SomoS

26/01/2023

NY-based artist Monika Zarzeczna's solo exhibition 'Schief und Vergänglich' at SomoS is a collection of sculptures and drawings that invite us to reflect on temporality through its use of recycled cardboard materials that will ultimately decay after this limited exhibition.

Zarzeczna uses muted colors that seem to reflect the Berlin cityscape, creating abstract forms faintly resembling tents, harnesses, or boats. You can see more on the SomoS website or view the show in person from 2-7 PM until this Saturday, February 28, '23. After that, the temporary sculptures will return to their original material form in a private ritual performance. Entry is, as always, free.

25/01/2023

Views of Monika Zarzeczna's solo exhibition 'Schief und Vergänglich' at SomoS - a collection of sculptures and drawings that invite us to reflect on temporality through its use of recycled materials that will ultimately decay after the exhibition. Zarzeczna uses muted colors that somewhat reflect the Berlin cityscape, creating abstract forms that could be tents, harnesses, or boats. You can see more on the SomoS website or view in person from 2-7 PM until this Saturday, the 28th of February, when the sculptures will disappear. Entry is, as always, free. https://somos.media/uq

21/01/2023

Thanks to the many guests who attended the opening of Monika Zarzeczna's solo exhibition 'Schief und Vergänglich' at SomoS, filling the space with beautiful energy!

Congratulations to Monika for this fascinating group of sculptures diligently made during her artist residency, and to Anna Disse, who captivated the audience with an intense improvisational performance responding to Monika's sculptures.

In “Schief und Vergänglich,” the New York-based Dutch-Polish artist’s sculptures revitalize "objects with a lost purpose,” thoughtfully exploring the recycled cardboard material’s properties and their relation to space.

If you are a fan of sculpture and drawing, are interested in sustainability and recycling, or simply love discovering surprising art, don’t miss this engaging show, on view from Tuesday to Saturday until the 28th of January, 2-7. Entry is always free.

Thanks to Isabella Chydenius and Emma Roudine for additional photos.

19/01/2023

Introducing SomoS Artist-in-Residence Emilia Jechna

We are happy to welcome Polish painter Emilia Jechna from Warsaw to our residency as the first artist of 2023.

Emilia is involved in figurative painting working in a style that combines elements of surrealism, social critique, the body, and mysticism, all alluringly negotiated on her signature black background.

Emilia joins us for three months, planning to research and create a new series of paintings exploring and re-imagining the Greek and Catholic mythology she was raised on in preparation of a public presentation of her work.

Looking forward to working with Emilia!

18/01/2023

During the opening reception of Monika Zarzeczna's solo exhibition 'Schief und Vergänglich' at SomoS on Thursday 19th January 2023, at 7:30 pm, Anna Deborah Disse / Anna Disse will conduct an improvisational performance that creates a conversation with the exhibited sculptures.

The Berlin-based dancer and performer’s research focuses on the dancing body exploring emotionally driven states in connection to the breath, voice, and imagination. Together with their dance collective dajci*, they explore methods of active listening, constant questioning, and radical care.

Anna creates movement that manifests an expansion of amorphous forms, viewing this expansion as an act of feminism, stating, “I invite the moving body to listen. With all my sensorial pores. The collaboration between my inside and the outside space composes a continuous flow of instantaneity.”

Opening reception: Thursday, January 19th 2023, 6-9 pm, the performance starts at 7:30 pm.
Exhibition: 20th-28th of January 2023, 2-7 pm (Tue-Sa)
Location: SomoS Arts – Kottbusser Damm 95, 1.0G, 10967, Berlin
Public Transport: U8 – Schönleinstraße, ext. Schinkestrasse
Entry is, as always, free.

Images courtesy of the artist
Photography by Dico Baskoro

17/01/2023

Introducing resident artist Radomir Milovic

New SomoS Arts resident artist Radomir is a Serbian figurative oil painter focussing on the male figure. His work resonates with contemporary art, film, literature, and fashion, dealing with questions of spirituality, morality, masculinity, and identity, aiming to "liberate our values from materialism, nationalism, and primitivism." Radomir studied Fine Art in Belgrade and has presented his work in Belgrade, Paris, and Berlin.

