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191MARCH 2020 | €3.90 | WHO OWNS ? RENT REVOLUTION DILEMMA CLUBSTERBEN Sharks, crime and big bucks: How the Mietendeckel came Building on the Feld is back Griessmuehle and KitKat welcome to the anonymous about and what it means on the table. Have Berliners are fighting for the survival swamp. for you. changed their minds? of Berlin club culture.

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CONTENTS EXB191 March 2020

REGULARS SPECIAL — — 03 Political Notebook The CDU’s AfD undercurrent 08 Clärchens’ new boss 04 Yoram Roth reveals Best of Berlin his plans Power empowerment, moo-free protein and a 12 queer update Your business, our Lefty house projects vs 49 real estate speculation Comic #Instabunnies have 14 envy on the dancefloor Griessmuehle and KitKat 50 are fighting for survival The Gay Berliner and the crystal ceiling young 16 The Green knight 50 spontaneous of public housing Berlin Bites everywhere Florian Schmidt’s legacy The hype queens as city councillor of Reichenberger Straße

18 52 sit at the front for a year Who owns Berlin? The Berlinoscope and ballets for 10 EURO Meet the researcher unmasking What the stars hold for you concerts for 8 EURO the hidden profiteers this March all advantages for 15 EURO per year 21 Frozen! The Berlin rent revolution WHAT’S ON > 030-20 35 45 55 The story behind the Mietendeckel — and how it affects you Film 28 Music 32 Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin 24 Stage 36 Komische Oper Berlin An egalitarian estate Art 40 ’s RIAS Kammerchor World Heritage Site 44 Rundfunkchor Berlin Events calendar 26 Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin The Tempelhof dilemma 46 Staatsballett Berlin Urban nature vs The Berlin guide Staatsoper Unter den Linden affordable housing

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Éliane Radigue Les Percussions de Strasbourg Halim El-Dabh Orquesta Experimental Gérard Grisey de Instrumentos Nativos Younghi Pagh-Paan PHØNIX16 Marisol Jimenez Quatuor Bozzini Carlos Gutiérrez Quiroga Myriam Van Imschoot Mark Andre Iannis Xenakis Pierluigi Billone Phill Niblock Myriam Van Imschoot Cassandra Miller & and many more Juliet Fraser Ensemble Resonanz Ensemble Modern Junge Deutsche Philharmonie

and many more

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191MARCH 2020 | €3.90 | WHO OWNS BERLIN? RENT REVOLUTION TEMPELHOF DILEMMA CLUBSTERBEN Sharks, crime and big bucks: How the Mietendeckel came Building on the Feld is back Griessmuehle and KitKat welcome to the anonymous about and what it means on the table. Have Berliners are fi ghting for the survival property swamp. for you. changed their minds? of Berlin club culture. The CDU’s AfD undercurrent Why the outrage over last month’s Thuringia election isn’t as comforting as it ought to be.

