黑料不打烊

The collaborative project If the Berlin Wind Blows My Flag examines the artistic scenes in West Berlin before the fall of the Berlin Wall, based on the history of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program. Launched in 1963, the residency program brought outstanding international artists to West Berlin as a signal against the 鈥渃ultural isolation鈥� of the city, and through its activities continues to leave its mark on many artists鈥� biographies to this day. If the Berlin Wind Blows My Flag looks at the cultural and historical significance of the program in the context of the Cold War, focusing on its contributions to the city鈥檚 development as an art metropolis and the internationalization of the art scenes in West Berlin.

An exhibition in three chapters 鈥� at the daadgalerie, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), and Galerie im K枚rnerpark 鈥� accompanied by events at Akademie der K眉nste examines the role of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program in nurturing artistic expression and fostering collaboration with various institutions in West Berlin during the Cold War. It also investigates mechanisms of exclusion and gaps in representation resulting from the program鈥檚 largely hermetic selection procedures and the strong influences of Western politics and perspectives on its artistic orientation. Thanks to the comprehensive digitization of the archives of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program, it is now possible for the first time to assess the program鈥檚 history since its launch in 1963 by the Ford Foundation and critically reflect on its activities and related conflicts over the distribution of its resources. The exhibition highlights the connections between the residency program and its fellows with East Berlin and Eastern Europe, its relationship with art movements in the city, and how the invited artists negotiated their artistic position within the insularity of West Berlin.

The presentation at daadgalerie provides insight into the program鈥檚 origins and its cultural and political mission in its first decade through the lens of new artistic works developed in response to historical documents and ephemera. At n.b.k., the focus is on forms of networking beyond the borders of West Berlin in the 1970s and 1980s. Galerie im K枚rnerpark will host the first German solo exhibition by Agnes Denes since 1978, retracing the artist鈥檚 original ideas for a residency that never materialized. Events and outdoor film screenings at Akademie der K眉nste will illuminate the program鈥檚 interdisciplinary approach. Contemporary artists have been invited to comment on historical contexts through new works, using the archive as a starting point and for artistic material.