During his stay at SomoS, the artist will develop a new series of paintings that focus on the time/less quality of human existence and identity, questioning whether striving to construct identity through names, language, nationality, and religion presents obstacles to genuinely knowing oneself, taking away the human capacity for connection through a state of peace.

PIctured:
Wind/Light/Melancholy I, oil on canvas, 240X140cm
Wind/Light/Melancholy II, oil on canvas, 240X140cm
Image courtesy of the artist

16/01/2023

Monika Zarzeczna - Schief und Vergänglich

Monika Zarzeczna's solo exhibition 'Schief und Vergänglich' at SomoS (the title translates as "crooked and ephemeral") features sculptures and drawings produced by the New York-based Dutch-Polish artist during a sojourn in Berlin as Artist-in-Residence.

“Not interested in adding to our mess,” Zarzeczna programmatically uses locally-sourced cardboard in her sculptures, deconstructing and reconstructing it into abstract shapes, painted in a coherent palette of muted colors that betray her background in painting. The array of sculptures hints at mysterious potential functions while never truly disclosing their secrets.

During the opening reception, Berlin performer and dancer Anna Deborah Disse will conduct an improvisational performance in the exhibition that creates a conversation with the exhibited sculptures.

Opening reception: January 19th, 2023, 6-9 pm

Duration: January 20 – 28 2023, 2-7 pm, and by appointment
Entry is as always free

12/01/2023

We look forward to presenting Monika Zarzeczna's solo exhibition 'Schief und Vergänglich' here at SomoS on January 19th!

Zarzeczna studied at the Utrecht School of Visual Arts and the Amsterdam School of Fine Arts, receiving a degree in painting and a bachelor's degree in visual arts education. The artist is interested in how she can transform objects with a lost purpose. Monika uses paper, cardboard boxes, and recyclable objects to create different mysterious functions. Her work was shown in the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, and the United States at venues including Museum Perron Oost (Amsterdam), Sculpture Center (New York), David Castillo Gallery (Miami), and the Spencer Brownstone Gallery (New York).

Zarzeczna focuses on sculptures but also curates several exhibitions in places like Lesley Heller Gallery (New York), Artspace (New York), Eonta (Jersey), 470 Vanderbilt Ave chashama space (Brooklyn).

For more information about the artist, visit her website.
https://monikazarzeczna.com/home.html

21/12/2022

After four months of participating in the SomoS Arts residency program in Berlin, visual artist Suu Myint Thein has returned to his family and work in Mandalay, Myanmar.

Suu is a multidisciplinary artist active in performance, painting, sculpture, and installation art. In addition, from a long-time fine arts professorship at a government university to founding his own Alin DaGar Art School, he’s fostered and encouraged the ideas of fellow artists and young talents through education and the curation of numerous exhibitions and performance events.

Because of the ongoing threat towards artistic and political expression in the country, SomoS offered refuge to Suu -one of the most outspoken creative voices in his country- inviting him to participate in a complementary residency, co-supported by the Goethe-Institut Myanmar.

During his time at the SomoS Residency, Suu Myint Thein had the opportunity to engage with an international network of fellow residents: artists Bill Burns, Isabella Chydenius, Marguerite Harris, Monika Zarzeczna, Elizabeth Littlejohn, Yanir Shani, and curators Carol Chow, Ayca Okay, Nicole Beck, and Yeni Ma.

Suu was able to participate in curatorial critique sessions and studio visits with art professionals such as Dr. Ralf F. Hartmann, founder and artistic director of the municipal art center Zitadelle I Museen und Ausstellungen, as well as studio tours and discussions with Czech Berlin-based curator Veronika Hykova who brought along interested art professionals; as well as curator Dr. Suzy Royal who came with the artists from GlogauAIR; and curator Oliver Dougherty who introduced his residents from the q***r Ukrainian residency program of Sp*ti.

Among the many trips exploring the Berlin professional and cultural venues, highlights were a private tour of the sculpture workshop Bildhauerwerkstatt - Kulturwerk des bbk berlin GmbH, led by Paris-based American sculptor Marguerite Harris, which allowed the resident artists from SomoS to gain insight into the bountiful facilities and their open and vibrant artistic culture, as well as visiting artists' studios at creative hubs such as Künstlerhaus Bethanien and Ortstermin Moabit.

