Germany's locked-in artists show off work on their balconies

A beautiful art installation displayed on an artist's balcony was part of the Balconies, Life, Art, Pandemic, and Proximity exhibition last week in Berlin. — Photos: JOHN MACGOUGALL/AFP

Berlin's art galleries are closed, but the art scene rose to the occasion when around 30 artists joined a community exhibition from their balconies.

"While our freedom of mobility is on hold, (balconies) become unique sites of everyday performance," organisers said as they launched the project in the trendy Prenzlauer Berg district of east Berlin in Germany last week.

Balconies are "emergency exits to take a breath of fresh air, catch a moment of sunshine or a smoke", said Ovul Durmusoglu and Joanna Warsza, whose project "Balconies, Life, Art, Pandemic And Proximity" gave artists a 48-hour showcase for their work.

The rules of isolation in the face of the coronavirus pandemic are less strict in Berlin than elsewhere in Germany, allowing people a chance to admire the works while out for a stroll.

One installation presented ribbons of toilet paper cascading down a building's facade, a reference to Germans' rush to stock up on the must-have commodity as soon as the coronavirus pandemic arrived in Europe.

One artist displayed black-and-white photographs of people on their balconies in Athens and Cordoba, while another hung a ladder made from rope and sticks.

"With zero budget, no opening, and no crowds, the project proposes an intimate stroll (within current regulations) to search for signs of life, art and points of kinship and connection," the organisers said.

"When some of us are cut off from our plans and our loved ones, we reach out to the balconies of the world, against isolation and individualisation, not leaving everything in the hands of the virus and the fear it generates," they added.

The 48-hour exhibition ended on Monday evening, after which artists retracted their works and returned to their usual solitary endeavours. – AFP Relaxnews