Daniel Buren in If the Berlin Wind Blows My Flag
14 September 2023—14 January 2024
Group exhibition at Neuer berliner Kunstverein, Berlin, Germany
If the Berlin Wind Blows My Flag explores the artistic scenes in West Berlin before the fall of the Berlin Wall through the lens of the history of the DAAD Berlin Artists-in-Residence Program. Commencing in 1963, this program invited international cultural figures to the city to counteract West Berlin's "cultural isolation." The exhibition, spanning three chapters at n.b.k., daadgalerie, and Galerie im Körnerpark, along with events at the Academy of Arts and various other locations, sheds light on the role this program played in shaping and connecting artistic practices during the Cold War era, while also examining its cultural and political orientation. The primary focus is on the activities of the Berlin Artists-in-Residence Program, established 60 years ago by the U.S. Ford Foundation and subsequently continued by DAAD from 1965 onwards, particularly with regard to the politically motivated motivations behind the desired internationalisation of the West Berlin art scene
The exhibition spotlights artistic expressions and positions in Berlin during the 1970s and 1980s, engaging in a dynamic dialogue with contemporary artists like Ieva Epnere, Kasia Fudakowski, and Isaac Chong Wai. By delving into historical projects that unfolded in public spaces, such as ADA - Actions of the Avant-Garde and the Hotel Room Event, as well as actions by notable figures like Daniel Buren, Endre Tót, and Milan Knížák, and featuring works from the West Berlin Critical Realism movement, including artists like Bettina von Arnim and Maina-Miriam Munsky, alongside Maija Tabaka's paintings from the former USSR, and exploring the international network connected to Jürgen Schweinebraden's EP Gallery in East Berlin, the exhibition aims to illuminate the interconnectedness of artistic movements within and beyond the confines of the divided city.