot miss him (the pink, look for the pink!). So I have decided that I cannot miss him here as well. There we go, ladies and gentleman - Karim is here for you!

London Fever

2008-07-17T19:13:00.004+02:00

What you see there on top of my head is my newest treasure - I was looking for such a hat for a year now. I found it in London! It doesn't mean I will not wear my diadem, oh, no, but for a change now, I have the hat! and you will see - in one year they will all wear them! (Jacek hates it).

As I am writing about my trips and I don't do it chronologically - I will now tell you about our trip to London (3 weekends ago). We went there all three of us - the Curators in full cast: Jacek, Patrick and me. Shame it wasn't a tour... but anyway. We did the tourist thing. We even went to my school - good old Architectural Association! Patrick was visiting some record shops and studios and I (with Jacek) did my architecture tour - visiting some architecture exhibitions.

Psycho Buildings at Hayward... well well!

As every band - we went also to Abbey Road, however we didn't manage to have us all on the photo...

Ah, and good news - we opened a Kebab place in London. Coming from Berlin, one has to have a bit of "home" in the UK...

As we arrived to London, it was just a very fresh act - now it is forbidden to drink alcohol on the tube. So that is why all the British come to Berlin and do the stupid "alco-tourist" trips in the UBahn... now we know! How I hate all those drunken tourists in Berlin! I don't care if what I say is politically incorrect. Drunken tourists are wrecking Berlin. Few years ago, due to the lovely Ryanair, ther was the same in Cracow (Poland) - I don't know if this is still happening there. But that is also the reason why I don't go so often to Mitte... and Warschauer Brucke in the evenings is pure hell! Sh.t! They are coming closer and closer every weekend... they are even reaching further now in Friedrichshain... Way beyond Simon-Dach Strasse, oh!

Leggings live

2008-07-16T19:38:00.004+02:00

As I was traveling recently (NYC, London, Helsinki) I observed this trend... leggings. Ok, they are back since 2005 but as I don't ramble around cool and fashion-able areas of Berlin (Mitte or PBerg) I missed that and just discovered recently that leggings are really back. The good thing is is that when you wear a dress and leggings the problem zone called "the BELLY" (or life belt) may be safely covered. Looking skinny in such an outfit applies only to those with thin limbs which are sticking out from the dress. Otherwise this can be dangerous... Camouflage may be a trap! And yet, in leggings one doesn't really have to shave legs, right (German) girls?

One of my favorite magazines is "The National Enquirer" a trash paper from the US, but I am not ashamed of that. I love the celebrity photos, blow ups of cellulite and blah blah stories. There is also one of my favorite sections where the editors are judging stars in their glamorous appearances. In every issue there is also a "Freak of the Week". I have made you a national-enquirer-like showcase of BOHO-chics myself, enjoy! Leggings live!

Sailing in/to Helsinki

2008-07-16T19:09:00.005+02:00

And yes, so we've been to Helsinki - was great. Ok, only 3 days but it was still worth it. We managed to take all paintings with us on Easyjet. We flew to Tallinn and the we took a boat to Helsinki. And that was fun! Has any of you ever tries to do on one of these boats? It is an adventure. It doesn't matter that it is noon - all the Finnish people (young and old!) are buying massive amounts of alcohol in Tallinn or right there on the boat. Alcohol in Estonia is much much cheaper. And then you have all these people singing karaoke, being drunk on the deck, carrying boxes of rum, gin and whatever vodka. I don't want to hear anymore that it is the Polish who drink the most in Europe! Ok?

In Helsinki my gallerists (From Myymala2) took us on their boat - old wooden fisher boat. Maybe they render such a pleasure to every artists they exhibit but again, it was great. Jani even let me drive the boat (or steer?). Well, it was easy - no trees to hit (remember - I don't have a driving license, I don't even know how to drive a car).

"Our" boat is the small one, of course...
And I guess we were lucky - apparently it was the warmest day of the summer in Helsinki. Having a beer on the boat, picnic on the shore of an island... a Nordic paradise. Apparently in Finland it is allowed to drink and steer - with maximum 1,5 promile of alcohol...

Monkeys and Saints

2008-07-02T22:30:00.005+02:00

On Saturday July 5th I have an exhibition opening in a very cool gallery in Helsinki - Myymälä2 Gallery - www.myymala2.com For the exhibition "Monkeys and Saints" I have made some new paintings and I am also showing a new project called "Mao was There"... ok, I have to go now to finish packing... I will write as I get back to Berlin...

"Mao was (There) Pope" from "Mao was There" series

"Mao was (There) Elvis" from "Mao was There" series

"Mao was (There) Adolf" from "Mao was There" series

A bit of theory behind "Mao was There" project:

The marketing of contemporary Chinese culture is a relatively new thing. In the amazing growth of China’s economy and wild urbanisation process of the former rather agrarian communist country, art, as any other luxury, becomes more importance. Art market is increasing; prices for art works are similarly high as in Western countries. It is not only the Chinese market of cheap goods, copied design products or antique Ming vases – China has now a global power – both in financial and cultural terms. How could it happen?

I come from a country which used to have a communist government, similar, although less extreme, as in China. Analysing the situation in China and in the western countries I have come to conclusion that basically the Japanese tourists, as we know them, were in reality Chinese tourists disguised as Japanese. All these Japanese tourists with their cameras, taking photos of literally everything, were the Chinese. The Japanese did not need to document everything and research on what is happening in the West – they have their own style in art, design and architecture. It is in China, where in miserably lit basements hundreds of poor people are copying artworks of famous world masters, it is in China where copies of design products are almost as good as originals, and where local architects copy/paste buildings, houses and whole villages from western countries. Come to think of it… maybe it was the Chinese all the time? Chinese in disguise?

