Curated Art Walk by Jovana Reisinger

This curated walk, which can be travelled on foot or by bike, leads us in wide circles through Maxvorstadt and the city’s so-called Kunstareal (“art district”), with ample opportunities for fantastic breaks on the way.

We start at a beautiful street and in an equally beautiful building which not only features a magnificent hallway but also the elegant Galerie Klüser (Georgenstrasse 15). Klüser, in cooperation with Lelong & Co (Paris), shows a collective exhibition with the works of James Brown, Tony Cragg, Isca Greenfield-Sanders, Sean Scully, Jean-Baptiste Huynh, Constantin Luser, Kiki Smith, Fabienne Verdier, Jorinde Voigt, Andy Warhol and Natalia Załuska. As the exhibition’s title “WHO’S AFRAID OF BLUE?” indicates, the color is one of the unifying elements here. Connections, associations, unions – how satisfying when they come to be, when a kind of synchronicity emerges.

When I took this walk myself, the sky was equally blue, unobstructed and free for the sun to shine. The air hung with a pleasant crispness, alas, no longer merely hinting that summer was coming to an end. The atmosphere, however, hummed with excitement – perfect conditions, then, to completely immerse oneself in the moment (which is what I hope all participants will join me in doing). This particular, downright anticipatory mood led me to stroll to Galerie Nagel Draxler, turn left and into Türkenstrasse, straight through the hustle and bustle and on to no. 43. In cooperation with Each Modern (Taipeh, Taiwan), the gallery presents four positions: Pourea Alimirzaee, Julia Haller, Xu Jiong and Lin YiHsuan in their joint show “Morgenrot und Abendbrot”. As with the previous collective exhibition, the individual pieces of work effortlessly evoke associations and connections between them. This place seems like an oasis in between this busy street lined with shops, bars and restaurants – a place to slip away to when the rest of the area becomes too hectic.

Without resorting to clichés (I genuinely love bubble tea very much!), I have to take a refreshing break afterwards at Letcha Tea Café next door over a Matcha Yuzu Ice Tea with cranberry bubbles. Appreciating art is, after all, a deeply satisfying but also quite draining matter (or it can be). Thus, keeping energy levels up and attending to culinary needs is highly important. In that vein, I recommend eating a piece of matcha cake as well or feasting at Baoz! Bar across the street, before moving on to Walter Storms Galerie. The walk continues not exactly straightforward but with a clear goal in mind nonetheless. So, we walk back along Türkenstrasse and head left into Schellingstrasse to the entrance of no. 48 to see “Elements”, an exhibition of Steven Aalders (Slewe Gallery, Amsterdam). The title derives from what can truly be considered his elements: the sea, land, sun, light and soul, creating five monochrome oil paintings. Walter Storms, as the neon-blue logo indicates, is located in the second inner courtyard – an ideal location for letting oneself be swept away.

If anyone is feeling hungry at this point, Daya’s Restaurant next door caters to all hankerings of the vegetarian and vegan variety. Or – since we have to go a little out of our way to proceed anyway – one pops into Pho You at Barer Strasse or, just around the corner, into Cyclo at Theresienstrasse. We then reach our next Stop, JO VAN DE LOO (Theresienstrasse 48). Works by Sheila Held and Sebastian Tröger are on show here, under the title “Sunnyside Up” and in cooperation with Green Gallery, invited over from Milwaukee. I like this positioning of JO VAN DE LOO particularly well because the aesthetic setting resembles a movie set. A little to the right is an opportunity to indulge in some ice cream, if the all-year-round queue allows for it.

Now that we are right in the middle of Kunstareal, across from Museum Brandhorst and practically in between the Pinakotheken, visitors are free to explore their program as well. The walk, however, continues for now through the connecting green spaces to Gabelsberger Strasse 26 and to Loggia. In cooperation with Lagune Ouest (Copenhagen), Loggia presents emerging artists who live and work in the Danish capital. Afterwards, depending on the lateness of the hour, we might pop in for a drink at Komitee or take a little stroll in the direction of the main station to Cucurucu or Café Kosmos, for the sundowners, the espresso, the terrace and for a recap of the day.      

Jovana Reisinger is a writer, filmmaker and visual artist.