Current

until 01.12. Kartoffel-Projekt. Eva Pedrosa, Paul Wiersbinski. Drawing, Sculpture, Installation, Media Art, Digital Art.

The view of the human body as something that we simply have and are is usually suppressed in favour of the idea of what bodies are capable of doing or what they can become. Once brought over from South America, potatoes found their way into our bodies and into our myths. They thus became a part of us and a central component of our culture. Because we follow our elementary need for food, but also social narratives. Because we are hungry, but also without any order or control - just pure devotion.

The potato, the tuberous vegetable of South American origin, was stored in (historical) cellars. It fed the population, but also triggered famines and is regarded as a symbol of vegetable energy. In our part of the world, it is so historically significant that it has contributed to the formation of identity. Numerous monuments have been erected to it.

In their exhibition ‘The Potato Project’, Eva Pedroza (*1982) and Paul Wiersbinski (*1983) want to use the nightshade plant mentioned in the title to reflect on models of origin, humanity, myth, machines and plant life in a site-specific multimedia installation. Categories that are themselves in a constant process of growth and transformation.

The exhibition is funded by the Decentralised Cultural Work Fund of the Spandau district authority.

Profile

A place that has grown over the centuries.

The historic cellar belonged to a patrician house that can be traced back to 1464. It was home to a succession of particularly wealthy families from the town of Spandau, including several mayors. In the 18th century, it was converted into a palace for the royal regimental commanders and remained associated above all with Prince Henry of Prussia. The building then served as a guest house and court until it was destroyed by a bomb in 1944. In the 1950s, the remains were removed, and the cellar filled in. It was only when the new building, which housed a cinema and a food market, was demolished in 1987 that the cellar was rediscovered. It was archaeologically examined and was preserved when the new residential building was constructed, so that it can now be used as a very special art gallery.

Past

02.08. – 22.09. Spandau and other Phantoms. Dana Arieli. Media Art, Fotografie. Repro Spandau and other Phantoms, Dana Arieli, 2023, Photo: Dana Arieli

In her ongoing series “The Phantoms Project,” Dana Arieli explores locations once affected by fascist rule. Their history is not always apparent, as former functions are often concealed by the mundane aspects of their current appearance and use. Sometimes they are building facades; sometimes, they are parking lots. 

In the Historic Cellar Gallery, Arieli presents an interim assessment: photographs from 15 years of work, that has not yet been completed. Additionally, visitors see a documentation of a tour she conducted through the urban space of Spandau. The visible and invisible elements that emerge when approaching these places allude to the expressible and inexpressible aspects of their contexts and collective memory.

17.05. – 14.07. Made Of Innocent Crime. Dana Melaver, Branislav Jankic. Sculpture, Performance, Media Art, Fotografie. Repro Abb.: „Made of Innocent Crime“ © Dana Melaver, Branislav Jankic

Branislav Jankic and Dana Melaver have developed complex artistic approaches and forms of expression to explore different interpretations of the “self” and possibilities of its representation. The body plays a central role in this exploration. Questions about its essence and its physical as well as metaphysical boundaries are examined through video, photography, sculpture, and performance. Biographical and geopolitical contexts are equally important for understanding the context.

01.09.2023 – 05.11.2023 Hide and Seek. Isabella Chydenius. Textile art, Media Art. Repro Isabella Chydenius o.T. 2023, Photo: © Isabella Chydenius
 

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