Find the Flag

2008-06-14T18:22:00.002+02:00

Ok, I didn't write for a long time - I was traveling, working, having exhibitions. Just few words now, about the football EM... what else can I say - we watched the Poland-Germany game at home, windows closed, just few good friends around (both polish and german). I didn't have enough courage to watch the game in a public space. Of course! I wanted to see the miserable polish national team without happy mobs of Germans around me.
And then, as on our street there were no flags at all, there had to be one, a german one, just in front of our windows. I thought - fine, let me then hang the polish flag! I didn't have one, must have lost the one from 2006 (WM)... so I had to improvise....

A small football quest for my faithful readers:
1. find the POLISH flag
2. find the GERMAN flag

small tip: those of you who know me, you know that I don't really have anything in white or red... I wear black mostly.

The Cat, the Tree and Me

2008-04-07T17:44:00.004+02:00

As I was in Warsaw last month, I have stayed at my friend's place. She has a house, a cat, a dog, a garden and a tree. A very particular Tree. One morning as we had our coffee in the garden, the Cat climbed on the Tree. It sat there for a while. At some point the Cat tried to climb down but it couldn't.

The Tree was probably a Salix matsudana (Chinese Willow), as I estimate. so we watched the Cat trying desperately to get down, and we laughed imagining firemen taking the Cat down.
Finally I have decided to be a hero, just like in a movie, and climb the Tree myself to rescue the Cat. And so I did. After a long hassle, I managed to get the Cat - I took it and put it in my friend's loving arms.

But then I have realized that I cannot get down, it was not a big Tree, however I couldn't remember as in the childhood I used to climb trees, how was it to get down... jump? and break a leg? So I sat there for a while. A while. Thank god it was after my morning coffee.

Finally my friend, Frau, she brought me a chair and, as you see - I sit at my computer and write this wonderful and dangerous* adventure down, I managed to get down.
---------------
* dangerous - yes, yes, it is a dangerous nature out there...

Open letter to Scott Matthew

2008-04-07T14:51:00.006+02:00

Dear Scott,
thank you for the invitation to your concert in Berlin in April, however I cannot come - I am in Italy that day (oh, a business trip). I wish you all the best for the concert, and I hope your hand is fine. Next time!
All the best, Anna

Not About Art

2008-04-07T14:50:00.003+02:00

As from nature I am quite critical, I will not write about the 5. Berlin Biennale. I am not writing a single word about art on this blog any more, since my long entry about the art fairs in Berlin last year. Some of you were saying I am not fair, too critical, whatever. So this time, no a single word about art... about artworks which cost 40.000 EURO to put up... ok ok.

The Capital

2008-04-07T14:48:00.004+02:00

Last month I went to Warsaw - to work. Yes, I do work in Poland. As I go there, it is usually for few days only. I get out on the train station (what a place!), run to the Złote Tarasy shopping centre to get cigarettes and newspapers, and then to work. Day and night I usually spend in front of the computer, checking layouts etc, and after sending the magazine to print, I go to Złote Tarasy again, for more newspapers and more cigarettes and get on my 6-hour train to Berlin. Basically that is how it looks like. But the reason I write about Warsaw is that I wanted to share some observations, maybe some of you will understand this city, well I don't. And I mean architecture.

I admit I love the Palace of Culture. I know, I know, it is a symbol of the soviet occupation - the palace was a gift from Stalin, but still, it is a symbol of the city as well, after all these years. It could be used in a cool way, just taking examples from Berlin's Palast der Republik! Ah, but who would listen?
Instead the Palace is surrounded by a very sprawled urban tissue, no sense, no planning, no idea. It is the Capital for God's sake!
Coming back to Złote Tarasy - a big shopping center near the main train station. I admit - it is practical, while traveling, as practical as Berlin's pink Alexa (a shopping center on Alexanderplatz). It is not the only thing these two places have in common. Their function, "practical" location... and form. An ugly form. Let's say - very ugly form. As for Alexa, ok, I like pink as a color, but not on such a building. As for Złote Tarasy ("Golden Terraces") - oh, they are definitely not golden. Gray, they are gray.
Here you have a detail from Złote Tarasy:

And here is Alexa:

Dear Capitals, take an example from this provincial city called Poznań (my hometown). Shopping centers can be designed differently, they can be visually pleasant.

Poznań

Unwanted

2008-04-07T13:43:00.008+02:00

There are many things which people throw out and leave homeless on the streets. You can check out our previous exhibition in ZERO - we had a show by Zentrale Intelligenz Agentur - there we go, a link: www.zero-project.org/zia.html.

While walking around Berlin streets I have noticed that the most popular unwanted and thrown-away objects are old monitors. Buuuh! Old machines which are too clumsy and too fat to stay alive on young artists' and whatever creative peoples' desks. And here some sad old-time monsters:

Once you go to a flea-market - the most popular books being sold are by... who? Yes, right, by Stephen King! Long read the King!

