Times Art Center Berlin

12/05/2021

Join us online for the opening of our second chapter "Panic - The Moment of Fear" in the exhibition project Angst, Keine Angst today at

https://angst-keine-angst.timesartcenter.org/de/chapter/2!
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'Panic – The Moment of Fear' leaves us frozen, unable to scream. As our hearts pound, seeming to burst, thoughts cease. We only run as fast and far as our legs can carry us. ⠀
— Huang Xiaopeng, Dorothee Albrecht, Antje Majewski, Stefan Rummel
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As part of Chapter II, Pinar Ogrenci presents her new installation "A New Year’s Eve", based on the video the artist recorded while fleeing from the police attack to the peace march in Diyarbakir on 30th December 2015. When people took refuge in a shopping center, Kurdish people offered sugar to reduce the effects of teargas. This act of generosity is a symbol of the tactics of solidarity and resistance of the Kurdish community which help them to survive the continuous violence. ⠀
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We hope to welcome you back at Times Art Center Berlin soon to explore the new chapter of "Panic".⠀
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Video still of Pınar Öğrenci, "A New Year's Eve", 2021, Video installation with sewed paper tissues, sugar, camera bag and text. Produced by Times Art Center Berlin, courtesy of the artist.

29/04/2021

Anne Gathmann studied at the Bergische Universität Wuppertal and the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). Since graduating, she has realized a variety of cross-media and site-specific installations in Germany and abroad. Her work reflects the instability of realities with minimal intervention.

Gathmann's work consists of reduced visual signs – interventions, projections, objects and arrangements of everyday materials such as glass, plaster and metal. In a cross-media and site-specific approach, she negotiates the relationship between subjective and intersubjective, material and immaterial spaces.

The exploration of form as a carrier of meaning and the plumbing of form to get to its openness, contradictions, invisibility and unnameability are fundamental themes throughout Anne Gathmann's work, with the ambiguous structures she creates reflecting the instability of realities.

"= =", galvanized steel, 2021, various dimensions. Courtesy and images of the artist.

28/04/2021

The artist Wu Sibo graduated from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 2005. In his subdued paintings, Wu takes the perspective of a resigned observer and documents the Southern Chinese society in Guangdong in his quiet, isolated, and often somber paintings. Many of his subjects are based on personal memories, dealing with the underlying, changing social and political power structures from the 1970s to the 21st century.

In "Angst, Keine Angst", Wu displays his oil painting "Rainstorm":

"In my past years of painting, there is an unavoidable complexity surrounding the themes of the countryside and urban and rural areas. In the eighties and nineties, China’s countryside was in rapid growth. I grew up during that time and witnessed the impact this economic and social change had on individuals. A sense of absurdity, greed, violence, and darkness has been ingrained in my artistic practice. Rainstorm, for instance, depicts a stormy scene from my hometown, when I returned from the provincial capital to help the litchi harvest in 2015."

Rainstorm, 2019, Oil on canvas, 30 × 40 cm, Courtesy of the artist. Angst, keine Angst, Installation view at Times Art Center, 2021. Foto: Jens Ziehe, Berlin.

27/04/2021

Angst Keine Angst

While museums unfortunately stay closed due to the new emergency covid-19 measures, we are happy to present Wei Yuan's video work "The Moving Blue Wall", screened in full from today until May 7 on our online publication!⠀
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On his bus trips through Wuhan in the summer of 2020, the artist took snapshots of passing streets as the city slowly started to open up again, and the blue construction walls in entrances, residential areas and on street sides were a grim visual reminder of its recent pandemic past.⠀
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Watch his full video work here:

27/04/2021

"Sculpting usually means taking up the struggle with weight. The stereotype of a sculptor is a strong man who works stone, wood or metal. I, on the other hand, look for material that weighs as little as possible. Material that I can carry myself." ⠀
- Alice Musiol in an interview with artberlin, 2015

Alice Musiol’s “Schmutzige Schneebälle” (Dirty Snowballs) are a mixture of common ceramic modelling clay and “native” earth taken from the neighboring land, which has been formed by hand into balls of different sizes. The resulting handprints or fingerprints remain visible on their surface. Unlike snowballs, which are thrown by playful children in winter, these lumps of earth appear like archaic makeshift weapons and, with their material composition, are far heavier to throw. While a snowball melts into water once it has been thrown at one’s opponent, the earthen ball leaves visible traces. At the heart of Alice Musiol's work is a fundamental economic and ecological attitude, which gives rise to works with very different characteristics in terms of both form and media. To create "Schmutzige Schneebälle Il" for "Angst, Keine Angst," Musiol gathered material near the Times Art Center Berlin, namely from the Volkspark am Weinberg.

