48h Neukölln at Boddinstraße. Kaleidoskop. Photo: Brock Cardiner
From Friday night to Sunday night, 48 Hours Neukölln took over almost every gallery and many non-gallery spaces this side of Berlin. The crowds started to gather as the sun started to set and by the time the stars were shining our street was packed as were many other popular gallery streets…
Boddinstraße. Photo: Solveig Maria Ebbinghaus
We managed to be ready in time for the throngs of visitors with our Finding Berlin picture series and plenty of beer, pie, pizza, and pancakes. The exceptional weather Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night allowed us to set up both inside and outside as we greeted visitors, chatted, exchanged ideas, and had some good old-fashioned family fun.
Exhibition of Berlin Cages by Finding Berlin and iGNANT. Photo: Solveig Maria Ebbinghaus
In Front of Artconnect Berlin HQ. Photo: Artconnect Berlin
Our nearest neighbors, Idrawalot, featured the work of several artists in the mediums of print, graffiti, illustration, and urban art. The scope and amount of work along with the music pumping out next door from Loophole kept the crowd going until late in the morning with the sun well into the sky by the time people began to shuffle home in their half-conscious states.
Benjamin Spalding at Idrawalot. Photo: Solveig Maria Ebbinghaus
Idrawalot Mural by HLG. Photo: Brock Cardiner
In front of Loophole and Idrawalot. Photo: Solveig Maria Ebbinghaus
Across the street from Idrawalot are our friends at Spar*k Studio. Along with an installation featuring thousands of compact disks, the performance ensemble Rampig performed an engaging, thought-provoking, and entertaining piece at various times throughout the weekend.
Spark Gallery. Photo: Brock Cardiner
Performance by Rampig. Photo: Brock Cardiner
Next door to Spark Gallery is the shared studio and occasional gallery space, Boddin 8. Several installations were in place as were some paintings and the studio’s dog, Carlito. Carlito was not officially part of the exhibition – although one could probably argue otherwise – but certainly added to the easygoing and inviting feel of the space.
kaleidoskop. Photo Solveig Maria Ebbinghaus
kaleidoskop. Photo: Solveig Maria Ebbinghaus
Hello at kaleidoskop. Photo: Solveig Maria Ebbinghaus
Another exhibition nearby “Positioning Osmotic Impulses,” curated by Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung and Pauline Doutreluingne, occupied Neukolln’s former prison on Schönstedtstraße. The exhibition featured over 20 international artists that transformed the space from an abandoned jail cell to a multidisciplinary artistic intervention. The artists explored the idea of osmosis in relation to the economic crisis currently affecting Europe and therefore the whole world. The diversity of the works present combined with the haunting atmosphere of the former prison lent an air to the project not typically felt in formal galleries. Some artists aimed to explore and question the space by obstruction and others by nearly imperceptible subtlety with certain themes continuing from room-to-room.
Prison. Photo: Brock Cardiner
Video piece at prison. Photo: Brock Cardiner
Prison. Photo: Brock Cardiner
Prison. Photo: Brock Cardiner
In a Neukölln Prison Cell. Photo: Brock Cardiner
What Has Been Lost in Prison Can Not Be Reclaimed. Photo: Brock Cardiner
Former Neukölln Prison Cell. Photo: Brock Cardiner
Former Neukölln Prison Cell Performance. Photo: Brock Cardiner
Besides the torrential monsoon-like weather Saturday afternoon, 48 Hours was a resounding success for the whole district as witnessed by Finding Berlin’s much shared early morning loving picture:
48 Stunden Neukölln. Photo: www.FindingBerlin.com
Two nights after the start of the festival we whipped out our projector, invited everyone we knew, and watched Germany take down Denmark as they advanced to the next round of Euro Cup 2012. A perfect ending to an already magnificent weekend with friends, neighbors, coworkers, strangers, and all the other people that make Berlin such a wonderful city to be apart of.
We can’t wait for the next 48 Hours Neukölln and already have plenty of ideas but it looks like we’ll have to wait another year for that. We hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as we did and made enough memories to last you until next time or at least until Fete de La Musique this Thursday!
Do you have stories about 48 Hours Neukölln? What was your favorite exhibition? Leave a comment below!