Sinus_3 reloaded

2008-04-01T17:51:00.003+02:00

The reason I wasn't writing recently was that (one can imagine) I was a bit busy - before Easter I have decided to take part in one competition (art / architecture) and I called on my 2 other friends with whom I had out Sinus_3 design group. Some of you might remember us, some of you don't know about Sinus_3. Basically we were 3 girls, all architects, and we did some art and architecture projects (video, installations, performances), back then, in Poland. We stopped for a while because we all live in different countries now. However I thought there is a reason for us to try again, on different conditions - in the virtual reality. So we have made a project together with invited artist/ architect from NYC. So there you have people in Berlin, Holland, UK and US working together on 1 project. We did it, we have sent the proposal - of course we didn't win, I don't mind that - this project showed us how and if it is possible to work together online. It works. And the competition? I will not say too much about it, makes no sense. It was a polish competition, and from experience I know that all those competitions end with something stinky. Well, I know we didn't win, not because we have got a letter saying "you lost, suckers" or anything like that, not even an email saying "thank you for participating, but you didn't win" - I know we didn't win because I saw on the Internet who won, although it seems an unofficial information. Whatever, a polish competition. If you ever take part, don't fool yourself to be treated in a civilized manner. Examples? National Art Museum competition where Kerez won (or didn't he?), Elisabethan Theatre architecture competition (the jury chose 1 project, then denied and then the jury fell apart). There are other examples. Ok, the good thing is, we did something, we have realized we can still do something together despite the distance. Fine!

Here is one of our older projects, just for the idea - a mirror ball installed in Wrocław, 2000.

Pecha Kucha

2008-02-14T19:16:00.007+01:00

I was invited to give a lecture at the Pecha Kucha Night. I will speak about "Hens" - aggressive old women. The speech is based on my project "Hens" about aggressive Polish women, but for the Pecha Kucha I have extended it to German and Turkish women, so it has more local aspect. Pecha Kucha is a cool thing - you give a lecture, you have only 20 images in your presentation and only 20 seconds for each image. Total length of such a lecture is 6.40 minutes.

Images from the lecture about Hens

PECHA KUCHA VOL. 08
February 19 | doors open 19:30 | start 20:20
Tape Gallery, Heidestr. 14 | admission €5,-

++ THE PRESENTERS ++
this is the list of presenters who have confirmed so far:
* Thorsten Rauser (Entrepreneur / Gameshows for everyone. mass interaction in the internet)
* Anna Krenz (Architect and artist / Hens Project: aggressive old ladies)
* Ronald Marx (Theater Regiseur / USA Road Theater)
* Peter Pleyer (curator / Tanztage)
* Sönke Andersen (event organizer / Night of the Raging Bulls)
* Susanne Chrudina (Theater project Zalina)
* Lars Grau und Jan Schulz (Designer and engineer, Spoot - instant communities)
* Leka Dukagjini (Filoart) (curator and artist / Infrared-light against surveillance cameras)
* Johannes P Osterhoff (artist/ Interface-art)
* Can Yoldas (musician and political scientist/ Undo Bundestagswahl 2002)
* Darius Ghanai (Art Director / Marketing for a German movie)

++ GUEST CURATOR RONALD MARX ++
Ronald Marx of the GTA (German Theater Abroad) will be our guest curator for the evening, and he will also be a presenter himself.Ronald Marx is the artistic director of GTA, which was founded in 1996. GTA produces theatre festivals, stage productions and readings on both side of the Atlantic; among the cities visited are New York, Düsseldorf and Berlin. In his function as a guest curator he will bring more speakers from his network to the Pecha Kucha microphone.

www.pechakucha.de

Focus: _| (| | _|

2008-02-09T15:37:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I was supposed to take some boxes to the gallery. So at home, I packed them into a plastic bag... the only one I could find was from LIDL*. I thought oh shit, when I go shopping in LIDL, then it is ok to carry everything in LIDL bags, but as I carry something else then I feel, in a way, ashamed. In Berlin you just don't carry a simple supermarket bag with you. It has to be a cool textile "Jute Beutel", self-made from old cool fabric or with a cooool picture on it. Not just simple plastic bag. What could I do? I didn't have any Jute Beutel at home, and I was shamed to carry a stupid LIDL bag, so I just turned it around - inside-out. I thought, ok, it will be less visible. And bravely walked to the U-Bahn station. As I walked on the (my favorite!) Warschauer Brucke, there was a guy who wanted to sell/give me a newspaper... as I mumbled "no" and looked angry away, he shouted after me: Hey, why do you carry a bag on the wrong side?

and I wanted to go unnoticed...

* - for those of you who don't know what LIDL is, it is a cheap supermarket chain.

Poetry Spam again...

2008-02-06T18:40:00.000+01:00

So I am posting some images from the Poetry Spam event. Aram Bartholl took the photos so all credits go to him! Perfect. Tomorrow - Thursday 7.02 - on german TV (ARD - Polylux, 23.45Uhr) Poetry Spam will be featured among other artists dealing with spams...

