{"id":23971,"date":"2015-08-22T15:22:10","date_gmt":"2015-08-22T13:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=23971"},"modified":"2015-08-22T15:22:10","modified_gmt":"2015-08-22T13:22:10","slug":"christian-ehrentraut-on-why-berlin-mitte-is-very-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/christian-ehrentraut-on-why-berlin-mitte-is-very-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Ehrentraut on Why Berlin Mitte is Very Alive"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"EIGEN “offen”, Installation view 1, 2015, Galerie EIGEN + ART Berlin, photo by Otto Felber<\/p>\n

Since the fall of the Wall, east Berlin\u2019s Mitte district has been through intense revamping. In the Nineties it was the fruitful ground for artist-run squats and the party scene, and year after year it quickly transformed into a hub for coffee culture and prominent galleries, yet change is still only just around the corner.<\/p>\n

Set up in 1983 in Leipzig and in Berlin since 1991, the gallery EIGEN + ART has been part of the transition and in 2010 they opened an additional space, the EIGEN + ART Lab, with more focus on experimentation, maintaining thus the edge Berlin is known for. Also present throughout the changes was Christian Ehrentraut, who re-joined the gallery earlier this year after doing various other projects. We spoke to the director about his favourite upcoming shows, how to develop relationships with artists and why Mitte is still very alive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I was expecting to see lots of 2D painting in your latest “offen” show but that wasn\u2019t the case.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not at all, the Summer Show is about exploring every direction involved in the whole process here at Eigen + Art. It is a group\/community of sorts and this show allows the viewer to see each aspect, both in Berlin and Leipzig, plus the EIGEN + ART Lab plays a strong role too. It\u2019s arranged as samples or chapters of a wider project. What\u2019s incredible to see in this show, for me personally, is that when I first started at Eigen + Art in 2000, there they represented 12 artists, then I moved to my own gallery, but when I came back here 11 of the12 artists are still here – 13 years later \u2013 it\u2019s extraordinary for a gallery to have that depth and history; it\u2019s quiet a unique relationship. There are about 40 artists on show at “offen”; some familiar ones like Carsten Nicolai, Martin Eder and Christine Hill but mixed in with new artists like Bosco Sodi, guests as Zora Jankovic and the artist\u2019s from the lab like Charlotte Dual\u00e9 and Keiyona Stumpf.<\/p>\n

Could you tell me more about the EIGEN + ART Lab? It seems the least well-known aspect of the programme.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s true, but it\u2019s one of the most important parts, it works like a test balloon. It\u2019s a place were young artists can try out ideas, play, experiment and create. Also you only know if you really want to work with an artist by doing it! This way, you can do that in a safe environment without pressure. There is also a curator\u2019s program there too, in fact in September there\u2019s a show curated by Thibaut de Ruyter and entitled “Digitale Demenz” (Artifical Intelligence). He will work with people like John Cale, Chris Marker and !Mediengruppe Bitnik. That\u2019s the artist group that created an algorithm that places random orders from the Darknet and has the products sent to the gallery. I believe it was predominantly drugs and weapons and they had all sorts of legal issues. I think that\u2019s a good example of how autonomous Galerie EIGEN + ART is.<\/p>\n

Some people say Berlin is dead or dying, what have you noticed in the last 15 years that\u2019s so special about this part of town \u2013 Mitte?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my opinion it\u2019s still very much alive, you can see how active Auguststrasse is. Despite the gentrification it still has so much discourse left to give, look at KW, their program really has an effect on the art world at large. Actually, at the moment, I\u2019m re-reading Alfred D\u00f6blin\u2019s \u201cBerlin Alexanderplatz\u201d, which is set in 1929, here in these streets but with the prostitutes, alcoholics and black-marketers, It\u2019s funny, it seems removed but you can really see the remnants of these people and their lives in the back yards and alleys; it\u2019s not as alien as one might think. There has been some very dark chapters in the life of this neighbourhood but it\u2019s certainly by no means the end of the book.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interview by Penny Victoria Rafferty<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mehr: Body and Distortion: Interview with Asger Carlsen<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mehr: Frances Stark in Chicago: Das Digitale Private ist politisch<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“offen”, Installation view 1, 2015, Galerie EIGEN + ART Berlin, photo by Otto Felber Since the fall of the Wall, east Berlin\u2019s Mitte district has been through intense revamping. In the Nineties it was the fruitful ground for artist-run squats and the party scene, and year after year it quickly transformed into a hub for…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":23974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11856,139],"tags":[3086,34,3087,3088,3089,3090,2196],"class_list":["post-23971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleek-art","category-art","tag-alfred-doblin","tag-berlin","tag-christian-ehrentraut","tag-eigen-art","tag-mitte","tag-otto-felber","tag-penny-victoria-rafferty"],"acf":{"main_category":null,"legacy":"1","exclude_from_ads":null,"hero_title":null,"subtitle":null,"hero":null,"teasers":null,"facebook_image":null,"related_articles":null,"next_article":null,"sleek_card_focus":null,"content":null},"yoast_head":"\nChristian Ehrentraut on Why Berlin Mitte is Very Alive Christian Ehrentraut on Why Berlin Mitte is Very Alive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/christian-ehrentraut-on-why-berlin-mitte-is-very-alive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Christian Ehrentraut on Why Berlin Mitte is Very Alive Christian Ehrentraut on Why Berlin Mitte is Very Alive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"“offen”, Installation view 1, 2015, Galerie EIGEN + ART Berlin, photo by Otto Felber Since the fall of the Wall, east Berlin\u2019s Mitte district has been through intense revamping. 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