Huge windows, painted on oil, traverse the gallery spaces.

Sometimes the view falls through the frame onto a black nothingness, sometimes the windows glow red, as if sunlight were shining through.

The large formats appear menacing and lovely at the same time.

Opposite them are architectural photographs from Rome and Tel Aviv, which, with their clear, rational imagery, antagonize the window cycle (35,000 to 1.8 million euros).

The “Exposition Collective 1974 – 2007” on Günther Förg's complete works in the Galerie Max Hetzler indicates which key themes determine this year's Gallery Weekend in Berlin: new beginnings, melancholy and fear of crisis.

Kevin Hanschke

volunteer.

  • Follow I follow

52 galleries are taking part in this spring weekend, which is primarily intended to be dedicated to established artists.

But in 2022 there are innovations, newcomers are there, and some traditional houses have moved into new premises, such as Max Hetzler on Potsdamer Straße or Neugerriemschneider in Prenzlauer Berg.

The mood is optimistic: "We are expecting more visitors this year than before the pandemic," says Maike Cruse, Director of the Gallery Weekend, and also expects more international exposure.

More collectors from abroad, especially the United States and Asia, have announced their presence.

Works will again be shown digitally and there will be an art market journal.

A new edition of the Paper Positions fair enriches the programme.

But the Corona crisis, which has not yet been overcome, is followed by the next: The shadow of the Ukraine war lies over all shows.

Many galleries emphasize the topicality of their works, which are often thought-provoking.

However, Ukrainian artists are hardly represented.

An exception is Maria Kulikovska with her courageous performance "254", which was brought to Berlin in cooperation with the Berlin galleries and the Neue Nationalgalerie to collect donations for the association "Be an Angel", which works for refugees.

Covered by the Ukrainian flag, Kulikovska lies wounded on the steps of Mies van der Rohe's museum building.

Just in time for Gallery Weekend, Alexander Levy and his father's Galerie Levy moved into new premises in the Moabit district.

While Levy junior concentrates on contemporary conceptual art, Levy senior presents surrealism and pop art, currently with an exhibition on surreal objects by Meret Oppenheim and Man Ray (900 to 160,000 euros).

In contrast, the exhibition “Lies, Half-Truths & Propaganda” by the Russian-Austrian artist Egor Kraft at Alexander Levy is shaped by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In his generative computer installations, Kraft deals with false information about the war in Ukraine (6,000 to 20,000 euros).

In contrast, Bruce Nauman's video installation “Practice” at Konrad Fischer is an ode to peace.

It shows the artist's hands signing something to remind of the treaties between the indigenous people and the government of Canada.

Life-affirming are the "Silhouettes Critiques" by the Senegalese artist El Hadji Sy, who creates portraits with his sometimes expressionistic, sometimes abstract pictorial language, but also deals with biological phenomena such as human DNA (30,000 to 35,000 euros).

Exciting new additions and disaster scenarios

Things get politically subversive at Galerie Crone, which is showing Hamlet Lavastida from Havana.

The artist is labeled as a "troublemaker" by the Cuban secret service and is being pursued.

His multicolored silhouettes show artefacts of socialism, but also symbols of the West.

Next to it is his manifesto "Penitentiary Republic", in which he opposes dictatorships and oppression (from 5000 euros).

Sprüth Magers focuses on Sterling Ruby's monumental fabric murals and ceramic sculptures, which feature fluorescent floral motifs

An exciting new addition is Galerie Heidi, which has opened its doors on Kurfürstenstrasse and is showing the dragon installation “Draw on the Wind” and insect paintings “Too busy bees” by American artist Joan Jonas (prices on request).

The cardboard sculptures by Anna Boghiguian and the installations by Alice Creischer, including the music installation “His Master's Voice”, which refers to a speech by Joachim Gauck in which the former Federal President called for an expansion of German military operations abroad, experience a symbiosis at KOW.

Thomas Bayrle's works at Neugerriemschneider appear dystopian.

Do the robotic arms composed of curved smartphones (price on request) represent the fear of digitization?

Criticism of the technology and associated catastrophe scenarios are booming this time.

The Eigen + Art gallery is presenting psychedelic chalk works by Martin Groß that deal with the psychology of the internet and net culture (4,000 to 12,000 euros).

Groß applied text fragments from programming languages ​​to the walls.

Pixelated tunnels, wasted landscapes and e-mail texts are also shown.

Time, the artist sums up, also seems to be out of joint in the digital ether.

Gallery Weekend

, Berlin, until May 1st.

Most of the individual exhibitions are open much longer.