Now, those of you who missed Poetry Spam at Transmediale you can see it again, here are the details:

Die Freie Hand - Kulturrevue
8 February 2008, starts at 20:00
in TERRY EXPLOSION, Yorckstrasse 70, Berlin 10965

This time it is in a bar... there will be other people reading things, playing music... the whole event is organised by Eve McFar & Oli Übel. You can check it out www.diefreiehand.de

Fotos by Aram Bartholl www.datenform.de

Poetry Spam

2008-01-24T19:14:00.000+01:00

There we go - you are all invited to Transmediale08, where I will be doing a short performance "Poetry Spam".
Where: Café Global (in the main building)
When: 30.01.2008 at 5pm (17Uhr) (Wednesday!!!!!)
and here about the project:
Poetry Spam is a reading of spam emails, of which computer users get hundreds daily. We all know the same spam emails about Viagra, Penis Enlargement or false help requests from poor African people. As many people find it annoying - tons of rubbish on their desktops, which they have to delete constantly, I found poetical beauty in those messages. Poetry Spam is a reading, which is conducted by Anna Noonan (the artist's Second Live avatar) and me.

more info: www.transmediale.de

The Curators' First Album

2008-01-24T18:35:00.000+01:00

Yes, we did it - we recorded our first album. Ok, not in a label, but in a real studio. Our friend, Wolfgang has a brilliantly equipped studio in the Tempelhof airport (being there was an experience in itself!). He recorded gigabytes of music, amazing. And Wolfgang also joined us, playing all kinds of strange instruments. So, I guess, as soon as we edit and cut all the bad moments out, we will have a real album! I will keep you posted on that!

David Rosen with love...

2008-01-18T16:15:00.000+01:00

Normally I don't write about the gallery stuff here. This time, however I have to. Last Friday we have experienced something amazing. As you might guess, it is our dream to find a rich sponsor. We even wished ourselves for the New Year's Eve that something like that happens...

Last Friday I were there at ZERO. There were 2 people wanting some money from me. That happens quite often. Yes, Germans are coming often to get some money from me, a young polish immigrant. Isn't Berlin wonderful? That day one man came in, I had to run to open the door for him (I hate that!). And honestly his face was violet.

- I want to see the manager - he said, holding some papers in hand.
- It's me - I answered annoyed.
He looked at me with anger and disappointment, and asked - Do you have time?
- No - I said quickly - I'm on the phone. (which was true - I was on skype)
- Ok - answered the man with the violet face and left. Later I saw a Turkish boy wanting to come in. He had a mop with him - wanted to wash our window, I suppose, but i sent him away waving my hand from the office. I didn't even get up.

Around 4pm an older man came in. I saw him passing by before, looking through the window, but so there he came. I was running around a bit.

I thought, ok, another guest... wonder what this one wants.

Then he asked me about the paintings of Ann McCoy - we have her exhibition at the moment. I told him all I know, the story behind the images, same staff, as always. He said that he is looking for art works because he has some hotels and wants to buy some art. When I heard that I became sweet and nice. Of course.
Then he asked - what is the style? I didn't get that - there is no "style" in it. Finally I managed to say something sensible. He must have heard my accent and asked if I was Russian. No, I am Polish. Then he said he owns casinos in Poland and actually in Poznan - my hometown. Wow! What a guest! I became really attentive.

We spoke about (typical) polish stuff. somehow he mentioned he was Jewish. Oh, I though I will call Jacek - he is a better talker than me when it comes to serious business. I was afraid I will say something stupid again and he man will leave. So as Jacek and the old man talked they went to our small office (it's full of things!!) and talked further. The man sat down at our guest desk, I made him polish-turkish- coffee. He said he is old now and he wants to sell the casinos and invest in art. Possibly in young Jewish artists. (oh! oh!) Of course we don't have many Jewish artists - if any, we don;t care about that, but we were thinking if we could find any artists, who might be Jewish and whose art we could sell to a hotel. There were some, which we thought could be Jewish (from the sound of names, whatever). That can be big, we thought. The old man introduced himself as David Rosen. We spoke about everything - Poland, our jobs, life, Jewish matters, war etc, art... He said he would come back the next day with his daughter who is the manager and they would talk more serious about us and the art. Then 2 of my friends came to talk to me, i installed them in the kitchen where they could smoke, besides in the office there was no space for more people. So I was traveling between the office and the kitchen. Who came also? Yes, our artist, Ann McCoy. She was telling David about all her projects, her works, she even dig some Jewish friends and family members out. Beautiful! Ann also mentioned that she forgot her mobile phone charger and she needs an american one. David said that all big hotels should have all kinds of chargers. He asked Jacek to find the telephone number to Adlon Hotel. Then he took out his mobile and called Adlon.
- Rosen here - said David with a bossy voice - I have some guests here from the US, and we need a telephone charger...
In the end he made it - a certain Herr Lehmann had everything set for Ann - she could go to Adlon Hotel anytime and get a charger. Wow! Ann was thrilled. What a guy!
I was sitting with my girls in the kitchen when Jacek came to me excited - Ania, David says that he also likes natural catastrophes!
That was unbelievable! You see, I love natural catastrophes! I love them! I collect catastrophe movies, I read about catastrophes and I even wrote my PhD proposal (rejected so fuck it). However IT IS my subject! So I ran quickly to David. He said natural catastrophes are a good theme - paintings of catastrophes can sell. He said he will give me paint and i can just pint that - he would sell then to some rich Jewish people (who apparently love natural catastrophes, as David mentioned). Wow! My dream! My deepest dream came true - there comes a rich guy and wants me to paint catastrophes! I couldn't believe that! I am in heaven!!!! So we talked and talked. Slowly others were leaving - my girls left, Ann as well. There were only 3 of us. David said he has to wait till 11 pm when his daughter comes with money from Düsseldorf - actually his bag with money and all the documents was stolen today as he went from Poznan (sic!) to Berlin with a train. Bad luck. But his daughter canceled all his credit cards and booked a hotel for him. However he couldn't go there earlier. Slowly we thought he would stay here forever - we slowly wanted to go. It was 6pm! and then as he said he has to wait somewhere till his daughter comes, Jacek said we could lent him some money till tomorrow. Just for something to eat. David refused. We talked some more about possible cooperations, Jacek gave him his visit card. Then at some point David said, without any context - yes, when my daughter only knew I am borrowing money she would kill me. So there, we came back to the subject. Finally I took my purse out and gave him 15 Euro.
- Oh, thank you, tomorrow you will get 30 back! - he said putting th money in his pocket.
- No big deal - I said feeling anyway ashamed when I imagined how much money he has and what is my lousy (polish!) salary compared to his!
- What flowers do you like? - asked David.
- Well, white. I like white flowers. - I answered.
- But I will not buy you white lilies.
- Of course not - I said politely, thinking, shame!
- What about red roses? - David continued.
- Oh, everybody lives red roses, they suit fine - I lied.
Ok, so then David was getting to leave. Jacek asked him to sign our guest book. David said he would do that tomorrow, but Jacek insisted. And so he wrote some words and signed.

