Painting Forever!

Opening on September 17, 2013, 6-9 pm within the Berlin Art Week.

Painting Forever! is a cooperation of Berlinische Galerie, Deutsche Bank KunstHalle, KW Institute for Contemporary Art and Nationalgalerie -Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. For the launch of this cooperation project, initiated by the Berlin Senate, the four institutions involved have chosen painting as the focal point for the first year of this collaboration, which is to be continued in the future. The title of the project is Painting Forever!

KW's contribution to the cooperation, Keilrahmen ("stretchers"), is a collection of more than 70 pieces by contemporary painters who work or have worked in Berlin. The exhibition, curated by Ellen Blumenstein, offers insights into questions and topics being addressed in painting today and examines the meaning and significance of the medium of painting for contemporary art along with the potential it harbors.

The exhibition includes contributions from both established and emerging artists, some of whom are exhibiting for the first time in an institution. The works address topics that are genuinely specific to painting, such as light and composition, but also investigate the materiality of painting and explore the possibilities panel painting offers. Diverse interpretations of painting are represented and brought into conversation with one another.

With works by Nader Ahriman, Matthew Antezzo, Wolfgang Betke, Daniel Biesold, Armin Boehm, Shannon Bool, Lutz Braun, Clara Brörmann, Maria Brunner, André Butzer, Marieta Chirulescu, Friederike Clever, Ben Cottrell, Kerstin Drechsel, Michaela Eichwald, Friederike Feldmann, Rainer Fetting, Shannon Finley, Hermann Gabler, Adrian Ghenie, Ellen Gronemeyer, Thilo Heinzmann, Valeria Heisenberg, Thomas Helbig, Anton Henning, Ull Hohn, Olaf Holzapfel, Andy Hope 1930, Helena Huneke, Nadira Husain, Dorothy Iannone, Leiko Ikemura, Sergej Jensen, Heike Kelter, Maja Körner, Thomas Kratz, Elke Silvia Krystufek, Michael Kunze, Ulrich Lamsfuß, Olga Lewicka, Bernhard Martin, Birgit Megerle, Florian Meisenberg, John Miller, Alexandra Müller, Michael Müller, Stefan Müller, Matt Mullican, Anne Neukamp, Frank Nitsche, Katrin Plavčak, Gunter Reski, Bernd Ribbeck, Willem de Rooij, Aura Rosenberg, Dennis Rudolph, Julia Rüther, Matthias Schaufler, Gerda Scheepers, Isa Schmidlehner, Erik Schmidt, Gunna Schmidt, Thomas Schroeren, Dominik Sittig, Despina Stokou, Daniela Trixl, Geerten Verheus, Vincent Vulsma, Klaus Weber, Marcus Weber, Dominic Wood, Amelie von Wulffen, Kailiang Yang and Claudia Zweifel, as well as the Kanzel by Nina Rhode.

Painting Forever!
Since the end of the 19th century at the latest, painting has played an extremely important role on an institutional level. Through the medium of painting, the city has also brought forth experimental artistic approaches, including the Berlin Secession, the New Objectivity and the Neuen Wilden (Young Wild Ones).

The individual and group presentations of the four exhibition formats of the Painting Forever! partners will demonstrate various approaches to the medium: installation-based and location-specific approaches will play a role, as will classical concepts of painting. The exhibitions are based on various artistic and curatorial positions and, despite their diversity, all address the question of what painting can and wants to be today.

Painting Forever! combines both young, contemporary positions with already established artists and artists' groups and also explores historical references. The individual locations of the overall project Painting Forever! are to be understood as complementary elements, yet, at the same time, as discrete exhibitions that can be experienced individually.

To accompany the exhibition project, a four-volume publication will be released for the joint opening in September 2013.

An initiative of the Governing Mayor of Berlin - Senate Chancellery – Cultural Affairs.

Side program at KW:

29.9.13, 10 h
SONNTAGSSPAZIERGANG
intimate walk with Michael Müller through Merlin James' solo exhibition SIGNAL BOX.
Participation limited, please register at ay@kw-berlin.de

9./16./23.10.13, 18–20 h, Presentation 10.11.13, 12 h
The Painting Atlas–An Artist–Book Project
Workshop with Olga Lewicka
Fee: 3 €
Information and Registration at ay@kw-berlin.de

10.10.13, 20 h
The Performative Minute
Performances by Matthew Antezzo, Wolfgang Betke, and Florian Meisenberg among others.
Fee: 3 €
German/English

12.10.13, 15–16:30 h
Macht Malerei Muskeln?
An introduction to painting for kids aged 6–10 by Julia Rüther.
Participation limited, please register at ay@kw-berlin.de
Fee: 5 €

4.11.13, 15 h / 6.11.13, 18 h
Rahmenräumung
Performative tour through the exhibition; a project by Heinz-Brandt-Schule and a7. außeneinsatz as part of the model program Kulturagenten für Kreative Schulen.

7.11.13, 20 h
FF-Forma
An evening with the artists of ff an friends.
Fee: 3 €
German/English

Malen Mal Vier
A four-day workshop for kids at the age of 12 and older by Barbara Antal.
Produced and realized in collaboration with Jugend im Museum e.V.
Fee: 40 €
Register until September the 30, 2013 at info@jugend-im-museum.de, T: +49 30 266 42 22 42

8.10.13, 10–15 h, Deutsche Bank KunstHalle
9.10.13, 10–16 h, Berlinische Galerie
10.10.13, 10–15 h, Neue Nationalgalerie
11.10.13, 12–17 h, KW Institute for Contemporary Art