Crystal Ball Berlin – Page 4 – Gegenwartskunst und Performance

Jim Avignon – Your Portrait Here!

Vernissage on Sat. 7 December 2020 at 7 p.m. until Sun. 22 December 2019

Jim Avignon, who regularly participates in the annual Crystal Ball: “Fuck Your Selfie” portrait salon festival, will show his extraordinary portrait project in December 2019: “Your Portrait Here!”

The artist opens an exhibition with unfinished pictures, in which the spectators automatically take on an immanent role, as they can be painted into the pictures. An interactive art exhibition, which is only completed at the end by the composition of the portrait models with their scenery, their background. During this time, Jim Avignon will also use Crystal Ball as a studio to paint the empty spaces and develop the portrait series. Jim Avignon’s artistic work is refreshingly oppositional to elitist, high-priced positions. His working method is more life-oriented and is directed towards people and recipients. For more than two decades, Jim Avignon has tirelessly portrayed criticism in a humorous and stylistically confident manner as a kind of social reflexive in his art and music ouevre. In Kunstforum Volume 262, Borderlines /2019, Jim’s comparison to Charlie Chaplin stands out. The attention, the importance of such a position seems to have arrived there, at the same time as its explosiveness of the social in our hierarchized high culture.

Oliver Voigt – Mind The Gap!

Opening Friday, 11 October 2019 at 7 p.m.
extended until 2 November 2019, with finissage at 8 p.m.

Oliver Voigt, New York #1, Tusche auf Papier, 2018

Oliver Voigt represents an equally free and modern artistic position. He works in different fields and frees himself from an always same artistic gesture. He works on thematic fields with high concentration, often developing the necessary production techniques and strategies in the respective medium.

For “Mind the Gap”, the artist has now developed an aesthetic methodology that circumscribes the tonal values ??of the quoted images in numbers, which are then transferred with ink on paper. The basis of the pictures are newspaper photos, photographs of the victims of attacks and terror. Disturbing images, their content, their inherent brutal violence and contempt we are barely able to endure.

In this way, Oliver Voigt is convinced that in our social context we often already unconsciously work on distancing ourselves from certain pictures and messages and no longer “see” the images exactly. But it is about a personal, as pictorial approach. By analyzing the pictures analytically, getting them to himself and turning them into a mosaic, he can approach them. The interesting thing about this analytical, technical work of the artist is that he recreates exactly this created gap, the incomprehensible and makes it visible.

Hiske Hilgenga – Sneaker Art

Vernissage on Sa. 7 September 2019 at 8 p.m. to Fr. 20 September 2019

The Dutch painter Hiske Hilgenga has a special weakness for sneakers. For him, they have as much aesthetic as erotic appeal. So he has found a way in his art to translate his interest into a painting that does justice to the complex of this preference. Hyske Hilgenan’s works are characterized by a rough, impasto, almost unadorned painting style.

The two-dimensional, unpretentious pictures seem to leave it up to colour alone to construct the motif. They bear witness to a high degree of infatuation with the material, which in the process effortlessly and unheeded overcome the difficult boundaries between abstraction and pictoriality, material and effect.

Hyske Hilgenga’s striking sneakers have an aura that is as light as it is ironic. They do not add another plastic garbage to our crowded world of goods, for their debut nobody has to spend the night in front of a shop.

No, they reflect their quoted subject-object relationship quite simply and playfully in that of art. One can also read a subversive commentary on toxic high capitalism in this strategy.

Bicicletta Disko Service

On August 17th in the Crystal Ball debuts a new disco invention, which recently celebrated a preview in the Eloi & Morlock performance by Manfred Kirschner and Oliver Voigt.

Eloi & Morlock, Manfred Kirschner/ Olive Voigt, Performance 48h Neukölln

From 7 p.m. Lydia Karstadt invites you to the summer party and climate-neutral dancing with the Bicicletta Disco Service, the world novelty in the disco business. One person rides a bike and the others can listen to music and dance. The inventors, the Ersatzschrankorchester from Berlin Frohnau, are happy about numerous disc jockeys and dancing audience at this art event!

In the meantime our Bicicletta Disco Service has been booked for many events and functions. For example 2019 in the music video for “Ohne Musik” by Stereo Total

Keine Musik mehr…

Bicicletta Disko Service in “Ohne Musik”, Stereo Total, music video, 2019

Fuck Your Selfie! #5 – Portraitsalon

You are invited!
From 29 May to 2 June 2019, from 2 p.m. to 19 p.m.

