INTERVIEW: TOBIAS CZUDEJ

from the top:  Magali Reus, Parking (Jogs), 2013 / Gabriele Beveridge, See through you, 2013 / Installation view Comrades Of Time / Bas Van Den Hurk, Untitled, 2013 / courtesy the artists, photos by Cell Project Space

From creepy hotel rooms to spectacular one-day-shows: London-based curator Tobias Czudej continuously re-invents strategies to present art, to experiment and to doubt traditional display concepts – until the exhibition itself turns into an art form. With his project CHEWDAY'S, which refers to the way people pronounce Tobias surname, he recently curated the show "Comrades of Time Comrades of Time", which is still on display at Cell Project Space in London Hackney. While it is not only a striking assemblage of up-and-coming artists, the show demonstrates an unconventional approach towards spatial performance. Senses are challenged, yet the visual appearance remains minimalist. I spoke to Tobias about his motivation to do exhibitions, his view on contemporary art and about Comrades of time.

ISTANBUL: EXHIBITIONS AT ARTER

MINE KAPLANGI

from the top: (1) Aslı Çavuşoğlu, "The Stones Talk", 2013, Installation view, Photo: Mustafa Nurdoğdu; (2) Aslı Çavuşoğlu "The Stones Talk", 2013, Photo: Hadiye Cangökçe; (3) Fatma Bucak, "And then God blessed them", 2013 video still; (4) Fatma Bucak, "Suggested place for you to see it", 2013, Video still; (5) Fatma Bucak, "Blessed are you who come – Solida Fundamenta", 2012 / courtesy Arter Istanbul and the artists

During a very tiring Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair it was a relief that Sakıp Sabancı Museum invited Anish Kapoor to do his first solo exhibition in Turkey at the same time. But while Kapoor’s show manages to close a few gaps in Istanbul’s contemporary art scene, three exhibitions at the institutional art space ARTER and its newly opened subsidiary BAHANE (which means ‘excuse’ in Turkish), are going for a whole new beginning – a redefinition of contemporary art in Istabul. Planned for a duration of two months for a start, BAHANE is directed by İlkay Baliç and İz Öztat as an art space that is located in an old apartment, combining exhibitions with a library, video screenings and reading sessions. ARTER currently has a different exhibition on each of its three floors, including solo shows by Aslı Çavuşoğlu, Fatma Bucak and the established artist Sarkis.

INTERVIEW: KATHARINA BAUCKHAGE

from the top: editions by Laura Paperina, Norbert Schwontowski and Elin Hansdottir, photo by Graeme Vaughan / artberlin.de; edition by Louise Bourgeois, photo by Yvonne Amankwa / artflash.de; portrait Katharina Bauckhage, photo by Julia Baier

In the market of selling art online, some have made an attempt to go big in the past years; most of them failed. Although society seems to be comfortable with buying every imaginable product via the Internet, the online art sales are still only growing slowly. This brings up the question how online art sales might develop in the future. Is it a necessary step towards a democratic distribution of art by opening up the market to any potential buyer, or is it just another way to satisfy society’s greediness for consumption – to leave the haptic, creative and creational nature of art and thus, its aura behind? I posed these questions to Katharina Bauckhage, who is the founder of artflash and a former organisation member of Documenta 11 and 12. Her Berlin-based project Artflash is an elaborately selected online shop for art editions, which, according to Bauckhage, aims to diminish barriers that young collectors might be confronted with. Every second week the site presents two limited and signed editions, usually varying in a moderate price range from 100 to 1.000 Euros and quickly selling out during the ‘flash sales’. Showcasing editions from up-and-coming artists, such as Jon Measures and Antje Dorn, to the established ones like Louise Bourgeois, Raymond Pettibon or Jörg Immendorff, artflash wants to establish a democratic approach between the art world and its consumers.