Just as we closed the door after David Rosen I stared to collect all the dishes from the desk he was sitting at. Then, by chance I saw a staple of books lying there. My eye stopped at one book back... it said "100 Naturkatastrophen aus aller Welt".

And then, something clicked in my brain. I knew it. I knew it. David Rosen will not come back with his daughter tomorrow. He will not be back at all.
We couldn't believe it. Somehow it all made sense - it was a trick. Just like in a movie. To be honest we wouldn't get a better one-man performance for that price - 7,5Euro pro ticket! Not bad! And we didn't have to go anywhere - the theater came to us! And it was really interactive. Jacek said he had fun taking part in this scam, that the old man was really good. Like in a movie. However I was upset. Not only because I felt like an idiot - I got all caught up but because he was saying things I dreamt about. All my dreams, my hopes, they will not come true. I will not paint catastrophes for him. I guess that hurt me the most. But yes, he was good. After we realized the bitter truth Jacek called Bristol hotel in Frankfurt, the one which supposedly belongs to David Rosen, asking to speak to him - but they didn't know him. True, the manager of this hotel is a Rosen, but not David. And real David Rosen is some kind of a chairman of some Jewish committee and travels often to Poland. Whatever.

I tried to make a memory portrait of David Rosen, like a identikit, but it was very difficult. I didn't pay attention to what he looked like, but what he said. Funny, next time he talks to other people he might be called Jacek Slaski, the gallerist. I am sure I will see David Rosen again, somewhere, some time.

Orte des Grauens

2008-01-16T21:06:00.000+01:00

In the last TIP Berlin magazine, in the title story "Orte des Grauens" (more or less meaning: places of horror) there are different spaces in Berlin described as horrible. Well, I agree with some of the choices, however I am surprised and disappointed that my favorite Warschauer Brücke is not there. This is a place of horror, honestly.

Therefore I present my contribution to the TIP Berlin magazine, about a place they definitely missed. It is my version of the Warschauer Brücke:
Warschauer Brücke (german version)
Punk, Kleingeld, Kleingeld, Punk, Zigarette, Punk, Zeitung, Punk, Kleingeld, Punk, Zigarette, Zeitung, Kleingeld, Zeitung, Punk, Kleingeld, Kleingeld, Punk, Zigarette, Punk, Zeitung, Punk, Kleingeld, Punk, Zigarette, Zeitung, Kleingeld, Zeitung...
Warschauer Brücke (english version)
Punk, change, change, punk, cigarette, punk, newspaper, punk, change, punk, cigarette, newspaper, change, newspaper, punk, change, change, punk, cigarette, punk, , newspaper, punk, change, punk, cigarette, newspaper, change, newspaper...

and so on, and so on, especially on Saturday night...

Bearded Softies

2008-01-14T18:51:00.001+01:00

Last year we went to Scott Matthew's concert in Berlin. It is one of those singer-song-writers and he composed music to the "Shortbus" movie.

He had his hand injured so he couldn't play guitar - I liked it better. It is a memory sketch - I didn't see him to well from the distance - I didn't have my glasses... anyway...
I was surprised not only how many people came to the concert, but that there was a special sort of people... of men. Apart from all kinds of gays, there was a very special type of men - how can I describe them? Bearded Softies? I noticed this trend now, or rather in the last season, it is difficult to say if it will hold till spring.
They all look like that:

A Bearded Softy contains of: 7-days beard; short hair, not combed ("soft-crazy version" - that means he doesn't care...); doggy-eyes, possibly wet with tears; scared look; woolen sweater in pastel tones; shirt also in pastels; jeans (could fall down a bit, showing sweet underwear).

Sweet sweet Boys!
Seems that this is the trend for boys-men, maybe it is an answer our long-forgotten emancipation or rather the masculine side of girls which was very popular in the last years.

Often Softies are also fathers - you can see them pulling a cool pram, proud of having a paternal leave in the name of sexual equality. I also saw some of them on TV - definitely the show master and trend-spotter Stefan Raab presented few of them in his SHESKANDEIWNDNSJKXW (whatever, something DSDS-like) show on Pro7. And the audience liked them.

Girls, be careful with Softies, they are sensitive (isn't it what we always wanted?) and they cry sometimes (is it?).

