14 July 2013

UDK RUNDGANG 2013

7 Katharina von Hagenow_Klasse Möbus_Raum 78 Katharina von Hagenow, Klasse Möbus, Raum 78 6 Katharina von Hagenow_Klasse Möbus_Raum 77Samuel Ash (Wooden sculpture), Katharina von Hagenow (sound sculptures), Klasse Möbus, Raum 77 8 Julian Charriere_Klasse Olafur Eliasson_Raum 92 Julian Charrière, Klasse Olafur Eliasson, Raum 92 7a Clara Thorbecke_Klasse Held Clara Thorbecke, Klasse Held 2 Raum 229_Klasse Zipp b Leon Eisermann, Klasse Zipp, Raum 229 11c Claudio Campo-Garcia_Klasse Lewandowsky Claudio Campo-Garcia, Klasse Lewandowsky 11b Juliane Tübke_Klasse Lewandowasky Juliane Tübke, Klasse Lewandowsky 2c Luca Vanello_Raum 94 Luca Vanello, Raum 94 3 Raum 91_curated by Lukas Töpfer : piano by Fabian Knecht Fabian Knecht, Raum 91, curated by Lukas Töpfer 4 Lilia Kovka_Raum 91  Lilia Kovka, Raum 91, curated by Lukas Töpfer Su Hwan Choi, Raum 91, curated by Lukas Töpfer 13 Franziska Nestler_Klasse Lorbeer_Raum 215 Franziska Nestler, Klasse Lorbeer, Raum 215
all images: courtesy the artists, photo copyright: artfridge

Berlin likes to flirt with the idea of being the most important art capital in the world – but whether this 'brilliancy' reflects on the young professionals, is best to be observed at the annual degree show of the Universität der Künste (UDK) – the "Rundgang", as we call it. Opening nine campus locations for a long weekend to the public, the fine art studios at Hardenbergstraße 33 are presumably the most popular highlight.

In the German art academy system, students are allocated to only one Professor, subsequently forming a class until they reach their final degree. At the time of the Rundgang it usually shows, which classes develop a coherent curatorial room concept and which ones simply demonstrate an assemblage of lone warriors. Since the latter unfortunately holds the majority, it is even more obvious how rarely students let their works benefit from their peer's art and from a collective room concept. The class of Prof. Ursula Neugebauer, for example, did this beautifully: Each work – from the squeezed fishes by Eugen Wist, to a minimalist sculpture by Lukas Troberg, to the stitched bird's wing by Eva Elisabeth Wallner – had space to breathe. The class of Prof. Via Lewandowsky demonstrated a similar approach and convinced with several high quality spaces. Especially an installation piece by Claudio Campo-Garcia, who re-staged a sort of 'party-is-over' scene, seemed ironically perfect for the event of the Rundgang.

Perhaps the most outstanding room concept was done by the external curator and art critic Lukas Töpfer, who assembled students from the Eliasson- and the Lewandowsky-class in Room 91. With a focus on balancing the quiet and the loud, Töpfer arranged Fabian Knecht's crashed pianos to by confronted with Lilia Kovka's photography that shows a tattoo saying "BAM". Then, out of the blue, the original sound of the collision bangs throughout the room. Next to Room 91, the second backyard bears also two interesting solo presentations: Luca Vanello, a former Gregor Schneider student, presents an autistic array of building construction material and Julian Charrière, an Olafur Eliasson student, installed a space that couldn't allegorize the idea of crumbling planet any better (and any more beautiful, either.)

The process of decay and destruction, whether in Campo-Garcia's, Charrière's or Knecht's work, seems to be a prominent theme of the Rundgang 2013. There is also a sense of that in the work "Haus Etzweiler" by Katharina von Hagenow (Klasse Prof. Möbus), who dedicates her photo installation to a city that was resettled due to the construction of a cole mine. Franziska Wildt (Klasse Prof. Favre), on the opposite, presents a photo installation that takes the aesthetic of constructions to a level romanticism.

The state between the past and the future – it seems – is a state of construction, of confusion and of not knowing what comes next. Artists, and especially the young ones, often have a good sense of incorporating a contemporary mood into their work. And thus the Rundgang of the UDK very much mirrors what Berlin really is, and not what it would like to be: A place of change. And a place of chance.


Rundgang 2013  
12. - 14. Juli 2013 (Sunday: 11-20h)

UDK 
Fine Arts / Architecture / Workshops
Hardenbergstr. 33
10623 Berlin

14c Eugen Wist_Klasse Neugebauer_Raum 260 Eugen Wist, Klasse Neugebauer, Raum 260 14b Eike von Vacano_Klasse Neugebauer_Raum 156 Eike von Vacano, Klasse Neugebauer, Raum 156 14a Eva Elisabeth Wallner_Klasse Neugebauer_Raum 260 Eva Elisabeth Wallner, Klasse Neugebauer, Raum 260 14d Lukas Troberg_Klasse Neugebauer_Raum 156 Lukas Troberg, Klasse Neugebauer, Raum 156 19 Olivia Jasinski_Klasse Favre 1 Olivia Jasinski, Klasse Favre 9 Klasse Manfred Pernice Klasse Manfred Pernice 10f Clemens Behr_Klasse Konrad Clemens Behr_Klasse Konrad 10d Klasse Konrad Installation view, Klasse Konrad 10b Vivienne Appelius_Klasse Konrad_Raum 95 Vivienne Appelius, Klasse Konrad, Raum 95 12a Aaron Rahe_Klasse Favre Aaron Rahe, Klasse Favre 12b Klasse Favre Installation view, Klasse Favre 12c Franziska Wildt_Klasse Favre Franziska Wildt, Klasse Favre 12f_Klasse Favre_Raum 234 Installation view, Klasse Favre, Raum 234 15 Malaika Hen_Klasse Lammert_Raum 117 Malaika Neu, Klasse Lammert, Raum 117 16 Klasse Pia Fries Installation view, Klasse Fries 18 Solveig de Barry_Klasse Lucander_Raum 211 Solveig de Barry, Klasse Lucander, Raum 211 17a Klasse Ikemura Installation view, Klasse Ikemura 17b Johannes Fuchs_Klasse Ikemura Johannes Fuchs, Klasse Ikemura 20 Institut S 3000_Raum 135 Institut S 3000, Raum 135 Grundlehre Annagul Beschareti_Klasse Lorenz_Raum 68 Annagul Beschareti, Klasse Lorenz, Raum 68 (Grundlehre) 0a Azusa Kuno_Meisterschüler Azusa Kuno, Meisterschüler Exhibit 0b Diana Sprenger_Meisterschüler Diana Sprenger, Meisterschüler exhibit 1 Raum 229_Klasse Zipp_Poster Poster in front of Raum 229 (Klasse Zipp)
all images: courtesy the artists, photo copyright: artfridge