note: click image for more info

launching at the kw institute for contemporary art [1] on fri - sep 3 [3pm] is the second edition of miss read. organized by the venue in collab with berlin-based publishers argobooks and michalis pichler, it’s an interesting showcase of artist books by a slew of international publishers and artists, including edie fake [chicago], samandal [beirut] and mediabus [seoul].

and if you’re craving for more, why not also check out unter dem motto? this related book event is simultaneously held at chert gallery [2]. location [1]: auguststrasse 69 [mitte]. location [2]: skalitzerstrasse 68 [kreuzberg].



© claudio vogt - miss read [2009]

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

opening tue - may 11 at [6pm-9pm] at pool gallery is cutters2010, an exhibition curated by james gallagher. this interesting show brings together 13 international collage artists, using varied techniques and materials, who each display a series of recent and new work. participating artists include jason glasser, max-o-matic and sophie kern. location: tucholskystrasse 38 [mitte].



© pool gallery

check out mario ybarra jr.’s show opening at galerie michael janssen on fri - apr 30 [6pm-9pm]. the l.a.-based artist presents two installations: a series of works on paper, called silver and blacks, with both abstract and figurative works, and an installation with an ongoing activity of his studio in which he customizes t-shirts and hats [on sale here]. location: dutschkestrasse 26 [kreuzberg].



photo: mario ybarra, jr.

behold the highly-controlled drama of artist terry haggerty’s paintings. his solo exhibition angle of response opens at kuttner siebert on fri - apr 30 [7pm]. on display are a series of paintings with extremely precise composition, evoking the impression of mechanical perfection but also containing a hint of playfulness that suggests plasticity. location: rosa luxemburg strasse 16 [mitte].



© kuttner siebert / terry haggerty - s [2008] - acrylic on hardboard

not to be missed! artist olafur eliasson’s exhibition innenstadt aussen opens at martin gropius bau on wed - apr 28. the show’s theme stems from the artist’s close relationship with the city of berlin where he has lived and worked for many years. on display are new installations that reflect the constantly changing urban structure of the city and explore the relationship between museum and city, architecture and landscape. especially for the exhibition, olafur eliasson’s iconic work the blind pavilion [2003] will be showcased on pfaueninsel. exhibition location: niederkirchnerstrasse 7 [mitte].



© olafur eliasson - the blind pavilion on videy island, iceland [2003] / photography: fridrik orn

when in berlin, don’t miss blind date swingers club #7 on fri - apr 16 [from 11pm] for some grrreat fun! be creative, make your own mix cd to join the party, this time held at .hbc [click weblink for access rules]. dj lineup includes kieran behan. location: liebknechtstrasse 9 [mitte].

design duo blasius osko + oliver deichmann’s show funktionale beschädigung opens at helmrinderknecht gallery on fri – mar 26 [6pm-9pm]. the exhibition focuses on their tubular steel furniture designs. tubing used in the furniture is not bent but functionally folded, dented and kinked.

blasius osko + oliver deichmann manually manipulate or ‘damage’ the material, creating a style all their own. on display are new furniture pieces, all part of a limited-edition series that’s exclusively available at the gallery. location: linienstrasse 87 [mitte].



© helmrinderknecht

80*81 is a retro-visionary research endeavor by journalist georg diez and artist christopher roth. collaborating with artists, astrologists, philosophers, psychologists, writers, filmmakers, and actors, they explore the central question: what happened? in 1980 ronald reagan was elected, andy warhol dined with william s. burroughs at the chelsea hotel, and john galliano was a blitz kid. and what happened in 1981, when khomeini released the u.s. hostages, and aids surfaced?

those were the years that changed the world forever and all this is documented in the 11 volumes of the 80*81 book collection. on sat – mar 20 [8pm] there’ll be a related showcase with sound, video and documents at 032c magazine’s new hq. location: brunnenstrasse 9 [mitte].

when in berlin, don’t miss the blind date swingers club #6 on fri - mar 5 [from 8pm] for some grrreat fun, this time on the spree river! be creative, make your own mix cd to join the party [click weblink for access rules]. live gig + dj lineup includes electrosexual, mz sunday luv, campbell scott and tiphaine shipman. location: ms hoppetosse, eichenstrasse 4 [alt-treptow].

you in berlin? then check out keinemusik’s workparty one special edition release party today [7pm] at the civilist store. you’ll get a special tee and tote bag with each purchase too! and if that’s not all, a second release party kicks off at hideaway resto + club cookies later tonight [11pm]. dj lineup includes &me, adam port, david mayer, reznik and ignant. store location: brunnenstrasse 33 [mitte]. club location: friedrichstrasse / unter den linden [mitte].

currently staged at circleculture gallery is artist helle mardahl’s solo show stage power [on until mar 6]. on display is a selection of paintings, drawings, textile collages, photo-collages, prints, and sculptures that document the central st. martin’s graduate’s development as an artist. with this show mardahl also distances herself from the clichés of fashion while she while she creates her art in the hand-crafted skill of an haute couture production. location: gipsstrasse 11 [mitte].



