PDF; 7,6 MB - ORCO Germany

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