Schmutzige Schneebälle II, 2021, clay, earth, stone, branches, grass, Courtesy of the artist © VG Bildkunst, Bonn. Foto 1: Jens Ziehe, Berlin.

26/04/2021

Due to the health situation and new emergency covid-19 measures signed into effect on April 22, 2021, Times Art Center Berlin is temporarily closed.

Until circumstances allow us to re-open, our current exhibition Angst, Keine Angst remains accessible via its online publication. Stay tuned for our digital program over the coming weeks!

We look forward to welcoming you back to Times Art Center Berlin as soon as conditions permit. Stay tuned and stay healthy!

25/04/2021

Over the period of 20 days in 2020, the artist Wei Yuan explored the urban area of Wuhan city by bus. During his city-wide travels, he photographed streets divided by “blue walls”—blue panels usually used to fence off construction sites in the city. During the strict lockdown against the spread of Covid-19 in 2020, these blue dividers spread all over the city, often in front of residential areas, to restrict movement and isolate citizens during the intense phase of the virus. Wei Yuan recorded the partly retained, partly damaged, partly removed “blue curtain” as remnant of this year’s global health crisis.
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You can find his travel routes through Wuhan on a map in our online publication!

Video Excerpt from The Moving Blue Wall (运动中的蓝幕), 2020, Video, color, sound, 33 min 30 sec, Courtesy of the artist

23/04/2021

On the opening day of the Bill Viola exhibition at the Redtory Museum of Contemporary Art, Guangzhou, in 2017, Li Xiangwei went to the museum wearing a T-shirt printed with a punishment note he had received earlier for using graffiti in a performance piece at his school, the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. The artist found a corner to stand in, facing against the wall in the entrance space, next to the introductory text of the exhibition. After a few minutes, the museum staff came to talk to the artist, asking him to leave the exhibition space. After ten minutes of negotiations, they finally resigned and allowed him to stay in the corner for his performance. A volunteer from the Redtory Museum was placed in front of him, back-to-back, to hide him from visitors passing by. The museum volunteer and the artist stood back-to-back until the exhibition closed that day.⠀
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The Wall (面壁思过), 2017, performance video, Courtesy of the artist. Installation view at Times Art Center Berlin, 2021. Foto: Jens Ziehe, Berlin.

On the opening day of the Bill Viola exhibition at the Redtory Museum of Contemporary Art, Guangzhou, in 2017, Li Xiangwei went to the museum wearing a T-shirt printed with a punishment note he had received earlier for using graffiti in a performance piece at his school, the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. The artist found a corner to stand in, facing against the wall in the entrance space, next to the introductory text of the exhibition. After a few minutes, the museum staff came to talk to the artist, asking him to leave the exhibition space. After ten minutes of negotiations, they finally resigned and allowed him to stay in the corner for his performance. A volunteer from the Redtory Museum was placed in front of him, back-to-back, to hide him from visitors passing by. The museum volunteer and the artist stood back-to-back until the exhibition closed that day.⠀
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The Wall (面壁思过), 2017, performance video, Courtesy of the artist. Installation view at Times Art Center Berlin, 2021. Foto: Jens Ziehe, Berlin.

22/04/2021

In our exhibition Angst, Keine Angst, Nine Budde's photo series "Self-Portrait in 12 Pieces" shows different arrangements of materials, actions, as well as parts of a female body. The 12 different images in total create a new kind of body which carries all the different aspects and atmospheres of each presented picture. In this way, it tries to expand the female body into different realms and atmospheres which creates new contexts and perspectives of it.
Find out more on Budde's story and thoughts behind the photo series on our online publication: https://bit.ly/3gwPBLg

To see Budde's work in person, don't forget to book your visit with us online, and stay updated with our visitor regulations!