| 100% MADE IN BERLIN | PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER | | Cover 191.indd 1 24.02.20 03:15 ome things that happen just look im- vative politicians, like Markus Söder, head of Xenia Latii and René Blixer portant. Events crash into a stream of the CSU, agreed with Merkel with an unusual S mingling causes and consequences and passion. It felt like ’s conscience had Publishers make a noise that can’t be ignored. But the awoken, as if somewhere buried deep in their Martin Frank Nadja Vancauwenberghe stream is still there all the time anyway, and all weary bodies, politicians had finally located its many strands are impossible to tell apart, a backbone. But then older truths began to Editorial much less understand. Last month, Annegret filter out from the lower reaches of the party Editor-in-chief Music Kramp-Karrenbauer quit the leadership of the structure. People remembered that Söder has Nadja Vancauwenberghe Damien Cummings CDU because she couldn’t stop the Thuringia been aping the AfD’s policies and rhetoric in Deputy editor Art of her party from voting Bavaria in an effort to stem its Franziska Helms Anna Larkin with the influence, for example. And others Web editor Stage (AfD) to install a centre-right-ish remembered that last September, Beth Cherryman Nicholas Potter candidate, the Free Democrats’ the ’s investigative show Film Food , as the new Report Mainz had uncovered at David Mouriquand Jane Silver state premier. It didn’t look good least 18 local district authorities Design for AKK: had to where the AfD and the CDU were step in by saying the vote was already working together. One Art director Graphic design Martin N. Hinze Larissa Matheus “unforgivable”, even though the CDU leader in a small town in main reason that the chancellor Konrad Werner Saxony-Anhalt, where the CDU Copy editing gave up the party leadership was had allowed an AfD councillor Benjamin Haughton, Alex Pichaloff explains German so her chosen successor could into their parliamentary group, Junior contributors get the CDU under control ahead politics admitted during a meeting they Matthew Berks, Liliana Guerreiro, of the next election. And Merkel would have to end the cooperation Sarah Ollivier, Michael O’Ryan, John Mark Shorack, Marcelina Wellmer meant it: within a week, not only “as soon as a press circus starts.” had AKK resigned, but so had Kemmerich, Yeah, it turns out that press circuses, along Ad sales / Marketing Thuringian CDU leader Mike Mohring, and, with storms and spontaneous demos – Julia Belyaeva, Frieder Schmid (advertising), just for the hell of it even though no one knew like those that happened in Thuringia and Berlin Fanny Zschau (partnerships) who he was or his job even existed, Christian on the evening after Kemmerich was elected To discuss advertising please contact us: Hirte, the German government commissioner in parliament – do at least sometimes remind Tel 030 2576 0874, [email protected] for the eastern German states. Thuringia might some political leaders about the whispers in Distribution / Subscriptions now be heading for new elections. their conscience. But the other scary truth is Stefanie Gilissen In short, everyone agreed it was a big deal. that the vote in the Thuringian parliament and www.exberliner.com/subscribe Any politician or journalist anywhere near a the revelations from the local councils show Iomauna Media GmbH microphone said a taboo and/or a “dam” had that, in fact, the centre-right parties are already Max-Beer-Straße 48, 10119 Berlin- been broken, that any kind of cooperation with conceiving of the possibility of one day form- Tel 030 2463 2563, Fax 030 4737 2963 the AfD (whose leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, ing coalitions with the AfD, because they agree www.exberliner.com, Issn 1610-9015 can legally be called a fascist, according to one about a lot of stuff. The outrage was big enough Exberliner was founded in 2002 by Maurice Frank, court ruling) is beyond the German political this time – thanks, as ever, to the people who Ioana Veleanu and Nadja Vancauwenberghe pale. For a moment it felt good: other conser- annoy centrists. But how long for? T

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Home improvement BEST POWER TOOL EMPOWERMENT

o you’ve finally landed a flat. Congratu- lations! Only thing is, in all that time S bouncing between sublets you never bothered to put up a single shelf or curtain rod, and now you’re wandering the aisles of Bauhaus like a lost little lamb. Where do you even start? Maybe with an English-language workshop from Driller Queens, a female/ trans/non-binary-forward home improvement collective founded by British ex-graphic designer and lifelong DIYer Charly Machin on International Women’s Day last year. Since October, she’s been teaching small groups not to fear the Bohrmaschine with her “Skills With Drills” courses, held at Kreuzberg event space The Workshop (Forster Str. 51, next events on March 7 and 14). Over the course of three hours you’ll learn the basics of hole spackling, wire detecting and anchor fitting, before strapping on a tool belt and gaining some zero-stakes drilling experience on an idiot-proof practice wall. While you could pick up a lot of this on the internet, your €65 fee (€45 if you’re unemployed or on a low income) also buys you Machin’s invaluable Berlin-specific advice – which devices and techniques work best on crumbly Altbau plasterboard or impenetrable Neubau concrete, where to scrimp on costs and where to splurge on the big German brands. You’re then let out into the world with newfound confidence, a voucher for tool rental startup Toolbot, and Driller Queens’ contact info, just in case you get in over your head and need to call in the cavalry after all. —­­ ­ Rachel Glassberg

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Café bar BEST QUEER WEDDING UPDATE

hen Moritz Bar closed last June after more than six years on Wedding’s Adolfstraße, it seemed that Antonkiez had lost its prized queer location. This January though, the operators behind Neukölln W haunt Silver Future (Weserstr. 206) stepped in and opened café bar Curly (because what could be less straight?) in the same petite space, offering another inclusive home for all “kings, queens and criminal queers”. Curly’s non-smoking, snug interior packs its punch with window seating, retro desk stools and an adjacent candle-lit space. Plush silk curtains, old-fashioned chandeliers and a moody interior pro- vide a quaint backdrop, with an emergency make-up counter on-hand. During the day, get some work done over a latte macchiato (€2.80, bio or Hafermilch available) or choice of tea (all €2.30). To eat, order a toasted flatbread with a vegan topping (choose from baba ghanoush, hummus or roasted vegetables, €2.50). In the evenings, the café lets its hair down under its pink ‘C’ neon sign and transforms into a bar, with a selection of drinks (0.5L Flaschenbier from €1.70, 0.1L Queer Royal prosecco for €2.80 and 5cl Pussy Love gin for €6) to see you through the night. Their non-white, queer-themed playlists (featuring , Joy Crookes and Xenia Franca) and weekly raucous drag

