Another great stop when visiting Augustr. is the KW. This…read morevenue is well known for producing and presenting contemporary art in Berlin (and around the globe). In their exhibitions they bring together German and international artists. They have their own collection and also change many temporary programs. During my visit I got to see the Secret Surface, which brought to life a mix of feelings and sensations of the contemporary world and how we relate to it. I specially liked this piece where we sat down and saw many text conversations -- for me it was clear how we changed our communication nowadays. There was also a video piece talking about Syrian and Israel, and most of the conflicts that happened, since during the last four years, the NGO has smuggled humanitarian aid to the besieged population to Syria. Will definitely come back to check out future exhibits. It's worth the visit.

KW is Berlin's top space for exhibiting contemporary art. Since 1998 it has hosted the Berlin…read moreBiennial. This summer's edition is different from the past ones. In the downstairs gallery there is an encampment of the sort that Occupy movements have set up in cities. There are tents, brochures, graffiti, posters, and occasional assemblies. The galleries upstairs feature work that seems closer to agitprop than it does to art--a deliberate choice on the part of the curator, Artur Zmijewski, who writes in his introduction to the catalog that contemporary art doesn't interest him any more. A Powerpoint presentation by Antanas Mockus, formerly the mayor of Bogota, Colombia, discusses his campaigns against the drug business and traffic deaths that involved elements of performance art (respectively: when he got death threats from drug lords he started wearing a bulletproof vest with a heart-shaped hole cut over his heart, and he had mimes line up along sidewalks). In the presentation he says this is "sub-art = art without the pretenses of art." Everything at the Berlin Biennial could probably be described as sub-art. For example, one room has a lopsided circle of screens, each of which displays documentation of a protest that took place somewhere in the world in the last year. It looks like a complex video-art installation, but when I was inside it I felt like I was at a protest meeting, an assembly of assemblies where I couldn't possibly see and focus on the whole thing at once but I still got an impression of a worldwide movement that I could potentially belong to. Likewise, the Occupy encampment on the ground floor looks the sprawling, cluttered installations you see at a lot of biennials, combining a variety of images, texts, and objects. But the sharp cuts between old radical documents (a printout of the 1996 "Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace") and current, useful information (a flyer with instructions on how to get from Berlin to Occupy Frankfurt next week) make it feel like something else. Maybe, because of its position right at the entrance, it's supposed to be a proposition about how works of sub-art engage each other in dialogue. To be honest, I have never liked "political art." When art has a direct message it becomes one-sided and shallow. But I didn't want to judge the Berlin Biennial by the criteria of art because it defines itself as non-art, as sub-art that is occupying a kunsthalle. Of course, there are individual works here with legible agendas. But it's like an Occupy meeting, where there are people handing out leaflets or starting discussions to promote their own pet causes, but they're still working under the umbrella slogan of "no demands," a rejection of the present system that refuses to participate in its politics. This Berlin Biennial presents an aesthetics of "no demands." Instead of issuing the sort of bland political statement that biennials usually give when they try to get political, it rejects familiar exhibition formats and the expectations people have for contemporary art. It's a biennial and an anti-biennial--a position that has the ambiguity and richness that makes for good art but also feels different and new. That's the impression I got, and it was exciting for me. A lot of people I talked to about the Berlin Biennial hated it. They thought it was political art and it didn't have teeth, that in spite of its good intentions it was disconnected from life, that it cheapened the Occupy movement by turning it into an installation. By doing this project at KW with funds from the German government, these critics say, Zmijewski et al are capitulating to the system that the Occupy movement rejects. To me this sounded a bit like the people who call Occupy protesters hypocrites because they use laptops made by successful corporations. But that's ridiculous. You don't start a co-op that makes its own computers from scratch to organize a protest. You don't build an Institute for Sub-Art to have a biennial. You just use the means that are available to you and in using them you remake them. I also heard rumors about corruption, mismanagement of funds, complaints that artists were not paid fairly. These are probably true. But in the end I can only evaluate an exhibition space based on my personal experience there, and my experience at KW was very positive. If you are set in your ideas about what a biennial or other big group show should look like then maybe KW (especially with this Biennial!) is not for you. But if you are open to new ideas and like to be intellectually challenged I would highly recommend it! TIP: You don't have to walk through the ticket office to get to the galleries and the attendants don't check tickets so it's really easy to see the show without paying. I did it twice.

I can't believe there isn't more than one review for this place. And it's classified as a Sporting…read moreGoods store, which doesn't make any sense. This was an amazing small art gallery for taggers and graffiti artists around Berlin. I almost walked by. But after I entered, I didn't want to leave. Stephan is amazing. I didn't want to spend a ton of money, but after he told me about his personal relationships with the artists, I was ready to buy. So many cool stories. This was one stop that made it worth while being late for dinner. Stop by if you can. The street artists of Berlin are amazing and here is where you can see them up close.

From the owner: Kunst von Streetartkünstlern. Ab einem Euro gibt es Sticker der Künstler. T-Shirts, Hoodys und…read moreBeutel mit Drucken der Künstler aber auch große Originale für die Wand.

The Eastside Gallery is a MUST STOP when visiting the Hauptstadt Berlin…read more If only to come see the mural "My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love" by Dmitri Vrubel. Recently, Berlin foodie stop Curry 61 did a funny parody, see photos. This section of the former Berlin Wall, has over a hundred mural on this lone remaining section on Mühlenstraße along the Spree River.

East Side Gallery is not really what is commonly thought of as an, "Art Gallery." What it is, is a…read morelong section of wall where various artist exhibit their work by creating one of their pieces on the wall. Yes, it is a little bit strange. East Side Gallery is a really a very long wall. There are a lot of artists that have their work showing on this wall. Just like beauty in in the eye of the beholder, so is art. Some of the work along this wall is very good. Others, not so much. All this being said, it is an interesting concept. And, it is something that you should see if you are in Berlin. Just don't get your hopes up to experience something truly revolutionary or cutting edge. Remember, it's just a wall with a bunch of paintings on it.

Neurotitan is an eclectic shop with short-run comics, books, art and a small but varied vinyl…read morerecord selection. The wares are generally very niche by independent & local artists & illustrators. You can easily spend a few hours in here satisfying your curiosity. I also believe that they have the occasional show/vernissage/opening, so the mailing list is their best way to stay in the know. I came here to promote some vinyl records on my label and talking to the nice lady, I found out that for folks like myself, they generally do vinyl sales on consignment. 4 Stars!!

Awesome adress. A must-see for any street art lover. And the place is a must-see in Berlin.read more