On the menu this week: special exhibitions, art from the 19th century to our days, a film festival, nordic pop/indie music, theater with english subtitles, and other sources of SPAß.
► Sunday 8th : Māori Portraits
A very curious and exceptional exhibition is currently on display at the Neue Nationalgalerie. These Maori Portraits from Gottfried Lindauer (1839-1926) are totally unknown outside of New Zealand…because they never left the country before! “For the descendants of the personalities depicted, the memory of their ancestors is part of living and the former are always mindful of the bonds tying successive generations to their lineage, history and identity right up to today.” Visiting this exhibition can be a good occasion to discover the gallery’s permanent exhibition on 19th century art, “a comprehensive collection of art of the era between the French Revolution and the First World War, between Classicism and Secessions” and learn more about the museum’s history. It was built around 1870, at the time of the unification of Germany, and was part of an attempt to unify the country also on a cultural level by originally displaying art works that aimed to show the existence of “German Art” (ask Prof. Aya Soika for more info..!).
Time : 10:00-18:00
Place : Alte Nationalgalerie, Bodestraße 1-3
How to get there from campus : Take the M1 to Hackescher Markt (travel time : 40min)
Price : 6€
► Monday 9th : Small Town Boy
“You leave in the morning with everything you own…Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.” That’s how Bronski Beat described a young man’s escape from a narrow-minded world of repression and lack of recognition to the big city, far-away and free: London, New York, Berlin… This new project by Falk Richter, a truly amazing director and playwright who likes to work at the crossroads between theater, music and dance, explores “the question of what happens when young men also leave the patriarchy behind”. The Maxim Gorki Theatre was elected “Theatre of the Year” by the famous German theatre magazineTheatre Heute; it is located directly on the M1; and all plays are with english subtitles––too many good reasons for you to go there!
Time : 19:30->21:30
Place : Maxim Gorki Theatre, Am Festungsgraben 2
How to get there from campus : Take the M1 to Am Kupfergraben (45 min)
Price : 8€.
► Tuesday 10th : Film and Feminism 
Berlin loves Film Festivals. After the Berlinale – of course – the Boddinalle, the Interfilm Short Film festival, and so many others (check this long list !) … we were all waiting for the Berlin Feminist Film Week. From March 7 to March 13 this festival will present short and feature films made by women, with the mission to “inspire, entertain and most importantly, pay tribute to all wonderfully talented, inspiring kick-ass women out there”.Check the whole program here. On Tuesday, the festival will turn to Morocco and the documentary Casablanca Calling by Rosa Rogers. “Casablanca Calling is the story of a quiet social revolution in Morocco. In a country where over 60% of women have never been to school, a new generation of women have started work as official Muslim leaders.” The screening will be followed by a talk on women in Islam with Prof. Wendy Meryem Kural Shaw, Islam Art historian.
Time : 20:30
Place : Urban Spree, Revaler Strasse 9
How to get there from campus : Take the M1 to Eberswalder Str. and the M10 to S Warschauer Str (50min)
Price : not mentioned… maybe free !
► Wednesday 11th : Scott McCloud presents “The Sculptor”
Even if you are not a comics lover, you may be interested in attending this exceptional event. McCould is going to present his new graphic novel on Wednesday.“The Sculptor” is a new version of the myth of Faust––the central character being a talented but unknown sculptor. “It took me five years to write and draw, and I promise I used every single minute to make it the best book I can.”
Time : 20:00
Place : Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstraße 24,
How to get there from campus : Take the Bus 150 to Osloer Str. and the U9 to Spichernstr. (40min)
Price : 8€
► Thursday 12th : Nordic vibes
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Don’t get confused by the title: “Ja Ja Ja” doesn’t necessarily mean “Yes Yes Yes”. Ja Ja Ja is a monthly event dedicated to the promotion of Nordic musicians. On the second Thursday of each month, three artists from Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, or Finland are invited to play at the FluxBau in Kreuzberg, a very nice bar whose terrace opens up directly on the Spree. This week’s program is as promising as last week’s, each of whose events was always sold out, so you’d better get tickets very quickly! (otherwise, save the date for their next show in April!)
Time : Doors: 20:00, Show:21:00
Place : FluxBau, Pfuelstr. 5
How to get there from campus : Take the M1 to Eberswalder Str. and the M10 to S+U Warschauer Str (50min)
Price : 5€ if you register as a ‘member’ (7€ otherwise, but it’s easy to be a ‘member’ and you get a free bag)
► Friday 13th : Neue Heimat, hype and jazzy
Neue Heimat’s Jazz Jam Session on Friday evenings start to become a Berlin classic. If you have never been there before, it’s time for you to try this nice bar located in the RAW-Tempel (a former factory revamped by street artists) in Friedrichshain. On Friday they also hold their “Bar & Food Night”, another important slow food event.
Time : 21:30 (bar opened 18.00-04.00)
Place : Neue Heimat, Revaler Strasse 99
How to get there from campus : Take theM1 to Eberswalder Str. and the M10 to S Warschauer Str (50min)
Price : 2-4€
► Saturday 14th : More contemporary art
Since its establishment in the early 1990s in the building of a former margarine factory, KW Institute for Contemporary Art has come to be seen more than any other institution as a symbol of Berlin’s development as an international centre of contemporary art. On March 14th the institute opens its spring program, with solo exhibitions by Channa Horwitz and Elín Hansdóttir, and a video installation by Viktorija Rybakova.
Time : 17:00-22:00
Place : KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Auguststraße 69
How to get there from campus : Take the M1 to Oranienburger Str.
Price : 0€
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