Liliana Guerreiro nights make Curly the promising update the Wedding scene needed. — Matthew Berks Vly

Curly Adolfstr. 17, Wedding, Mon-Thu 11-2, Fri 11-3, Sat 14-3, Sun 14-2

4 EXBERLINER 191 BEST OF BERLIN

alternative Milk BEST MOO-FREE PROTEIN

f you’re vegan, you’re probably sick of people asking where you get your protein from. While there are plenty of plant-based sources for your daily nutrients, ex-basketballer and five-year vegan Nicolas Hartmann specifically wanted his own protein-rich vegan milk alternative. The 26-year-old former German youth national player partnered Liliana Guerreiro up with a business graduate and a food technolo- gist to set up VlyFoods. They experimented with soy, oats, chickpeas and even poppy seeds before finally settling on peas as the basis for their ‘milk’. During production, the pea protein is extracted, pasteurised and blended with water, rapeseed oil, cane sugar, potassium, calcium and natural flavouring. The milk is then steamed to remove residual pea flavour. Vly’s ‘Original’ option is noticeably thicker and creamier than other milk alternatives, while the ‘Unsweetened’ and ‘Barista’ varieties are thinner, with the former boasting an extra high protein level of 6.2 percent, the latter holding a good foam (but careful, it’s sweet and may also curdle in very acidic coffee). The Berlin start-up sources its peas from northern and processes them in North -Westphalia, but Berliners are still the first to get a taste, with select Edeka stores stocking it as of last month (€2.49/litre). So, if you’re looking for a protein- rich alternative to cow’s milk, VlyFoods is vying for your attention. ­— John Mark Shorack vlyfoods.com PETER THE DISTILLERS FRAMPTON 08.06.20 · Zitadelle 04.06.20 · Tempodrom

BODY COUNT 3 DOORS DOWN FEAT. ICE-T 11.06.20 · Tempodrom + LIONHEART 24.06.20 · Tempodrom

DIONNE WARWICK ZUCCHERO MIT DER NEUEN PHILHARMONIE FRANKFURT 21.11.20 · Mercedes-Benz Arena 22.10.20 · Vert

TOVE LO + MILLIE TURNER WILLIAM 20.03.20 · Huxleys 24.03.20 · Privatclub

THE PICTUREBOOKS JOHNOSSI + BLACK + LINN KOCH-EMMERY 22.03.20 · SO36 27.03.20 · Columbiahalle POPPY THE SNUTS 22.03.20 · Columbia Theater 27.03.20 · Pfefferberg Haus 13 SLOW CRUSH GREG DULLI + CULTDREAMS + JOSEPH ARTHUR 23.03.20 · Badehaus 31.03.20 · Lido MARCH 2020 WWW.TRINITYMUSIC.DE ADVERTORIAL— Großes B Big B – 13 times Berlin The Stadtmuseum and regional museums team up to celebrate 100 years of metropolitan city life.

Chaos & renewal: Berlin 1920 | 2020 www.stadtmuseum.de Housing, traffic, admin. Many hic- cups the Hauptstadt is facing now were already causing issues a century ago, when the number of Berliners doubled overnight. The city museum’s feature anniversary show at Märkisches Museum (Am Köllnischen Park 5) looks at parallels between then and now to find out what makes a city tick. In addition to showing Berlin’s biography, they’re also treating you to a varied display of artistic, participatory and journalistic explorations. Apr 26 – Jan 10, Märkisches Museum

