Martin Gropius Bau

I have to admit that 2016 was very abundant in terms of the art I saw: the exhibitions that made me think and the concerts I’ve attended. I do think a special focus for me is anything surpassing the boundaries in the contemporary art, with a focus on interpreting the classics and referring to the current musical trends.

I am not a professional dancer not an artist myself, but I do love exploring both (if this was not clear by the content of this blog yet). Here in Berlin I make sure to track especially anything by Sascha Waltz und Guests (from ‘Travelogue’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to ‘Le Sacre du Printemps’ and ‘Koerper’). This dance company has been showcased this year at Radialsystem V, Berliner Festspiele and Deutsche Oper.

Another highlight of 2016 was definitely the exhibition of Pina Bausch‘s works and deep dive into the history of her dance company, accompanied by the ‘Palermo, Palermo’ show only this month.

What I find special about the dance theater, is not only the physical, but also symbolic expression and freedom it brings. I have already confessed that for me personally letting go through dance is liberating and simply making me stronger, even if these cold and dark months have been exhausting.

Just like in the ‘Seasons’ march’ by Pina Bausch, there is a rhythm, which everyone has to find on its own, and at the end of the day, all the movements may feel similar. The work around repetition and symbols was one of the typical approaches in her Tanztheater, and I think it caries some universal truth. ‘Everything I do, I do as a dancer, everything, everything’ she said once. And I believe that dancing not only through the night/the season/and the darkness but also through the whole live can be a very good idea.

Zero – a zone of silence and of pure possibilities for a new beginning. Taken from the 1957, this art manifesto still makes us think about the essence of art and its meaning nowadays. Times are as turbulent over 50 years ago, but maybe the society feels a bit more indifferent and lost in the stimuli coming from all over the place. The night o 11th April in Martin Gropius Bau proved the need for reconnecting with pure art, beauty in the collective experience.

To enter the all-night event it was recommended to dress in white. More importantly, it was for free then. The long queue to the museum’s entrance looked then very bold and elegant. Maybe a bit like the crowd from the ‘Clockwork Orange’ though. Zero was a manifesto created with a mission to reinvent and redefine art in the aftermath of World War II.

The collection gathered in Martin-Gropius-Bau Museum was rich in picturing the whole spectrum of the European movement around Zero, including works of Ives Klein, Enrico Castellani and presenting the history of the whole movement. The night of 11th/12th April gathered also musical interpretations of the Zero movement. I was simply stunned.

Zero manifesto could also be my own private summary of the past six month here in Berlin. Extremely active and always challenging my curiosity, both at my work and outside of it. Enriching my vision and insight. I found the taste of the solitude, with both its positive and negative connotations. Then meeting numberless people, with great life stories and visions. I embraced the darkness literally and metaphorically, and realized the preciousness of the light coming up next. All in all, I feel this city is a bit like me – non linear, reinventing itself, changing, at times hectic and centre-of-the-world-like, at times very slow-paced and melancholic.

Zero manifesto:

»Art is no longer the act of viewing a finished object; art has become a living process. It is realized in the empty human being. The picture itself has no meaning; it is merely a stimulus for the visualization of an idea, of an impulse.«

Zero der neue Idealismus:

Berlinering

cca. the city

Dancing thru the dark

Zero ist der Anfang