During his time in SomoS, Suu managed to impart his experience of the situation in Myanmar with his solo exhibition “The Frame.” He also achieved this in his performance “I am Paddy,” focusing on the violence and oppression experienced in military-occupied Myanmar. His movement and the intense sounds of the whistle within this performance plunged the audience into an emotional state.

The exhibition was a great success in which visitors engaged with his installations, paintings, and sculptures. We are grateful for the knowledge Suu Myint Thein imparted and the exchanges of ideas that he facilitated. For those professionally interested in his work, the exhibits can still be viewed at SomoS by appointment.

The SomoS team wishes Suu all the best and good luck in his future endeavors!

09/12/2022

INTRODUCING SomoS CURATOR-IN-RESIDENCE YENI MA

Introducing Yeni Ma, a young Groningen, Netherlands-based, Korean curator who has joined SomoS for three months.

The most recent project she helped realize was “A Museum for All, a Museum for Dogs” (2020), held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea (MMCA) in Seoul. It reimagined companionship between the species, inviting dogs into the exhibition space.

Next to environmental issues, Yeni emphasizes social aspects in her curating, often hosting workshops, performances, and lectures, creating community interaction throughout her curatorial process.

At SomoS, she is preparing a group exhibition focused on the climate crisis, extinction, natural disaster, and the need for harmonious coexistence between the species, inspired by Donna Haraway’s influential book “Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene.” It will feature such artists as Bill Burns, Yanir Shani, Eeuysun Kim, Sujatro Gosh, Matthias Schoenjahn, and Julia Rigby. We can’t wait to see what Yeni has in store for us here at SomoS!

22/11/2022

We are more than happy to share Myanmar multidisciplinary artist Suu Myint Thein's solo exhibition for a second week!

SUU MYINT THEIN – THE FRAME Solo Exhibition @ SomoS features installation, painting, and sculpture.

Working in a politically engaged and poetic way across various disciplines, Suu Myint Thein allows us invaluable insight into the current situation in Myanmar. The work was made during his sojourn in Berlin as an artist-at-risk resident, supported by the Goethe Institute Myanmar and SomoS.
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Open until Saturday, 14:00 - 19:00 h

Entry free

More about the artist: https://somos.media/ul

19/11/2022

Introducing SomoS Resident Artist Yanir Shani

Yanir Shani is a visual artist from Tel Aviv, Israel, who works as a freelance photographer, darkroom teacher, and lecturer in photography while developing his own fine art photography.

After earning his BFA from the Bezalel Academy for Fine Art and Design in Jerusalem (2011), Shani moved to Trondheim, Norway, where he earned an MFA from the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art (2017).

Shani uses photography as a visual representation of personal reactions from a specific time and space. The artist reflects on his personal experiences and memories, developing an experimental perspective on environmental issue, political, and social issues.

During his stay at SomoS, the artist is working on his ongoing project, “Ashmedai” - an installation of large-scale photographs and video projection, making extensive use of the nearby gOlab Lab for analogue color photography in Berlin. Yanir isolates the images from their original contexts to create obscure landscapes imbued with a sense of distraction and disappearance.

18/11/2022

Enjoy this 360-degree view of the SUU MYINT THEIN – THE FRAME Solo Exhibition @ SomoS. Suu Myint Thein's rich and engaged work is on view for you at SomoS until Nov. 26, Tue-Sa, 2-7 pm. Entry is free. Don't miss this unique chance to learn more about Myanmar art and human rights. Suu's artist residency at SomoS is supported by the Goethe-Institut Myanmar.

16/11/2022

Thank you to Myanmar artist in Residence Suu Myint Thein for the powerful performance “I am Paddy” last evening at SomoS Arts. And thanks a lot to the visitors for coming to support this unique experience.

Using materials such as rice, eggs, and clay, Thein protests the gradual disappearance of the rice fields in his home country by mining and gentrification.