Polis per se

2007-11-08T20:02:00.000+01:00

So what was I doing recently? Oh, working. As usual. But there was a nice event we went to - the premiere of the "Persepolis" - an animation movie based on Marjane Satrapi's comic. I have read 2 parts of Persepolis and I loved it. So I was really happy to go and see the movie. Well, the premiere took place in French Culture Institute in Berlin. Yes, there was a red carpet (what for? Brad Pitt wasn't there?) and after the movie there was a little buffet! As I like it. The only problem was that I still cannot drink - still taking antibiotics, so not that much fun for me with free drinks. Anyway. The movie was great - I guess those who liked the comic - they would also like the film. Not much point in describing it, but it was really good. I cried in the end... as always. After the show there was a little meeting with Satrapi and her crew (just 2 guys and 2 actresses who did german voices). Marjane said that she didn't really want this movie but her friend talked her into it. She was "trying" to find all possible obstacles to make it difficult for him, like wanting Catherine Deneuve's voice, but in the end he managed. And Deneuve was on board. Satrapi seemed shy and surprised with all the success, she said that the comic WAS NOT directly telling her own life-story. Yeah, yeah. blah, blah. But really, I do recommend both, the comic book and the movie.

Website done...

2007-10-31T15:44:00.000+01:00

All right, I have finished the website for Preben Maegaard, my danish boss. Danish version is still not completely translated, but that will come. They will do it, not me, I don't know any danish... It was a big site, but it was nice to do it. I had no idea how many things he has done...

There we go, a screenshot... www.maegaard.net

CAT scan

2007-10-31T13:51:00.000+01:00

While I was making order on my PC (got a new hard drive with 200gigabytes, yes) I found some old photos which I took in 2002.... well these are actually not photos but scans. Back then there was a very popular website on the net called "cat scan" (do not mix up with medical use of cat scan). One could just send images of scanned cats. It was really funny. Later on, unfortunately, they closed this website. I guess due to eco-freak-animal-saviors who protested against tormenting and torturing poor furry animals. However I managed to scan a cat. I was in Denmark and I had a scanner there and there was a cat. After few attempts it appeared that the cat liked the scanner and didn't want to get out of it. Warm surface of the scanner was a pleasant place for a nap.

Yes, there is even the cat's face recognizable.

Jacek Slaski aka Bob Dylan

2007-10-31T13:38:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we (Jacek, Timm Koelln - the photographer and me) went to the roof of the Berlin Verlag. The view from the top of that "skyscraper" was just amazing. The reason we went there was that Timm had an idea to make a photo shooting session there. So he took photos of Jacek and me, while I styled Jacek as Bob Dylan.

I must say Jacek looks very much like "early" Dylan. So I am posting few snapshots which I did with my (!!!new!!!) mobile. Yes, I do have a new mobile - just got it on Saturday as I went to prolong my contract. Well it is a nice little phone, and in comparison with my old bat - this one finally makes me more civilized. I even downloaded ringtones from the series "24' - which I like very very much. Cool!

Of course these photos are just quick shots, we are waiting for Timm (that can be a long time...) to develop the films and make prints. He used this beautiful analogue camera... hmmm... I cannot wait till I see his photos!

After Crete

2007-10-19T15:46:00.000+02:00

Ok, holidays in Crete were great. I got some sun tan, as I wanted, only a bit since the whole trip was just 1 week. However I am happy - this suntan will keep me happy for the whole Berlin winter, I hope. I am a bit ill now, so will not write too much today... I have to go home.

Take a look and find differences...

Visiting Cracow

2007-10-05T19:36:00.000+02:00

That is Anna Noonan (me) in Cracow...

Due to one of my small jobs I was traveling around Second Life yesterday. Strangely my computer was really slow, I have no idea whether it was the fault of my good old PC machine or some strange SL server problems... however I visited Cracow... yes, the polish Cracow (Karków) is also there. I hope maybe all that english tourists who come to Cracow with cheap airlines (ryanair and easyjet) and run around naked drunk to the limits of human understanding, I hope one day as they "discover" SL maybe they won't come that often to one of the most beautiful cities of Poland and piss on the streets... maybe thanks to SL we might save the monuments of Cracow from british ammoniac (I mean pee).

really Last Minute

2007-10-05T16:41:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I thought it would be nice to go (finally!) for a holiday. So we browsed internet and found a great last minute offer to Crete... so there - we leave tomorrow. That was fast. Last days of sun, last days of more free time... We will be back in a week.

Giants in Berlin series

2007-10-05T16:36:00.000+02:00

There we go: another giant, another face... also in Kreuzberg. There are really few of them here... will post more... later...

McReuzberg

2007-10-05T16:13:00.000+02:00

Finally it did happen... the first McDonald's in Kreuzberg... I thought there were more protests against it, but all the social activists and anarchists were quite still... apart from few sentences painted white on the sidewalk... I admit I was surprised. Well, Berlin is such a social city, everybody has a right to speak out, and they do. They protest against things, like closing/or not Köpi (the last surviving original squat), against Hartz IV (oh, that's this german social thing) or many other things. I admire that social attitude. I never knew that Berliners (or Germans in general) are so keen on discussing things. I didn't know that till I came to Berlin. In Poland we don't have either the power to change things or to speak them out loud. So that is why I was so surprised that there were not that many protests against Mc. The horrible thing is that it is not only a regular Mc - it is Drive in or Drive Through... can you believe it? Second horrible thing is that it is located next to a school... with many "foreign" kids... so is capitalism... again...

Reading or not...

2007-10-03T20:46:00.000+02:00

Sometimes I get the feeling that nobody reads my blog... oh, whoever you are, my dear Reader, let me know I don't do all that writing for nothing... Thanks...

