Black holes at REH Kunst

This thing just has to make you smile. Among all the innovative ideas GDR architects have come up with, the Raumerweiterungshalle is certainly one of those that display their practicality best. It is a room that you can stretch or diminish manually as needed:  Up to eight segments fit into each other telescopically and form a curvy room, the size of a caravan expandable to a maximum of 82 sqm.

This flexible hall was invented in 1959 by Helmut Both and pretty popular in the GDR wherever sheltered space was needed temporarily. Just last year, a private investor has enabled art historian Valeska Hageney to revive one of them for hosting art shows.

Tagesspiegel has called the REH Kunst building the real “Temporäre Kunsthalle”: “Fast, small, flexible”. While it seems inadequate for hanging paintings on its curved pull-out walls, videos and installations work well, as the latest show demonstrates. “Out of the Black” is curated by Lauren Reid and combines works of three up-and-coming artists: A beautifully media reflective moving image by Sam Smith, a light installation by Kim Westerström and an impressive video piece (both visually and acoustically) by Regina de Miguel. The text states: “This exhibition draws together three artists from different corners of the globe who seek to contemplate the universe while simultaneously turning the lens around to gain a deeper understanding of self and our position in the world.” The lens theme fits perfectly into this telescopic hall. Arranged one behind the other, the artworks draw in the visitor deeper and deeper: both physically and mentally. Be careful not to get sucked in completely.

Open until January 27th. Installation view showing Sam Smith’s work.

3 Notes/ Hide

  1. canon-pixma-mg5250-patronen reblogged this from nicheberlin
  2. nicheberlin posted this