Image: Self-Portrait in 12 Pieces, 2019, 12 gelatin silver prints and C-prints, each 24 × 24 cm, Courtesy of the artist. Installation view at Times Art Center, 2021. Foto: Jens Ziehe, Berlin.

In our exhibition Angst, Keine Angst, Nine Budde's photo series "Self-Portrait in 12 Pieces" shows different arrangements of materials, actions, as well as parts of a female body. The 12 different images in total create a new kind of body which carries all the different aspects and atmospheres of each presented picture. In this way, it tries to expand the female body into different realms and atmospheres which creates new contexts and perspectives of it.
Find out more on Budde's story and thoughts behind the photo series on our online publication: https://bit.ly/3gwPBLg

To see Budde's work in person, don't forget to book your visit with us online, and stay updated with our visitor regulations!

Image: Self-Portrait in 12 Pieces, 2019, 12 gelatin silver prints and C-prints, each 24 × 24 cm, Courtesy of the artist. Installation view at Times Art Center, 2021. Foto: Jens Ziehe, Berlin.

18/04/2021

Huang Xiaopeng in Conversation

"As artists, we can continue working on our artistic practices until we die. There is no retirement. If I could not, I would probably do something else, like organizing something... Connecting people in art. Use my connections to organize art exhibitions, or exchange programs."
Huang Xiaopeng (1960-2020)

Watch the whole interview and insights into Huang Xiaopeng's work, his personal history and his nomadic existence beyond China and Europe here: https://vimeo.com/535318366

Huang Xiaopeng in conversation, Antje Majewski & Vangjush Vellahu, 2021. Courtesy of the artists © VG Bildkunst, Bonn.

Antje Majewski & Vangjush Vellahu HD video, 20 min, 2021 In this collaborative video work by Vangjush Vellahu and Antje Majewski, Huang Xiaopeng talks about…

17/04/2021

Yujiang Ma - YouTube

Every night, around midnight (Berlin time), the artist Ma Yujiang sits in front of his camera and does – nothing. A one hour long live stream titled "I Do I Do Nothing," without identifiable reason. But within his unconcentrated stare and neutral expression, there is an inner search for the meaning behind the unstoppable passage of time.

In his ongoing, livestreamed performance, he uses his body to measure and record time, and to document this non-process. Similar to Sisyphus, who repeatedly pushes a rock up a mountain, the artist, in his absurd performance, overcomes the fear of the passing of time through repeated non-actions.⠀
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You can find his livestream on Youtube here: www.youtube.com/user/yujiangma

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

16/04/2021

Anja Gerecke’s paintings are either applied to canvas, directly on to the wall, or on spatial installation elements reminiscent of wooden walls. The transparency of the wooden structures’ apertures corresponds to the light, thinly applied paint of the painted (canvas) murals, which incorporate the effects of color as well as light. The combination and arrangement of the works within the space enforces the idea that her works aren’t seen as individual objects, but as complete spatial installations where architectural elements and painterly interventions can no longer be distinguished from each other.

For "Angst, Keine Angst," the artist developed a site-specific installative painting (wood and color) in the form of a passageway. The artwork was constructed as an extension of the staircase from first floor to ground floor. The artwork "Gate I" refers to the fear of change and transformation.
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Image: Installation view of "structure" from Angst, Keine Angst at Times Art Center Berlin with "Gate I" by Anja Gerecke, 2021, Courtesy of the artist. Foto: Jens Ziehe, Berlin

Anja Gerecke’s paintings are either applied to canvas, directly on to the wall, or on spatial installation elements reminiscent of wooden walls. The transparency of the wooden structures’ apertures corresponds to the light, thinly applied paint of the painted (canvas) murals, which incorporate the effects of color as well as light. The combination and arrangement of the works within the space enforces the idea that her works aren’t seen as individual objects, but as complete spatial installations where architectural elements and painterly interventions can no longer be distinguished from each other.