Reluctant Berliners: www.zitadelle-berlin.de The city of Berlin as we know it Who wouldn’t want to be part of the Big B? In 1919, proud (, almost) is only 100 years Spandauers were not keen to say the least! The heated debate surrounding the city merger is laid bare in an interactive ex- old! On April 27 1920, under hibition including original artefacts at the district’s iconic citadel. At the old Citadel (Am Juliusturm 64), take a curated ride through the the cities amongst artefacts, documents and interactive scenes spotlighting of Charlottenburg, Köpenick, traffic, work, leisure, housing and the military. Make a day of it and you might just come away with a new fondness for the balky Bezirk! , Neukölln, Schöneberg, May 18 – Jan 24 2021, Zeughaus, Zitadelle Spandau Jun 19 – Nov 22, Gotisches Haus Spandau Spandau and were Spandau merged alongside 59 municipalities A Schloss of their own: Charlottenburg and Wilmers- and 27 smaller boroughs, creating dorf www.villa-oppenheim-berlin.de Among those not so thrilled about being swallowed up by the Berlin juggernaut Europe’s largest metropolis. To Charlottenburg- were Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf. This exhibition explores Wilmersdorf celebrate the Big B’s anniversary, what was at stake for these formerly independent cities and what they, in turn, brought to the table. For example, the Prussian summer innovative urban development and residence Charlottenburg Castle is just down the street from the kiez culture, the Märkisches Museum Neo-Renaissance museum (Schloßstr. 55) and its lovely in-house café. Aug 22 – Jan 24, Villa Oppenheim Steglitz- and Berlin’s regional museums have put together a 13-stop mix- New, big, green: Steglitz-Zehlendorf www.kultur- and-match itinerary. Discover local steglitz-zehlendorf.de When Steglitz and Zehlendorf were integrated into the city’s borders, they soon rivalries of temperamental Bezirke, became home to impressive modernist architecture. These 20th-century buildings are now being explored at Gutshaus Steglitz historic solutions to previous housing (Schloßstr. 48), with 12 (then) new, large and green buildings demon- crises and what it took to achieve strating key elements of 1920s city landscaping. At Schwartzsche Villa (Grunewaldstr. 55) you’ll find the second half of the exhibition, consist- cosmopolitan cool. ing of film sequences, videos and interviews with artists, residents and architects. Jan 27 – Jun 28, Gutshaus Steglitz, Schwartzsche Villa Also check out www.1000x.berlin online for a digital , Building for Berlin: Tempelhof-Schöneberg www.museen-tempelhof- illustrated with photos from schoeneberg.de During the , scarce and poor housing were central challengers for Berlin. Schöneberg Museum (Hauptstr. 40-42) and Tem- times to today, and biographies that pelhof Museum’s (Alt- 43) exhibitions on “Ways out of the housing chart the city’s path to becoming the crisis – Construction for Greater Berlin in Schöneberg and Tempelhof” show the creativity deployed to realise projects of ideal construction for quality living. Jun 12 – Jan 3, 2021, booming cultural hub it is now. Schöneberg Museum | Jun 19 – Sep 13, 2021, Tempelhof Museum

6 EXBERLINER 191 ADVERTORIAL— Großes B

A town hall for the future: Wedding The city with no centre: Reinickendorf www.museum-reinickendorf.de The www.mittemuseum.de When Wedding was exhibition “Mitten in Reinickendorf” reflects on Berlin’s different centres and public wedded to Berlin, the new district needed spaces: how did these develop? And what do they mean to residents today? A a town hall. In 1928-1930, a brand spank- visit to the Reinickendorf Museum (Alt- 35), located in an old village ing new building on Müllerstraße embodied the idea school building, is also a trip through German history, exploring Reinickendorf’s role in of a functional, democratic new Berlin as formed in Nazi-era armament production, the post-war French occupation and the ramifications of 1920. Now, in 2020, could it be a model for the new Germany’s division on the surrounding landscape. A perfect opportunity to review history Mitte Rathaus in the making at Haus der Statistik just from a local perspective. Apr 24 – Aug 23, Museum Reinickendorf off Alexanderplatz? Just what does it take to be a “townhall of the future”? Get the facts and decide for yourself (Pankstr. 47). Oct 10 – Jan 31, Mitte Museum Social work pioneers: www.berlin.de/museum-pankow Walk around Kollwitz market on a Saturday and you might be hard-pressed to imagine the slum that was once Prenzlauer Berg. After WWI, it was home to many impoverished widows, their children and orphans. But in 1920, teacher and social education worker Walter Friedländer turned the district’s youth welfare office into a veritable bea- con for the city at large – not least because he found his employees in a rather unusual way. The Pankow district museum ( 227/228) dedicated an exhibition to Friedländer’s work there until 1933. Starting from October, Museum Pankow

