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More than twenty Berlin galleries took part in Art Basel Miami Beach<br />
2006. Parallel to this event, the renowned Bass Museum of Modern<br />
Art presented the Berlin exhibition »Constructing New Berlin«. The<br />
exhibition concept, BerlinSpaces 001, curated by Michael Krome<br />
and Marc Fiedler and sponsored by <strong>ORCO</strong>, rounded off the strong<br />
presence of the German capital with a programme at the interface of<br />
urban planning, architecture, art and art in building.<br />
In the immediate vicinity of the famous Moore Building,<br />
the curators Michael Krome and Marc Fiedler presented<br />
the project BERLINSPACES 001, which is sponsored<br />
by <strong>ORCO</strong>. The Berlin-specific exhibition room<br />
was dedicated to the tension between public space, architecture,<br />
art and culture, thus creating an innovative<br />
platform for presentations, discussions and information<br />
around these internationally-relevant urban themes in<br />
the middle of the vibrant design district. In the spacious<br />
exhibition area of a future Ligne Roset showroom,<br />
BERLINSPACES 001 works included video sequences<br />
from the artist Daniel Pflumm, a contribution by the<br />
Berlin architect Eike Becker on the Fehrbelliner Project<br />
and a presentation by the artist duo, Coco Kühn and<br />
Constanze Kleiner from White Cube Berlin, on the<br />
controversial issue of the Berlin Kunsthalle. For this last<br />
work, visitors were invited to take part in a real/virtual<br />
tour of a walkable aerial picture of Berlin-Mitte<br />
and, using a variety of concepts, came up with their<br />
own ideas for the design of a temporary Kunsthalle for<br />
contemporary art at the Schlossplatz. Coco Kühn and<br />
Constanze Kleiner were assisted in the documentation<br />
of their project by international Berlin artists such as<br />
Thomas Scheibitz, Olafur Eliasson, Monica Bonvicini,<br />
Thomas Demand and Tacita Dean.<br />
Taking stock, Michael Krome says »BERLINSPACES<br />
001, together with over 20 galleries in Berlin and fringe<br />
events, was able to assert and reinforce the powerful<br />
presence of the vibrant city of Berlin, here in Miami«.<br />
The evening events were particularly well attended and<br />
offered visitors the opportunity to enter into lively dialogue<br />
with the artists about Berlin-specific and other<br />
subjects.<br />
For <strong>ORCO</strong>, this involvement with Art Basel Miami<br />
Beach was the starting point for further actions in the<br />
space between art, architecture and Berlin. At the heart<br />
of this collaboration is the ambitious FEHRBELLINER<br />
and project development is already well underway.<br />
The quality remained consistent in the adjacent neighbourhood<br />
of Wynwood, with over 80 »art spaces, studios,<br />
museums and collections«. The latter is led by the<br />
Rubell Family Collection, the world’s most important<br />
private collection of contemporary art. At the fair, the<br />
family showed works by Los Angeles artists such as Raymond<br />
Pettibon, John Baldessari and Paul McCarthy. The<br />
title »Red Eye: L.A. Artists« is a teasing reference to the<br />
strenuous preparations for the exhibition. A must this<br />
time around was a visit to the nearby MOCA (Museum<br />
of Contemporary Art) in the Goldmann Warehouse. The<br />
Artificial Lights show presented light installations and<br />
sculptures that immersed the viewer in a world of optical<br />
illusion – pure retinal stimulation.<br />
Now and again, one has to take a break as well, and nowhere<br />
is there a better or more exclusive place to stop off<br />
than Setai. Sipping a sinfully expensive glass of wine here is<br />
an essential experience, which shouldn’t be missed if you’re<br />
visiting Miami. The Setai Hotel is a Zen oasis, created<br />
by the interior designer Jaya Pratomo Ibrahim who was<br />
brought in specially from Malaysia. The floor of the five<br />
star hotel is made of antique, hand-crafted clinker brick<br />
from Shanghai. The guest falls asleep on $3,000 mattresses<br />
and the top floor hosts a member’s club whose founding<br />
members include Janet Jackson and Lenny Kravitz.<br />
The central element of<br />
the showroom was a<br />
real/virtual stroll along a<br />
walkable aerial photograph<br />
of Berlin-Mitte. This piece,<br />
by artist duo Coco Kühn<br />
and Constanze Kleiner<br />
from White Cube Berlin,<br />
dealt with the subject of<br />
the highly controversial<br />
Berlin Kunsthalle.<br />
Much later, the showrooms<br />
were transformed into<br />
a pure party zone -<br />
complete with some bizarre<br />
gatecrashers.<br />
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