nomadic select shop darklands, known for edgy apparel + accessories collections that are seldom available elsewhere in town, has packed up and moved to new premises in berlin’s mitte area. the new store officially launches on fri - sep 10 [6pm-10pm], featuring legs, a special installation by designer aitor throup and a gig by passarella death squad. location: heidestrasse 50, shop 1b [mitte].

celebrating 150 years of german-japanese diplomatic relations, the you are here - berlin tokyo festival will showcase cool contemporary art + culture straight from the creative eurohub of berlin at various venues across tokyo in october 2011. heralding this massive event, the launch event takes place today [6pm-9.30pm] at vacant with a preview and a live sound performance by danish artist jacob kirkegaard. location: 3-20-13 jingumae [harajuku].

aaron rose knows urban art like no other. best known as a curator and film director, he will now be showcasing new works at circleculture gallery. his show trouble opens thu - sep 9 [7pm], showcasing a particular obsession of his: painting on suitcases, especially those from the 1950s-1970s which were made in mustard yellows and army greens. rose calls these works object paintings. mind you, some of them are stuffed with surprise goodies for buyers to walk away with. location: gipsstrasse 11 [mitte].



© circleculture gallery

note: click image for more info

swedish fashion chain weekday opened a new shop with a big bang last week, in a rather unexpected corner of berlin’s mitte district, away from its cool peers. we’re guessing that the sheer size of the modern retail space [mind you, it's 629 sqm.] must have been the decisive factor. besides, weekday’s opening at this spot may very well lure other brands here. the store interior is clean with decorative futuristic touches in metal and colour blended in. the new outlet features the brand’s entire collection, including the sought-after weekday collaboration designs. location: friedrichstrasse 140 [mitte].




© weekday

last week stone island presented its a/w 2010 shadow project collection, designed by errolson hugh of acronym fame, at firmament’s stylish new store in downtown berlin. check out all the cool looks in this video shot by ken-tonio yamamoto.

stone island shadow project a/w 2010-2011 from Stone Island on Vimeo.

berlin-based label living mutants showcases its s/s 2011 collection to media + buyers on jul 7-10 [10am-7pm]. designed by raphael weinberg and his team, the menswear collection consists of designs with a classic base and bold innovative twists. it is pretty much inspired by the fresh, urban vibe that’s unique to berlin. rsvp [here] for access to this showcase. location: l-40 showroom, linienstrasse 40 [mitte].

after stops in luxembourg, lausanne and paris , the dysfashional fashion + art exhibition launched yesterday at berlin’s haus der kulturen der welt [on until jul 17]. on displays are works by a series of directional fashion designers and artists who’ve created installations which reflect their creative universe and artistic approach, while exploring the borders of fashion and art. participating creatives include hussein chalayan, damien blottière + pierre hardy and kostas murkudis. location: foster dulles allee 10 [tiergarten].

opening today at circleculture gallery is a show that steers away from usually sterile modernist presentations here. dubbed le salon du cercle de la culture, it’s inspired by early 20th-century art + literature salons of the early 20th century and a bohemian ambiance with sofas, carpets, lampshades and books is created to present a string of international urban artists, including aaron rose, helle mardahl, pho a.k.a marco grassi, andré and kelsey brookes [on until jul 17]. location: gipsstrasse 11 [mitte].

graffiti artist nug’s show just because you’re paranoid opens at artitude on thu - jul 1 [7pm]. on display will be a series of video works, including a new one that reflects upon a recent scandal his work caused in homeland sweden. location: cuvrystrasse 3/4 [kreuzberg].



© artitude

anyone bored of watching the upcoming soccer championships at home or in a cheesy sports bar, is welcome to hang out with artitude’s fired-up crowd. a giant screen has been put up in the courtyard to give you a front row experience. location: cuvrystrasse 3/4 [kreuzberg].



© artitude

dubai-based artist james clar has a solo exhibition at galerie caprice horn. dubbed what goed around comes around, it opens mon - jun 7. on display is a series of works that are emblematic for the artist and reflect the impact of media, technology, and popular culture on society. location: dutschkestrasse 26 [kreuzberg].



© james clar - the difference between me and you [2010] - 2 televisions, dvd players

the école cantonale d’art de lausanne is considered a hotbed of design talent. the savvy helmrinderknecht contemporary design gallery brings showcases a selection of work by the institute’s students to berlin. the ecal design show opens fri - jun 4 [6pm-9pm] and features 10 exceptional design projects by various students, including lucien gumy, enrique illánez schoenenberger and linn kandel. location: linienstrasse 87 [mitte].



© école cantonale d’art de lausaunne / photo: federico berardi / work: enrique illánez schoenenberger