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Bridge Berlin Verge 08 announces Exhibitor List
Thursday, October 30-Sunday, November 2, 2008
Opening Night Haus Party, October 30, 5-10pm Berlin (OTA Apartments GMBH)
Bridge Art Fair is one of the most influential presenters of international emerging contemporary artists. Well situated in the top-performing global art markets, Bridge has rapidly evolved from a satellite to a destination show in its own right, offering new finds for collectors and art professionals worldwide.
With an ongoing desire to create fairs that are fresh and innovative in all respects, this October, Bridge adds Berlin to its fall roster of expositions. Unique in every aspect, Bridge launches a radically new concept in art fairs with its inaugural Berlin showing-the first-ever apartment building art fair. Taking place concurrently with the prestigious Art Forum Berlin, Bridge Berlin Verge ‘08 will take place in the OTA Berlin apartment complex, located in the center of city in the former East Berlin district of Mitte/Prenzlaurer Berg. The unique venue will allow visitors to experience the best emerging contemporary art as if they were seeing it in a collector’s home. Bridge Berlin Verge ‘08 will present more than 20 international exhibitors from such diverse locales as Germany, Grand Cayman, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.
Verge editions of the Bridge Art Fair are more experimental, often taking place in unconventional locations. They are also smaller-scale productions, including a lesser total number of exhibitors and programming elements. By definition a younger, more intimate fair, we have chosen Berlin as the launching pad for the first Verge edition of Bridge in recognition of its status as a city on the verge. “We’re excited to launch our inaugural Berlin show,” said Bridge Founder Michael Workman. “It’s clear that Berlin is now in the process of recovering its title as the cultural capital of Europe. As the first American fair to show in Berlin…we’re proud to be a part of that effort.”
Participating galleries in Bridge Berlin Verge 08 are, Accomplice Projects (Chicago); Agents of Change (London); Anita Glesta (New York, NY); Cain Schulte Gallery (San Francisco); City Art Rooms (Auckland, New Zealand); COLLECTIVA (Berlin); Front Room Gallery (Brooklyn, N Y); Galerie Gist (Amsterdam and Brummen, Netherlands); Go Go Gallery (Miami, FL); Ian Patrick Fine Art (GeorgeTown, Grand Cayman Islands); Imaginart (Barcelona); Kathleen Cullen Gallery (New York); LETO Gallery (Warsaw, Poland); Momus (Berlin); Toomey-Tourell Gallery (San Francisco); Vagabond Gallery (New York); Yarger Strauss Gallery (Beverly Hills, CA)
Bridge Berlin Verge 08 hosts a variety of special projects in collaboration with local artists and art organizations both from within Berlin and internationally, including an expansive program of live performance. Some of the projects are, White Trash: The Rice Experiment, by Berlin-based artist Nick Currie, more popularly known as Momus; and a multichannel video piece by New York-based multimedia artist Anita Glesta. White Trash: The Rice Experiment will occupy an apartment in the OTA Berlin for the duration of Bridge Art Fair. During his stay, Momus will insult and compliment two tubs of rice, exploring the Shinto belief that flattered rice takes longer to decay than rice that is insulted. Momus will transform the OTA apartment into a “didactic environment” that acts partly as a service area and partly as a science space dedicated to rice research. Scientific diagrams will show the rice going through alternative life cycles of “enhanced self-worth and crushing, semi-suicidal self-hatred.” These elements will be research into “virtuous circles” and the underlying questions about hype in the art market and whether it produces better art, phatic positivity on the internet, and whether it produces more interesting and meaningful public. On the last day of his performance (Sunday, November 2), Momus will conduct a question-and-answer session at 5pm. During the session, Momus will announce whether the nicely spoken to rice looks better than the cursed rice. Sake will be served. For its part Anita Glesta premiers a new piece at the Berlin Bridge Art Fair. Glesta will transform the Hindemuth room in the OTA Berlin apartment complex into an interactive video installation. Glesta’s multichannel video piece is an amalgamation of her work combining vivid color and painterly and sculptural elements to transform the architectural space at the OTA complex. The video will be projected on the floor and walls, immersing the viewer. Glesta has worked on several large-scale international projects, and she sees this work as the integration of her career as a painter, sculptor, and artist working within the world of architecture.
LOCATION:
OTA Apartments GmbH, Schonhauser Allee 5, Mitte, Berlin
Bridge Berlin Verge 08 Fair Hours
October 30: 5-10pm Opening-night party and first look preview
10pm After party
October 31: 11am-9pm General admission fair hours
2pm General public tour
3PM VIP tour and reception
10pm Bridge late night happy hour
November 1: 11am-9pm General admission fair hours
2PM VIP tour
10pm After party
November 2: 11am-7pm General admission fair hours
4PM VIP Tour & Reception with Momus
5pm Momus, White Trash: The Rice Experiment
PARTIES, SPECIAL EVENTS, AND SPECIAL FEATURES:
BRIDGE BERLIN VERGE 08 Opening Night Haus Party and First Look Preview.
Thursday, October 30, 5-10pm
During the opening-night party at the OTA, the entire apartment complex will be transformed into a large house party. DJs will be spinning in Momus’s Rice Experiment suite, and live performances, video, drinks, and party favors will be offered in the various gallery suites throughout the space. Join us for this the first look preview of the best in emerging contemporary art, set in a unique viewing environment.
OPENING NIGHT AFTER PARTY
Thursday, October 30, 10 pm
Following the opening-night reception, Bridge attendees are invited to an after-party at a late-night Berlin establishment just steps away from the fair.
Bridge Late Night Happy Hour
Friday, October 31, midnight
Momus, White Trash: The Rice Experiment Q&A and Sake Toast
Sunday, November 2, 5pm (toast at 6pm)
Bridge Berlin special project artist, Momus, will announce the results of The Rice Experiment. Sake will be served.
ADMISSION
Opening-night admission: EUR 5,00
General admission (Fri-Sun): EUR 5,00
Bridge will provide complimentary shuttle service to and from ArtForum Berlin. A PDF map of the shuttle route, drop-off, and pick-up locations is available for download at: http://www.bridgeartfair.com/berlinindex.html.
2008/2009 BRIDGE ART FAIR SCHEDULE
Bridge Miami, The Catalina and Maxine Hotels, December 4-7, 2008
Bridge Miami Beach/Wynwood, December 3-7, 2008
Bridge New York, The Waterfront, March 5-8, 2009
Bridge London, dates and location TBA, 2009
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