© circleculture gallery / helle mardahl - the veiled bitch [2009]

referencing a bygone era in which berlin was still a draft-free yet walled western enclave in communist europe, the new civilist store certainly knows how to work the city’s heritage. established by two editors of lodown magazine in the mitte area, the space is set up as an ever-changing store, art gallery and showroom with a coquettish subversive edge.

civilist boasts a well-tweaked basic interior that includes a concrete floor, vintage displays and a stencil art wall. as for the merchandise, leave it up to the savvy founders to come up with a nice range of elite streetwear brands, including anything, p.a.m., huf, nike sb and dave’s quality meat. location: brunnenstrasse 13 [mitte].




© civilist

kooky mags! we’re talking the quatre revues contemporary magazine micro trade fair held on feb 13 [2pm-10pm] and 14 [noon-6pm] at exile_. next to this edition’s guest magazine dorade, french publications kaiserin, face b, entrisme and poli will be present. location: alexandrinenstrasse 4 [kreuzberg].

see a different and underexposed side of creative multi-tasker henrik vibskov at pool gallery’s next exhibition. the show, kicking off on fri – feb 5 [7pm-11pm], features an interesting selection of his graphic pieces alongside installation and knit works. location: tucholskystrasse 38 [mitte].



© pool gallery

opening at c/o berlin on fri - feb 5 [7pm] is the megapolis tour #3, an exhibition on urban photography by a string of young international photographers. this third edition is dedicated to the city of lagos, featuring work by thomas dworzak. a total of 14 cities will be featured, all of which are expected to be on the shortlist of the planet’s biggest cities by 2020. location: oranienburgstrasse 35-36 [mitte].



© thomas dworzak

the planet’s biggest lomography store just opened in downtown berlin. the new embassy covers an area of 200 sqm. and next to featuring all official lomography cameras, films, accessories and gadgets, it boasts the biggest lomowall in all of germany. the lomography berlin store also offers regular workshops. location: friedrichstrasse 113 [mitte].




© lomography berlin

any savvy traveller knows the utmost necessity of a well-informed city guide when going places. for the past 10 years very style guide has been keeping an eye on what’s hot in some of the planet’s leading cities through its extensive network of local designers, stylists, artists, writers and actors who provide you with insider info on fashion stores, art galleries, restaurants and places to be seen.

very style guide has released new editions for new york, london, paris and berlin! these now also feature interviews with in-the-know artists and designers, original and useful hand-drawn maps plus the first international eco-hip guide to these four cities. the very style guide booklets are available at selected stores across the planet, including flight 001 [new york], daslu [são paulo], the photographers’ gallery [london], colette [paris] and athenaeum [amsterdam].

when in berlin, don’t miss the blind date swingers club’s next edition on fri - nov 6 [from 8pm] for some grrreat fun! be creative, make your own mix cd to join the party [read the flyer for access rules]. location: oderbergerstrasse 38 [prenzlauer berg].



note: click image to enlarge

party: gomma vs. 032c
date: sat – oct 31 [11pm]
location: bar 1000, schiffbauerdamm 117 [mitte]
live gig + dj lineup includes: pollyester, dj munk and guests

helmrinderknecht is a new contemporary design gallery in the german capital. focused exclusively on design that has an overlap with contemporary art, its inaugural show chairs & fireworks by catalan designer martí guixé, features a series of new objects. for this show, the designer has created three new chairs in his ongoing cycle statement chairs, and has also submitted surprising solutions regarding the neglected subject of fireworks. additionally martí guixé exhibits a series of drawings for the first very time. location: linienstrasse 87 [mitte].



© helmrinderknecht / photo: martí guixé - respect cheap furniture

the most fun party concept we’ve come across in a looong time. we’re talking the blind date swingers club, on fri - oct 2 [from 9pm]. dj set by little miss luzifer plus surprise acts. read the flyer for access rules! location: potsdamerstrasse 103 [schöneberg].

opening at seven star gallery on thu - sep 24 [7pm] is the megapolis tour #2, an exhibition on urban photography by a string of young international shnappers. this second edition is dedicated to mumbai, featuring work by johann rousselot. a total of 14 cities will be featured, all of which are expected to be on the shortlist of the planet’s biggest cities by 2020. location: gormannstrasse 7 [mitte].



© johann rousselot - mumbai

we have seen the light! in this case swiss artist lori hersberger’s, whose magnificent exhibition geist opens at the newly launched grieder contemporary projects art space on thu - sep 24. on display are a series of new works incorporating intensely hued neon lighting and collaged images, exploring themes such as myth, death and resurrection. location: mommsenstrasse 56 [charlottenburg].



© lori hersberger

opening thu - aug 20 [7pm] at bon goût is the supercool ghanavision show. showcased for a second time by popular demand, are a series of hand-painted 1980s movie posters from ghana. these unique posters were made to promote ticket sales for traveling cinemas, which included only a tv, vcr and occasionally an electric generator and a car for transportation around the country. location: torstrasse 110 [mitte].



© bon goût