Now – the legendary Portraitsalon Festival for the 5th time !
Berlin artists portray you in poetry, painting, drawing, object, singing, dance and performance!

Fuck Your Selfie Numero Cinque, Lydia Karstadt, 2019

With: Jim Avignon, Herve Cabin, Francoise Cactus, Betty Diggler, Gina Dorio, Natascha Frioud, Gabi Garland, Maike Hartwig, Mareike Hube, Carola Humbodt, Elke Graalfs, Miriam Licia Jadischke, Lydia Karstadt, Manfred Kirschner, Andreas Kotulla, Eike Lauen, Rudi Paris, Caren Sielaff, Gabriele Regiert, Rias, Veronika Schumacher, Berit Schneider, Heike Walter, Oliver Voigt, Gisela Wrede und weiteren!

It is perhaps absurd to assume that a classical portrait situation, in which a model, in this case the visitor, enters into a direct relationship with an artist, is so special that it ennobles her to art. In our time, however, which is also marked by populism, the proliferation of unchecked subjectivities and an annoying over-individualism, the classical, lifelike conversation, the communicative act of interpersonal perception, reflection and depiction declares itself to be avant-garde. On five consecutive days, the artists present, the visitors to the gallery, will portray the artists. The communicative working atmosphere is accompanied by performances and musical contributions, while a new portrait exhibition grows. Participation in this exhibition is still open during the festival. We are looking forward to the fifth edition of the Salon!

Café Tasse

Opening: 24.04.2018 from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

It’s that time again! As Lydia Karstadt, who has curated Crystal Ball since 2016, recently remarked, “Fuck the White Cube!”
The art center Crystal Ball is transforming itself again and again into a café? But why? Because Crystal Ball has something that other cafés don’t have! Real, real, old cups that you can take away as a “to go” and gentrification-free coffee! There are performances by Caren Sielaff, Lydia, Rias, the soundtrack by DJ Catastrophé and Steffi on the floor and at the coffee machine. There are also pictures on the walls. One could almost think there is a concept behind it.

Our temporary “Star Up Company” runs for one afternoon until the evening. If you want, bring a cake to the disco. The exhibition shows first results of the Collage-Garage Workshop as well as works by: Caren Sielaff, Mini Mo, Carola Humboldt, Tamara Trölsch and Natascha Frioud.

Crystal Ball Supermarché

Artists of the galleries opening up a supermarket

Fashion Video, Collage, Papier auf Leinwand, Manfred Kirschner

Opening on Sa. 1 December 2018 at 7 p.m. with a performance by Evita Emersleben

with: Jim Avignon, Thomas Behling, Marion Bösen, Evita Emersleben, Natascha Frioud, Gabi Garland, Elke Graalfs, Maike Hartwig, Mareike Hube, Henrik Jacob, Lydia Karstadt, Line Karlstrom, Andreas Kotulla, Ilse Orinska, Gabriele Regiert, Stefan Ruf, Berit Schneider, Frank Schoppmeier, Veronika Schumacher, Annette Stemmann, Silke Thoss, Tamara Trölsch, Line Wasner, Oliver Voigt, Gisela Wrede and others

“The miracle of shopping is possible every day!” – Lydia Karstadt
Another supermarket! Every street corner needs a supermarket. In Berlin the newest shopping mall at the Eastside Gallery has just opened. The 69th shopping mall in Berlin alone. After the repaired remains of the wall, you might feel like buying a new sweater.

In our carefree scout, a world with retrograde amnesia, everything is always available and for sale. This world knows no problems or shortages. Here you don’t need gardens, talent or knowledge, because it becomes a personal drone-scourge. In this world there is no climate change, no diversity, no extinction of species, no otherness. Everyone wants the same thing voluntarily. A privileged world that ends with us, because it is no longer about leaving something behind. To what extent can we even move out of this trauma? Is there the possibility of conversion? Or is this just a pronounced cultural pessimism?

Ciaccios Olivenöl from Menfi in the supermarché

In the Crystal Ball Supermarché, the gallery presents a colourfully growing selection of artistic “products” by artists who represent multidimensional, critical views of art. For example, the artist Evita Emersleben represents the meat and sausage department. With her performative actions of 2017, “Sliced or in the piece”, she shows complete politeness. In contrast to her colleague Banksy, the buyer is politely asked beforehand whether he wants the work in pieces or cut.chte.

