If the Berlin Wind Blows My Flag. Art and Internationalism before the Fall of the Berlin Wall

An exhibition in three chapters – at Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), daadgalerie, and Galerie im Körnerpark – accompanied by events at Akademie der Künste examines the role of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program in nurturing artistic practices and networks during the Cold War and investigates the program’s cultural and political orientation.

The focus is on the activities of the Artists-in-Berlin Program, which was initiated 60 years ago by the U.S. Ford Foundation and subsequently continued by DAAD from 1965 onward, particularly with regard to the political motivations that drove efforts to internationalize the art scene in West Berlin.


The exhibition at n.b.k. focuses on key exhibitions and art movements of the 1970s and 1980s in Berlin, presented in dialogue with contemporary artists (Ieva Epnere, Kasia Fudakowski, Isaac Chong Wai).
Through an examination of historical projects in public space (such as ADA – Aktionen der Avantgarde, Hotel Room Event, and actions by Daniel Buren, Endre Tót, and Milan Knížák), paintings by proponents of West Berlin Critical Realism (Bettina von Arnim, Maina-Miriam Munsky) and by Maija Tabaka from the former Soviet Union, and the international network connected to Jürgen Schweinebraden’s EP Galerie in East Berlin, the exhibition unravels the interplay of artistic movements within and beyond the borders of the divided city.

At daadgalerie, the focus lies on the interrogation of the origins and cultural-political mission that underpinned the Artists-in-Berlin Program during its first decade.
Drawing on historical works (a. o. KP Brehmer, Wojciech Fangor, George Rickey, Bridget Riley, and Emilio Vedova) and new pieces that respond to documents and ephemera sourced from the program’s archive [a. o. Contemporary And (C&) and Sonya Schönberger], the exhibition traces artistic networks and renegotiates established institutional narratives.

Galerie im Körnerpark hosts the first German solo exhibition by Agnes Denes since 1978.
Agnes Denes. Early Work revisits the artist’s concepts and proposals for an Artists-in-Berlin Program grant that never materialized. In addition to a newly created wall piece, early photographs, and drawings from the 1970s and 1980s will be on view, offering a glimpse into the influences that continue to shape Denes’s artistic direction, such as science, ecology, and body politics.
Two days of events at Akademie der Künste will be dedicated to the interdisciplinary nature of the Artists-in-Berlin Program and the close collaboration between the two institutions since their founding.
One focus is on films and project from the 1970s reflecting on life in West Berlin and its status as a divided city, created by former program fellows (Marcel Broodthaers, Daniel Buren, Safi Faye, Edward Kienholz).

The second focus is on the Studio for Electroacoustic Music at Akademie der Künste, which has its origins in the Labor für Akustisch-Musikalische Grenzprobleme (Laboratory for Problems at the Acoustics/Music Interface) in East Berlin.
This will be explored through the work of Frederic Rzewski, an early fellow, and contemporary sound artists (Clara Maïda, Karen Power).

Outdoor film screenings in the public space will feature works by Artists-in-Berlin Program fellows and Berlin based artists.
At Körnerpark, videos will be shown by contemporary female artists entering into dialogue with the work of Agnes Denes.
At Kunstquartier Bethanien in Berlin-Kreuzberg, cinematic approaches to West Berlin as an urban living space will be screened, including works from the audiovisual archive of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program.

Alicja Rogalska, whose artistic practice is characterized by creating collaborative situations, has designed an educational outreach program for this cooperation project. For specific events and dates, please check the websites of the participating venues.

Exhibitions
Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), Chausseestr. 128/129, 10115 Berlin 14.9.2023 – 14.1.2024
daadgalerie, Oranienstraße 161, 10969 Berlin 14.9.2023 – 14.1.2024 www.berliner-kuenstlerprogramm.de
Galerie im Körnerpark, Schierker Str. 8, 12051 Berlin 9.9.2023 – 14.1.2024 www.galerie-im-koernerpark.de

Outdoor public screenings
8.9.2023, 8 pm Contemporary Artists in Dialogue with Agnes Denes
Location: Galerie im Körnerpark, Schierker Str. 8, 12051 Berlin
16.9.2023, 8 pm Filmic Approaches to West Berlin
Location: Kunstquartier Bethanien, Mariannenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin

Other Events
Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg 10, 10557 Berlin www.adk.de

26.10.2023, 8 pm Improbable Bridge between Two Worlds
Concert featuring works by Frederic Rzewski, Luc Ferrari, Clara Maïda, Karen Power

1.11.2023, 5 pm Berlin oder ein Traum mit Sahne?
Life in West Berlin as a divided city in the 1970s

Curators: Nóra Lukács, Melanie Roumiguière

Associate curators: Kaspar Aebi, Malte Giesen, Krisztina Hunya, Yolanda Kaddu-Mulindwa, Natalie Keppler, Angela Lammert