For "Angst, Keine Angst," the artist developed a site-specific installative painting (wood and color) in the form of a passageway. The artwork was constructed as an extension of the staircase from first floor to ground floor. The artwork "Gate I" refers to the fear of change and transformation.
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Image: Installation view of "structure" from Angst, Keine Angst at Times Art Center Berlin with "Gate I" by Anja Gerecke, 2021, Courtesy of the artist. Foto: Jens Ziehe, Berlin

13/04/2021

„When Xiaopeng moved from Guangzhou to Berlin, we found out fairly quickly that the project he had in mind was going to be ambitious. He wanted to bring together many young, international artists, and realize an exhibition founded on these artistic exchanges. „Angst, Keine Angst“ is based on his talent of bringing people together and forging creative bonds across cultures. ⠀
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His untimely passing last year was a great loss to all of us. But there was never any question of not carrying on with the exhibition. The project might actually be the best way to keep his spirit alive.“
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- Co-curators of „Angst, Keine Angst,“ Dorothee Albrecht, Antje Majewski & Stefan Rummel, in the curator's tour video for the exhibition.⠀
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Image: Antje Majewski, Stefan Rummel, Dorothee Albrecht (from left to right) in "structure" with works by Anne Gathmann and Anja Gerecke, Courtesy of the artists. Installation view at Times Art Center Berlin, 2021. Foto: Jens Ziehe, Berlin.

„When Xiaopeng moved from Guangzhou to Berlin, we found out fairly quickly that the project he had in mind was going to be ambitious. He wanted to bring together many young, international artists, and realize an exhibition founded on these artistic exchanges. „Angst, Keine Angst“ is based on his talent of bringing people together and forging creative bonds across cultures. ⠀
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His untimely passing last year was a great loss to all of us. But there was never any question of not carrying on with the exhibition. The project might actually be the best way to keep his spirit alive.“
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- Co-curators of „Angst, Keine Angst,“ Dorothee Albrecht, Antje Majewski & Stefan Rummel, in the curator's tour video for the exhibition.⠀
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Image: Antje Majewski, Stefan Rummel, Dorothee Albrecht (from left to right) in "structure" with works by Anne Gathmann and Anja Gerecke, Courtesy of the artists. Installation view at Times Art Center Berlin, 2021. Foto: Jens Ziehe, Berlin.

13/04/2021

"Throughout his life, Xiaopeng left or was forced to leave his home time after time. He repeatedly longed for a life in a different place, and was confronted with loneliness. Again and again, he was in exile or was exiled, in misunderstanding or was misunderstood. In reality, he never really settled down. However, he was probably already very close to his destination in his artistic mind. It was at this particular moment, when his students, colleagues and supporters least expected it, and before his art and thought had been fully valued and recorded, that he prematurely left this world. ⠀
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Fear, No Fear was his major project in the last year of his life. This exhibition was initiated by him and will be organized by the Times Art Center Berlin. The title conveys a message: you have to admit that fear exists, and overcome it. Other than being the initiator, Xiaopeng also contributed two artworks to the show." ⠀
- Excerpt from Anthony Yung's essay "Nothing to Lose⠀
Huang Xiaopeng and His Two Works in Fear, No Fear"⠀

You can listen to the full audio version in English and Cantonese on our online publication, under www.angst-keine-angst.timesartcenter.org!
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Images: Video still from the curator's tour of "Angst, Keine Angst".

"Throughout his life, Xiaopeng left or was forced to leave his home time after time. He repeatedly longed for a life in a different place, and was confronted with loneliness. Again and again, he was in exile or was exiled, in misunderstanding or was misunderstood. In reality, he never really settled down. However, he was probably already very close to his destination in his artistic mind. It was at this particular moment, when his students, colleagues and supporters least expected it, and before his art and thought had been fully valued and recorded, that he prematurely left this world. ⠀
⠀
Fear, No Fear was his major project in the last year of his life. This exhibition was initiated by him and will be organized by the Times Art Center Berlin. The title conveys a message: you have to admit that fear exists, and overcome it. Other than being the initiator, Xiaopeng also contributed two artworks to the show." ⠀
- Excerpt from Anthony Yung's essay "Nothing to Lose⠀
Huang Xiaopeng and His Two Works in Fear, No Fear"⠀

You can listen to the full audio version in English and Cantonese on our online publication, under www.angst-keine-angst.timesartcenter.org!
⠀
Images: Video still from the curator's tour of "Angst, Keine Angst".