In SUU MYINT THEIN – THE FRAME Solo Exhibition @ SomoS the artist exhibits sculptures, paintings, and installations. The works of Suu Myint Thein are framed by concepts of oppression, colonialist legacies, environmental damage, and exploitation of the environment. The artist traces how boundaries shape our views and self-image as he constructs an elevated way to look at Myanmar’s fractured situation.

“The Frame” is on view from Tuesday to Saturday until the 26 November, 2-7 pm. Entry free.

Suu's residency is supported by the Goethe-Institut Myanmar and SomoS.

Many thanks to Zack Soltes for the photography and video!

15/11/2022

Welcome to SUU MYINT THEIN – THE FRAME Solo Exhibition @ SomoS! Congratulations to Suu Myint Thein for creating such a great collection of new works! On view between 16 - 26 November, 2-7pm. Entry free.

14/11/2022

Human rights, 90% off.

Myanmar artist Suu Myint Thein’s solo exhibition SUU MYINT THEIN – THE FRAME Solo Exhibition @ SomoS opens at SomoS on November 15th, 6-9 pm, featuring his performance “I Am Paddy.”

Featuring new paintings, installations, and sculptures, "The Frame" displays the bountiful results of his sojourn as artist-at-risk resident, supported by the Goethe-Institut Myanmar and SomoS.

Don't miss Suu's engaged view of Myanmar’s culture, politics, and struggle for human rights! The show is on view until November 26, Tue-Sa, 2-7 pm. Free entry.

https://somos.media/ul

14/11/2022

This week’s art openings and events in Berlin | Berlin Art Link

Thanks to Berlin Art Link for including Suu Myint Thein's SUU MYINT THEIN – THE FRAME Solo Exhibition @ SomoS in "The Week;" offering a choice selection of Berlin art openings and events.

"The Frame" opens Tuesday, Nov. 15, 6 -9pm with the performance "I am Paddy." Entry is as always free.

Don't miss this great occasion to learn more about Myanmar's arts and human rights struggle through Suu's engaged artworks.

Suu's art residency at SomoS is supported by the Goethe-Institut Myanmar.

Berlin Art Link shares our favorite picks for art events and exhibitions in Berlin, including Interfilm Short Film Festival, Nordic Embassies, Galerie Barbara Weiss, and more

11/11/2022

Saying bye-bye to Artist-in-Residence Bill Burns who has left SomoS after a 1-month research residency. We would like to thank him for the inspiring exchange of ideas we all had together!

Bill Burns is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist who works with performance, sculpture, writing, and drawing. No stranger to Berlin, having earlier presented his work at venues such as KW Institute for Contemporary Art, he spent his time preparing for a planned public performance in the city.

At the SomoS residency, Bill’s workflow was accompanied by internal work presentations, a public studio tour, and curatorial critique sessions with colleagues and Berlin-based curators such as Suzie Royal and Veronika Hykova.

Wishing Bill success with his ongoing creative endeavors and see you in Berlin!

10/11/2022

Mandalay-based Myanmar artist Suu Myint Thein working in his SomoS atelier in Berlin.

The call for peace and free expression is an essential motif in Suu’s work, which is tightly linked to the struggle in his home country. Many parts of Myanmar have become war zones, with the number of refugees and internally displaced persons increasing.

Thein vividly presents his country’s struggle in his art: addressing issues such as the different interests in exploiting the land, colonial legacies, gentrification and the forced changing of ways of life, and the oppression of the people.

Supported by the Goethe-Institut Myanmar and SomoS, the multidisciplinary artist has been working in Berlin for 4 months, developing new paintings, installations and sculptures to be presented at the SUU MYINT THEIN – THE FRAME Solo Exhibition @ SomoS.

Opening reception on November 15th, 6-9 pm featuring Suu Myint Thein's performance "I am Paddy."

Duration: Wednesday, November 16th – Saturday, November 26th, 2-7 pm, and by appointment. Free entry.

SomoS Arts – Kottbusser Damm 95, 1.0G, 10967, Berlin
Publc transport: U8 – Schönleinstraße

More info: https://somos.media/ul

05/11/2022

Introducing new SomoS resident artist: Monika Zarzeczna.