ACCUMULATION, DISPLACEMENT, DELETION, REARRANGEMENT AND INSISTENCE

from the top: (1) installation view Carlos Noronha Feio and Richard Parry, (2)  Richard Parry, (3)  installation view Carlos Noronha Feio and Richard Parry,  (4) Nástio Mosquito and Richard Parry // All images courtesy of narrative gallery // Photography Angus Leadley Brown

Even today, Post-Colonialism is a difficult and often a sensitive topic to discuss. But luckily the comprehension of a problem is the first step towards reconciliation. Questioning the exposure to this cultural and political debate, the group exhibition "Accumulation, Displacement, Deletion, Rearrangement and Insistence" at Narrative Gallery in London introduces works by the artists Nástio Mosquito, Carlos Noronha Feio and Richard Parry, who propose a rather self-ironic but nonetheless very aesthetic handling of post-colonial-theory. The circuitous title is an excerpt of a quote by Edward Said from his book 'Orientalism' (1978), which reads in full length: "Far from being merely additive or cumulative, the growth of knowledge is a process of selective accumulation, displacement, deletion, rearrangement, and insistence within what has been called a research consensus." Said was a prominent figure – in fact, one of the founders – of post-colonial theory, as 'Orientalism' criticised the Western view on the Orient as an irrational, mysterious and alien depiction.

TIRELESS WORKERS

from the top: Klara Hobza “From Cologne to Bonn” (2011). Courtesy Galerie Soy Capitän // Guido van der Werve, "Nummer dertien, Effugio A: Chamomile, Russia's National Flower or Running to Rachmaninoff" (2010)" // Isabelle Giovacchini “about:blank” (from 2008) // Moritz Frei "Divide et impera" (2011-13) // courtesy the artists // photos by insitu

They say the devil finds work for idle hands. Leisure, unproductiveness and extensive pondering contradict the modern belief in efficiency and optimisation. Only within the sphere of creative productions – specifically literature, music, theatre, film and visual arts – there exists a legitimation of (temporary) faineance for the sake of brilliant results and unique genius. On the other hand, however, the arts originate from a tradition of hard labour and craft, which still influences the appreciation of contemporary artists. "Episode 4: Tireless Workers", the current group show at the relatively new Berlin-based project-space insitu, discusses these clichés and phenomena by showcasing possibilities of approaching the production of art with seemingly senseless and repetitive manual labour.

SHOW COVER HIDE. SHRINE

from the top: (1) Thomas Böing "Ohne Titel", 1988 ; (2) Hermann Abrell "Ohne Titel", 1973 ; (3) Rudolf de Cringis "Painting #99.03" and "Painting #99.04", 1999 ; (4) Thomas Rentmeister "Ohne Titel", 1988 ; (5) installation view Michael Toenges "Ohne Titel", 2001 // courtesy Kolumba Köln; photos by artfridge

How the juxtaposition of contemporary art and art from early Christianity can turn into an experience of both dissonance and harmonious contemplation is regularly shown at Kolumba, the museum of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne. Originally a parish in the medieval centre of Cologne, St. Kolumba was established as the Cologne Diocese Museum in 1853 and bombed into pieces in World War II. The architect Peter Zumthor renewed the building in 2007 and enclosed the remaining fragments and the Gottfried Böhm-chapel “Madonna in the Ruins” (1949) with perforated walls and a plain and minimalist architecture. Sixteen exhibition rooms, each kept in reduced materiality, vary mostly on the incoming daylight. Their seventh exhibition "show cover hide. Shrine", which is praised to be "an exhibition on the aesthetics of the invisible", is the first show that respects the minimalist architecture by reflecting its subtle and meditative opulence.

INTERVIEW: JÜRGEN DEHM

from the top: (1) installation view 'Time To Recollect' at Stadthausgalerie Münster; (2+3) Ruchama Noorda (Civic Virtue) "Babtisterium"; (4) Sil Krol "Hexagonal Platform"; courtesy the artists, photos by artfridge

Münster, a classic mid-sized German student city, started to form in the end of the 8th century. While city planners have been reconstructing the old city-scape and tried to erase the sight of WW2's destruction, history has left its traces. With this in mind, the current group exhibition "Time To Recollect", including the artist collective CIVIC VIRTUE and Sil Krol, discusses questions on the the writing and the perception of history through the example of its location at Stadthausgalerie Münster. The two curators Suzie Hermán and Jürgen Dehm, who are both participating the curatorial scholarship program followup at Schloss Ringenberg, were invited to assemble contemporary German and Dutch positions to put a spotlight on the individual construction of history. We spoke to Jürgen Dehm about the exhibition's approach to history, religion and its relation to the city of Münster.

