Eran Shakine, A Muslim, a Christian and a Jew didn’t realize that happyness was following them for some time now, oil pastels on canvas, 90 x 120 cm
When we received this card from Eran Shakine’s exhibition at the Jewish Museum Berlin (28 October 2016 – 5 March 2017), we were immediately struck by his deep sense of humour. We even considered renaming our dog “Happyness”. In his large-scale drawings, Eran Shakine considers the similarities and differences between Muslims, Christians, and Jews, and, looking at this drawing, obviously there are none. We all want to be happy but are unable to recognize happyness when it is around.
Eran Shakine paints, draws, and creates sculptures and art in public spaces. He was born in Israel in 1962 to a French father and Hungarian mother, both of whom are Shoah survivors. Now he lives in Tel Aviv, New York, and London.
http://www.eranshakine.com/
Category: Exhibition
Goldseries – „Religionsunterricht“
Posted by Sanni W.,
Thomas Richartz‘ exhibition “Religionsunterricht“ immediately caught my attention, not only through the gold coloring and the sheer size of the paintings (1,80 x 2 up to 3m), but also because of the space they were exhibited in, namely a huge industrial warehouse. What I enjoyed immensely was his playful way of using the concept that the meaning of art is constructed by both the artist and the viewer. Visitors could access a list which contained the titels of the nine paintings (all taken from Tucholsky poems), but did not say which title “belonged” to which painting, thus leaving interpretative freedom.
Richartz never uses titles that directly describe his works of art. With this series he returned to a more figurative and thus less abstract and less chaotic style. The inspiration classical art has on him originated in his childhood. It used to be a sort of counterpole to the tristesse that surrounded him.
“Armes Berlin” (“Poor Berlin”): The title of the painting seems to be in contrast to its golden colouring: the stripes in the backgroud for instance could belong to a bourgeoise dining hall.
The figure in the painting at hand seems oppressed, but somehow oblivious to it and also appears strangely supported by the stripes and the other elements. It seems to exist in a sort of virtual world or a dream. Though the figure – probably a woman – seems classical at first glance, it reminds me of poverty, of people in the streets of Berlin who are so much on drugs that they are oblivious of all that is going on around them and who seem to exist in another dimension.
MONI
#Night Hawk
Friday Evening at “Carlotta” Berlin Friedrichshain close to Ostkreuz station.
I spied this portrait of a lady never seen at former visits
It reminds me of a former friend now living in Switzerland, MONI.
MONI as a young woman would produce a mess every week. Perhaps because of her three passions: Drugs, Dream dancers and Doggystyle.
I asked the waitress: “Who did this?” She answered: “We don’t know. There were some guests who couldn’t stand the deco, an empty picture frame hanging on the wall, so they filled the gap with this mural”.
Berlin Street Art
Today, Wednesday I gripped the difference between facade art/graffiti tags and real STREET ART, modern forms of ready made or objet trouvé.
In the middle of Berlin I discovered a smashing example of Polish STREET ART created by unknown artists for our understanding of the Theme: If you can’t join them, burn the “Mercedes Benz” and listen to the song of Janis Joplin: “O Lord could you buy me a Mercedes Benz”