Monika is a Dutch–Polish artist based in New York, working predominantly in sculpture and installation. Monika Zaezeszna works in various mediums, but the paper is a leading element in her drawings, collages, sculptures, and installations. She draws her inspiration from daily life observations and converts them into organic-looking shapes and delicacies. Using materials most of which have had a previous life, either in her work or in their previous existence --- wood shop cutoffs, aluminum, acrylic paint, paper, and various strings, horsehair from old bows, discarded Plexiglas, pieces of furniture and (other) found objects --- she creates sculptures that balance precariously on fragile supports.

She attended the School of Visual Arts Utrecht, and the Amsterdam School of Fine Arts, receiving her BFA in painting and BA, Visual Arts Education. Her work has been shown in the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, and the United States at venues including Museum Perron Oost (Amsterdam), Sculpture Center (New York), David Castillo Gallery (Miami), and the Spencer Brownstone Gallery (New York).

What intrigues Monika the most is the “trans-state” of objects. A misunderstood idea, a partially gone memory, an object with a lost purpose… just like her standing in the midst of cultures as an immigrant. They all exist in a state of ineffectiveness. They function in a way that is not initially intended but reveals a certain beauty, a newness.

During her 3-month-stay at SomoS, Monika will be exploring Neukölln, a neighborhood where abandoned objects can be found anywhere, to do some “street shopping” and repurpose them.

01/11/2022

PLÃS is a symbiotic, nomadic collective and creative studio. It is a buzzing ecosystem of artists, crafters, and designers interacting and exchanging ideas with one another.

They foster cultural innovation across disciplines and national borders, creating an inclusive platform for young artists. Each year, PLÃS calls for creatives to participate in an interconnected system of works around a theme, developing and creating together limited-edition collectibles.

Brimming with creative impulse, moody and intense, Berlin inspired the magnetic spirit of the new collection UNSEEN REALITIES: chaos channeled in unfiltered beauty, trashing norms and standards, challenging the ideas of normal and ordinary.

PLÃS is thrilled to present the works produced in collaboration with Berlin-based creatives: explore slices of arranges dimensions by painter and tuft artist Elenia Beretta, installation artist Irene Fernández Arcas, hand embroidery artist Stefanija Pejchinovska, alongside ruscakes’ otherworldly food pieces and photographer Sara Scanderebech’s beguiling images, with sound performances by Pablo Diserens+Diane Barbe and Chika Takahashi.

Opening reception on Thursday, November 3rd, from 6 to 9pm, featuring performance by Diane Barbe and Chika Takahashi.

Duration - Wednesday, November 4th - Sunday 13th, 2-7, and by appointment. Free entry.

SomoS Arts - Kottbusser Damm 95, 1.0G, 10967, Berlin (U8 - Schönleinstraße)





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29/10/2022

Many thanks to the participating artists of the "RE-" group exhibition at SomoS: Branislav Jankic, Dana Melaver, Keemon Williams, Luce Nguyễn-Hunt, Lucia Tường Vy Nguyễn, Luka Mahmuljin Udovičić, Philippine de Salaberry, Reina Takeuchi, and Roslyn Orlando, and to the curator Nicole Beck for creating such a diverse show that attracted many visitors and fostered lively discussions and deep engagement. Keep on re-enacting!

28/10/2022

Introducing the Croatian, multidisciplinary artist Luka Mahmuljin Udovicic.

The artist conducted his performance “Transformation No 2: Justification” at the opening of the “RE” exhibition curated by Nicole Beck. The performance is presented as a documentation video along with photography.

In “Transformation No 2: Justification”, Udovicic places himself with his back against the wall and wraps different objects of sentimental value to him around his body. He customizes, q***rs, and updates their use to render them wearable, objectifying himself in the process. In the performance, the artist shares his memories, desires, and thoughts through a profound poetic audio speech. The power of his unmoveable body on stage connects the public to his experiences and struggles, marking an important turn in his continual journey, toward greater self-reflection.

The "RE-” exhibition aims to illuminate the power of artistic re-creation in establishing new pathways toward understanding, critiquing, and healing, personal and collective memory.
(Excerpted from Nicole Beck’s curatorial essay)

Don't miss it; Saturday, October 29 is the last day of the exhibition!
SomoS is open from 2-7 pm. Entree is free.