A voice, a word in the vast darkness of pixel space... gotta hear/read it sometime...

News: finally I got myself a FLICKR page... you can check it out... ok, I started with some "older" photos... www.flickr.com/photos/annakrenz/

The Big, the Bad and the Ugly

2007-10-02T16:48:00.001+02:00

Yes, I have visited all 4 art fairs this weekend. It was: Berlin Preview, 4. Berliner Kunstsalon, Berliner Liste and Art Forum. I admit it was hard, so much art, so much rain. But from all I saw I can point out new/or persisting trends in contemporary art. Of course I mean art, that is being sold on art fairs. So let's take a look:
1. BIG, COLORFUL and UGLY
This trend is not new, long tradition of Leipzig School is still present. I can understand that BIG paintings are attractive for buyers and collectors, but why do they have to be ugly at the same time?

2. IT'S THE KID, STUPID
Some of the art works were definitely made by children, although nobody admits that. Or... some contemporary artists don't know how to draw... but then, who cares if an artist cannot draw, if he is an Artist! ... or maybe this trend shows that artists do posses the need to go back to the roots, to childhood, to the womb, to point out that they are sensitive and naive like children...

3. STILL the PENCIL
This trend is also not new... pencil drawings... some years ago it was trendy to sign works on the wall with pencil. Still happens, although I thought it would finally be out to do so. Pencils, pencils, pencils... back to the basics.

4. HISTORICAL
Strangely there were many works which reminded me of bad old times of visually unattractive times of the beginning of 20th Century... Is now expressionism back?

5. DESIGN (Plastic IS fantastic!)
Some of the works fit perfectly to the category of design. Design and that is it. So what do they do on art fairs?

6. BOUGHT in 1 EURO SHOP
Few ... oh, no, many works were based on this new neon gadget... If I buy one as well, will I sell my works too?

I did not put any names and titles of works intentionally. Photos are from Art Forum only.

Of course there were many great works, no doubt. It was worth to see everything. I also think that as all non-art-forum fairs had new locations, it was great to see them. And as my personal hit was Kunstsalon. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera...

Eva & Adele & me

Gold is in the town

2007-10-02T15:50:00.000+02:00

I saw it on (the cool) Brunnenstrasse in Berlin, of course. It is cool, I like kitsch, as you might noticed - the crown, the pink guitar... and I like also kitschy elements in cities, in public spaces...
I wonder who did it?

Being ok

2007-10-02T15:47:00.000+02:00

Yes, I am happy because it appeared, that I don't have any terrible illness, I am fine, although it took me a whole month to know that. From one doctor to another, waiting for examination, the biopsy, waiting for the results... but it is all ok!!!!!

Forest... uuuh, scary!

2007-10-02T15:31:00.000+02:00

On Sunday 2 weeks ago the weather was brilliant. One of the last days of summer. So we decided to go to the forest. We were a bit tired after the wedding of our friends' the previous day, so that sounded as a good idea for a hangover. Actually the day before it was the wedding of our guitarist (the Curators) - Patrick and Simone. They have organized a wonderful event - first the wedding took place (the official part) in a... well, in the wedding hall and then we took a great trip with a boat along Spree. After 3hours we arrived in Kreuzberg - there, in a funny and a bit "traditional" restaurant was the dinner. Food, drinks, dancing, wild spanish family... it was very nice.
So Sunday in a forest in Gruenewald (part of Berlin) was a chill-out idea. In the foresat there were almost no people but many spiders and mushrooms. We collected like 2kg of mushrooms. Afterwards we went to the lake, I guess it was Wansee... and there were finally some people enjoying last hours of sun...

Somehow I was really in good mood, also enjoying sun... shame the summer was so short!
Spiders, mushrooms, whales on the beach...
A real nature adventure!

ILLustrative

2007-09-20T15:43:00.000+02:00

There was this great illustration festival, Illustrative, in Berlin. I was showing my project "Kury" (Hens) there, but only for 3 days. I was part of the "Polish Day"... ok, better than nothing. Don't bother looking on their website, you won't find any info - although I have sent all the material to them a month ago. Whetever, the exhibition is over, anyway. But I must admit the whole exhibition was great. Well done. And the building is tremendous! (villa Elisabeth)

As the only proof that I was there I place a photo here... these are Hens on Illustrative.
But the funny thing in itself was the "Polish Day". There was a lecture about polish poster design, a video presentation and a concert. Shame, we couldn't play... anyway, and there was also a "buffet" - my favorite thing! So I went there, interested mostly in buffet... I have seen the exhibition before. So the buffet was a typical polish buffet you find abroad. Especially in Berlin. There was meat...

and there was also meat...

and there was meat...

and meat...

Aha, there was also a bit bread, some cakes and sweets. But mostly you could eat meat with meat. Sausage with sausage. On one hand I always wonder - on polish buffets it is usually meat with meat... like if we didn't have anything else to offer, anything else to export and say, hey, polish food is great. On the other hand, polish meat is good. No doubt. When you hear about recent scandals in Germany with rotten meat, so called "Gammelfleisch"... then it is good to show that polish meat is all right. It is good.
The only thing I missed by the buffet at the "Polish Day" was, of course, alcohol... that should have been there as well. Especially good polish vodka, to help digest the meat...

New Face of/in Berlin

2007-09-18T21:19:00.000+02:00

This appeared recently... I pass by this mural every day, when I go to the gallery... cool... and scary...