JOHN BOCK: IM MODDER DER SUMMENMUTATION

from the top: John Bock Unzone/Eierloch, 2012 Foto: Raphael Binder © John Bock, 2013, Courtesy: Anton Kern, NY; Sprüth Magers Berlin, Giò Marconi, Mailand; Sadie Coles HQ, London; Regen Projects, LA; the other five images: John Bock, exhibition views, Photos: Mark Brandenburgh © Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

A mutation is commonly known as a defect in the DNA – a biological mistake. How this term might be interpreted in relation to the current solo exhibition by 1965-born German multi-media-artist John Bock at Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn is up to discussion: "Im Modder der Summenmutation" (In the mud of sum-mutation) is both, a visual and a conceptual mutation.

INTERVIEW: CRISTINA MORENO GARCíA

Samaritana's Factory Reset, 2013, HDV, 10:03 Min., 16:9, Color, Stereo, Video still © Cristina Moreno García

In her thoughtful and poetic video works, the 1985-born Spanish artist Cristina Moreno García often merges real and imaginary memories. Without any tacky tools or cliches, peaceful images silently transmit a sense of melancholia. Cristina's work is narrative without forcing the audience to follow the exact storyline – she uses personal imagery without telling too much about herself. "Samaritana's Factory Reset", a recent work of hers, is currently on display at the Goldrausch-Scholarship show "Körnelia", which is a group exhibition at Galerie am Körnerpark in Berlin-Neukölln. In an interview Cristina told me about her relation to memories, the reason why she decides to 'lie' to the audience and how her work got more political than she had planned it...

INTERVIEW: SHAN BLUME

Shan Blume is a true media artist – his green laser-space at the Olympus exhibition in Berlin's Opernwerkstätten was an experience with performative qualities. Shan, who is one of the few 'real' Berliners, has his studio in his spacious Berlin-Neukölln flat. It's really cosy: Lots of books, art works from friends, as well as his own small sculptures, prototypes, and some older two-dimensional prints cover the walls and the shelves. But Shan de-materialised most of his work a while ago. Each art piece is site-specific and has ephemeral characteristics: laser beams and holography are amongst his favourite tools. He creates hallucinatory spaces and tricks the audiences' perception. While eating delicious self-made Pesto-Pizza and drinking white wine, we talked about Shan's early experimental works, about his upcoming country life, the virtualisation of the future and, of course, about philosophical media-art. Read the interview...

all studio photos by artfridge / courtesy Shan Blume 

INTERVIEW: CHRIS SUCCO

All images: 'Total Recall' by Chris Succo at Rod Barton, London; Courtesy Rod Barton, London

The use of pop-culture quotes in a context of art can be misleading: "Total Recall" reminds of Arnold Schwarzenegger (or alternatively Colin Farrell) having his phantasies turned into real memories by a viscous and dystopian company. "Total Recall" is also the title of Chris Succo's current solo exhibition and its probably the smallest retrospective that the artist will ever show. Three large works, all kept in black and white tones, fill the small gallery space of Rod Barton in London Islington. The German artist Chris Succo combines text, quotes and art to provoke a convenient imbalance. While keeping his works in mostly strict patterns of minimalist working series, the titles play and challenge with the visual severity. He told us a bit a about his thoughts on the show in a small interview:

13. ISTANBUL BIENALI

Nathan Coley Adam Kokesch Zbigniew Libera Carla Filipe Wouter Osterholt & Elke Uitentuis Jorge Mendez Blake Entrance to Antrepo no.3 
All images: Courtesy the artists and/or their galleries; photos by artfridge

Since the severe demonstrations in June at Taksim Square, Istanbul became one of the most prominent places of civil revolution. While outside Turkey, the riots have been declared as intellectual, even aesthetically artistic revolts – a liberation from religious dogmas, from gentrification, from suppression and governmental power – inside Turkey, the riots were condemned or concealed. Therefore the 13th edition of the Istanbul Bienali was expected respond to the country's political situation and to use the international attention to manifest a statement of freedom. But instead of a statement, we get a question: The title "MOM, AM I A BARBARIAN?", which is a quote that the curator Fulya Erdemci borrowed from the Turkish poet Lale Müldür, highlights the latent feeling that the Istanbul Bienale does not at all have as much freedom, as the individual protesters at Gezi-Park. These, in turn, ironically reacted to the exhibition with signs saying " MOM, AM I HUMAN".