The Berlin artist paying homage to the city’s riotous nightlife, past and present

Wicked green eyes; fragments of maps, posters and parties; body-to-body— Berlin-based artist Norbert Bisky’s latest series is a riot of colour and motion. Drawing on the chaotic cosmos that is the German capital’s nightlife and currently exhibited online as well as in the recently reopened Templon gallery in Paris, Desmadre Berlin explores the city’s hedonistic interwar years through a series of technicolour, large format scenes and portraits. Acidic greens, furious reds and ebullient turquoise and blues flood Bisky’s canvases that pulsate with bronzed flesh and nocturnal mayhem. Originally from Leipzig, Bisky, who studied under heavyweights Georg Baselitz and Jim Dine, says that the exhibition’s name, which translates as ‘riot’ in Spanish, is the perfect description for the ‘super chaos’ and ‘super fun’ of Berlin’s clubbing scene.

While Bisky sought to depict the roaring 1920s in Berlin—an era defined by uproarious parties and decadence—the blocky, monumental design of the GDR-era of his youth also serves as a starting point for these works: stern headshots and austere buildings echo Soviet propaganda in many of the paintings. By meshing these two sources together with the sights and feeling of contemporary clubbing culture, Bisky realises a kaleidoscopic vision of Berlin, where past and present, nightmares and dreams, bleed seductively into one another.

We caught up with the artist to find out more about his latest exhibition, how he’s been keeping busy during coronavirus, and just what is it that makes Berlin’s nightlife so special?

What was the reasoning for the name of this exhibition?

I share my time between Berlin and a small village in the south of Spain. One day a Spanish friend of mine confessed he would love to come to Berlin and experience its “Desmadre total”. Berlin is infamous for its unbridled nightlife and clubbing scene. Desmadre is the perfect description for that. The word has a lot of meanings and connotations from super chaos to super fun. 

What drew you to the hedonism of the Inter War years in Berlin as a 
subject?

The neighbourhood I live in is the hotspot for all clubbing tourists that invade this town over the weekend. Berghain is just around the corner as well as countless other clubs, bars and venues. When I was a kid, the very same area was calm and rundown with a monolith of a Soviet style boulevard. In the 1930s, the neighbourhood was named after a Nazi hero. Luckily today, it´s a very progressive place. A lot of history jumps in your face and shows you how quick everything can change.



To what extent do you think this era resonates with viewers now? 

A liberal society is fragile. Let´s hold it dear.



The exhibition explores nightlife in Berlin. What do you think makes the scene so special in the German capital and how do you 
interpret this in painting?

What makes the Berlin nightlife unique is that it is so little regulated but quite safe at the same time. You can be a 20-year-old-girl and dance naked if you like. In a relevant club nobody will attack you.  If you start the night watching a classical ballet, you will meet the dancers later on a techno floor. But above all it is a hell of a music scene here.


The exhibition also relates to your GDR upbringing. Can you elaborate on how your childhood impacted upon your work?

Each period casts a very long shadow. Ones’ period is when one is very young (a Diana Vreeland quote)

.

How would you describe your approach to painting over all? What or who 
have been some of your key inspirations?

I am completely in love with the painting process. You have to be sensitive, emotional and focused at the same time. My own everyday life, my friends and places—that is where inspiration starts. Sometimes inspiration comes through isolation.

What has been the reaction to the exhibition so far? What was it like to adapt the exhibition to digital during the crisis? 

We had a very nice opening, the very same day before the shutdown in Paris. It was an intimate, solemn evening with unforgettable talks. Since then it was only visible online. I am super excited that the show has re-opened. 



How have you been keeping inspired and occupied during the crisis?

I am painting every day like always. Right now, I am preparing my next exhibition in Tokyo. Like everybody, I watch more movies and read more books, like Ocean Vuong and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I feel blessed that I can continue working. But I miss a lot the noisy city around me.

What are you must looking forward to doing once life slowly returns to normal?

Travel, travel, travel and dancing.


Do you think the crisis will have an impact upon your work?

Who knows? Ask me again in six months.

Desmadre Berlin runs through to 23 May at Templon Gallery. The exhibition will travel, under the name Berlin Sunday, to Poitiers at the Confort Moderne from 15 June to 23 August. 

All images courtesy Galerie Templon, Paris – Bruxelles © Adagp, Paris, 2020.