Like last year, the wonderful, delicious SUPEROLIVE will be there! With its constantly growing olive oil community, which understands the obvious connection between art and life, culture and nutrition as avant-garde. In the Supermarché you will find many more serial unique pieces and works of art that bear a critical, perspective, self-confident view and open the Winter Salon 2018.

links: Geschnitten oder im Stück, Evita Emersleben, c/o Galerie Crystal Ball, 2018 ©
rechts: Geschnitten oder im Stück, Evita Emersleben, 2017 © Künstlerhäuser Worpswede /Foto: Stefan Ringeling

Geschnitten oder im Stück - Evita Emersleben — links: Geschnitten oder im Stück, Evita Emersleben, c/o Galerie Crystal Ball, 2018 ©
rechts: Geschnitten oder im Stück, Evita Emersleben, 2017 © Künstlerhäuser Worpswede /Foto: Stefan Ringeling

Bei Anruf Hörspiel! – Der Club der Vorleser

ON CALL RADIO PLAY! Der Club der Vorleser!
Call us and we’ll read! Phone: 030 600 52 828
On Sunday, 14 October 2018 from 8 to 11 p.m.

The Readers’ Club is a guest of the Crystal Ball Gallery.
Our readers include Anthony Arndt / Adrian Zwicker/ Elsa Loy/ Björn von der Wellen/ Doreen Fietz/ Michael Simon de Normier/ Christoph Drobig / Sebastian Anton/ Lydia Karstadt/ Dominique Wolf.

No automats, call waiting loops, telerobots, voicemails, Twitter accounts and answering machines in which we get tangled up. The old wonderful form of communication of reading aloud is celebrated and celebrated by the club!
The Club of Readers has ten active members who come from the fields of acting, music, painting and alternative artistic fields. We are expanding and anyone who feels like reading can become an active member. This time you can also be there live and experience the quiet spectacle or read aloud yourself.
Because in the October edition of the Club of Readers in the Crystal Ball Gallery there will be breaks with intermission music and a singing barman. “Bei Anruf Hörspiel” currently has an active dialable telephone number that can only be called during the evening. We have an extensive potpourri with background music. We read poetry, newspaper reports, blogs, news, posts, firsts and everything that moves us. The present time in a work.

Another essential NOTE:
The number you are calling is available at the regular rate. We don’t make money with it, it is an experiment, an artistic project and a gift to you!

The Club of Readers & Crystal Ball
Dominique Wolf & Lydia Karstadt look forward to your calls and visits!

alle ente – Manfred Kirschner

Opening on 7 September 2018 at 5 p.m.

Curator Lydia Karstadt doesn’t seem to have returned from the summer of the year yet, but in the Crystal Ball shop window she is showing a Window of Moving Art, one of the latest collage mobiles by artist and exceptional performer Manfred Kirschner, alongside breathtaking handmade works on canvas.

In a recent interview, Kirschner replied to the question of which artist he currently values most: “I am the best artist I know”. You can only say “alle ente”:

Salle d’attente – Natascha Frioud & Gabi Garland

Calling the waiting numbers: The visitors are always careful not to miss their drawn number.

Opening with performance on Sa. June 9, at 7 p.m.
until Sun. July 15, 2018

The gallery space transforms into a waiting room that also reflects the question of what we are actually waiting for or what expectations we have of what is to come. What will be later? In the staging of the space, works of art are presented and information material and refreshments are available, which, as in any other waiting room, could successfully distract from these trains of thought or, in contrast, focus them in a special way. Take your time.

Gabi Garland a salle d´attente Galerie Crystal Ball Berlin — Waiting for my fan, Gabi Garland, Barcelona, 2018

Dans la salle d’attente,on est juste là.
Assis. On ne fait pas grand chose! Il faut juste qu’on soit là.
Quelques fois on regarde le temps qui passe.
C’est un peu long d’ailleurs, de le voir passer.
Mais bon, dans la salle d’attente,
on est là pour qu’ensuite il se passe quelque chose!
Et souvent, ce qu’il se passe après est tout de même un peu décevant.
Parce que finalement, dans la salle d’attente,
on était un peu content, d’avoir enfin tout ce temps.
Natascha Frioud