Warsaw Connection

2007-09-18T20:35:00.000+02:00

So that is how we are closing the next issue of VOX Design... editorial works online!
That is what I have been doing today... Since I am in Berlin, and the others are in Warsaw, we connect...

Portable PV

2007-09-17T22:18:00.001+02:00

Ok, there are portable computers, called laptops, there are portable telephones called mobiles, there are portable DVDs, called whatever... and there are portable PVs (photovoltaic panels)... That one I discovered in Folkecenter in one of my favorite spots (hideouts). Cool, huh?

On the road to Folkecenter

2007-09-17T17:36:00.000+02:00

As I wrote before, I was in a miserable mood for some time, but as I went to Folkecenter it all turned out all right. I came back happy and full of energy. What is Folkecenter then? It is a place, north of Denmark, really north. As one can divide Denmark into 2 parts: Copenhagen and the rest, so I was in the rest part. Folkecenter is near from Ydby, a small village. Not much happening. I got a cheap train ticket (3 days before my travel, wow, I never buy tickets that soon) - and left on Friday night (Friday the 14th)... at 11pm. Of course I didn't want to leave home, travel, change trains 5 times in the night, I preferred to stay home... but in the end I went. As I arrived in Hamburg, I had around 2 hours of waiting for the next train. Hamburg's main train station is a straaaange place. Strange people in the middle of the night... so I sat in a 24hour bar, along with other lost souls and local junkies, drinking hot chocolate. Few of them. I talked to a very nice girl, Ingrid, she was also on her way. She was traveling to Copenhagen and she was taking the same trains, at least 2 of them, as me. So we spent some time talking, although I had some problems with understanding her german, she was actually Austrian. When I went to the toilet she found other people to talk to, though. Anyway, I was reading a book, listening to what they talk about. Still they were sitting next to me. Two guys, strange, one of them was somehow Russian or something, the other was one of those typical Agents Provokateur... he was building up a discussion about the world, catastrophes, climate change etc. Funny, I was just reading "State of Fear" by Crichton (well, maybe it is a cheap american bestseller in a colorful cover, but it is about catastrophes and climate change - actually about conspiracy about climate change = my favorite themes!)... and this guy was provoking the girl Ingrid to discuss these issues... at 3am. Fine. Hamburg.

Sheeps... in Denmark... hu hu...

So finally we got on another train, and there was another change in ... Neumuenster... wherever that is. We had like 1,5 hours till the next train. It was cold and dark... as it was around 4am there was nobody on the station... so we (Ingrid and me) waited for our train which was suppose to come around 5am... but it didn't. So we were standing there, on this desolate ghost station... till 6am. Finally the train came. wow! Who said that the Germans were always on time? Of course I missed my connections later... everything was delayed... finally I arrived to Struer (another small town in Denmark) and in the end Jane picked me up with the car. I arrived to Folkecenter at 1pm on Saturday. Wow.

But there we had a quiet weekend, only Preben - the BOSS, Jane and me. I spent the whole Saturday and Sunday outside, checking the site, being in nature, in the wind... that was great. I love to be there, I usually walk around alone, just walking, not even thinking too much. This time I had to do that - one of my jobs there is to make an axonometry (perspective drawing) of the whole site. Just like this one I did in 2002, but more detailed and more "functional" so it can serve as a map.

The other job is to make a personal website for Preben. That is a big job. If I consider that I have to put everything he has done, his articles, his achievements... oh, that is amazing. A real renewable energy pioneer. I have biggest respect for him.

And as I thought, that time did me good. Not only being there, as a lonely wolf, in the wilderness of a danish countryside, but also meeting nice people, having wine and good food. Ah, I am really inspired, full of energy and happy.

Modern Work

2007-09-17T17:04:00.000+02:00

I couldn't sleep tonight - I woke up at 6.30 and went to the gallery at 8.00. Since then I work... on two things at the same time. First of all we are closing the 7th issue of VOX Design. Since I am in Berlin and my team is in Warsaw we do it by skype, emails and ftp. Contemporary technology. Then I also do a website for my boss, Preben, the director of Folkecenter for Renewable Energy. Ok, gotta go... well, not really go anywhere, just close my blog and continue on the magazine...

Whatever helps

2007-09-06T20:41:00.000+02:00

As always, painting helps... I made this little painting today, not only due to therapy but also as a gift... as I go to Folkecenter tomorrow, I needed a present for the boss... and as I know he likes my drawings - I have made one little painting. Folkecenter is a great deal about windmills... they also have few of their own, and this little knot is for good luck...

When things go as they go.

2007-09-06T15:54:00.000+02:00

Ok, last month I thought I was happy. Not only happy, but HAPPY. And then, that is so typical in life... things changed. It is not only health... at the moment... small thing, but changes everything. It will be all fine, but for the next 2 weeks, as I wait for the doctor to examine me, then wait for results... it is all a horrible time... waiting, not knowing if it is fine... no, I will not die... although in some moments I do think so... but no, it will be OK... And then, today I got the letter - they didn't take me to the Graduate Kolleg - I wanted to make PhD... I had this great idea... which I thought would make a cool PhD... but no. They had only 12 places and 120 candidates... well, I shall not comment on that. I am not the most happy person today. At least I go to Denmark tomorrow... just for few days, another job, but maybe it will do some good. I go to Folkecenter - Institute for Renewable Energy... it is in the end of the world, north west Denmark.. there is only wind... and windmills. But that may help...

Yes, I feel like 50Cent polyester strings.