Meet one of Berlin’s fathers: Lichtenberg www.museum-lichtenberg.de For its reopening after the installation of the new permanent exhibition, Museum Lichtenberg im Stadthaus (Türrschmidtstr. 24) revisits the biography of the dis- Reinickendorf Pankow trict’s first mayor, Oskar Ziethen, who guided the integration into greater Berlin. Some small steps for one Lichtenberger, big steps for Berlin’s administrative union. Only a 10-minute walk from S-Ostkreuz, it’s an easy upgrade to your traditional Sunday Boxi flea market visit. May 17 – Dec 20, Museum Lichtenberg im Stadthaus

Times are a-changing: - Marzahn- www.museum-marzahn-hellersdorf.de Take a short trip east Mitte Hellersdorf to learn about the ups and downs of Marzahn-Hellersdorf Lichtenberg history. From the late 19th century solution to the urban sanita- tion problem to the dark chapter of 1930s/1940s forced labour and the post-WWII high rises, the Bezirksmuseum looks at decisive moments -Kreuzberg Charlottenburg- in the changing relationship of the district with Berlin. Located in the quaint historic village of Alt-Marzahn, (Alt-Marzahn 51). Wilmersdorf Tempelhof-Schöneberg Aug 17-Apr 16, Bezirksmuseum Marzahn-Hellersdorf

Brimming at the brims: Treptow and Köpenick Steglitz-Zehlendorf Neukölln Treptow-Köpenick www.berlin.de/museum-treptow-koepenick What’s now known as Treptow-Köpenick – Berlin’s largest district – used to be an agglom- erate of 15 boroughs. That all changed in 1920. Museum Köpenick (Alter Markt 1) looks at how the former villages and small towns – from to Wilhelmshagen – established themselves at the new mega city’s periphery. Come see what Berlin looks like from the (south-)east and how much Hauptstadt you’ll find here! Jun 19 – Dec 27, Museum Köpenick

Kiez stories: Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain www.fhxb-museum.de Kreuzberg and Urban laboratory: Neukölln www.museum-neukoelln.de Friedrichshain were born a hundred years Neukölln’s current issues are representative of any cosmo- ago, as the Big B was founded. Since then, politan city today (gentrification, anyone?). Museum Neukölln they’ve shaped their identities around places such (Alt- 81) explores eight characteristic places to take you as SO36, the Golden Mile, the newspaper district, through the different stages theBezirk has gone through, from its in- the Samaritan district, the Southern Kiez... But what tegration to the Big B in 1920 to life in the American sector, to today’s are the stories behind these iconic neighbourhoods? urban policies aiming to involve Neuköllners in local decision-making. Get to know your Kiez at Kotti (Adalbertstraße 95A) May 8 – 27 Dec, Museum Neukölln and gather great conversation material for your next neighborhood chat at the Späti. Apr 24 – Oct 4, FHXB Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Museum for more info visit www.grossesb.berlin

MARCH 2020 7 CULTURE, CLUBS AND CAPITAL-

ISMBy N. Vancauwenberghe

Clärchens Ballhaus’ new proprietor Yoram Roth on the natural laws of the real estate market,

misguided nostalgia YORAM ROTH was born in in 1968. The son of Berlin-Jewish real estate billionaire and Jewish Museum patron Rafael Roth, he studied photography in LA be- for the 1990s and what fore becoming an entrepreneur in his own right. His focus lies firmly on culture, media and art. Today he owns three photography museums under the brand Fotografiska, he’s planning for the which he hopes to expand to Berlin. He’s a main shareholder behind publishing house Go City Media (which puts out tip and Zitty) and funds KCRW. He bought Clärchens beloved Mitte institution. Ballhaus in July 2019.

8 EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE

lthough a born and bred and then there was furniture that was made I think Berliner, Yoram Roth was out of hay that was wrapped in cloth. And A unknown to most residents of everyone was smoking and completely fuck- there's a very the city until his purchase of century- ing high. It was a death trap! It’s amazing old Mitte institution Clärchens that nothing ever happened! And if you think privileged idealism Ballhaus made local news last July. about the Love Parades, from 1991 until 1994 Another unique piece of Berlin culture we had a truck. It was on the Ku’damm and about squats snatched away from the people, it went from a few hundreds to about 30,000 grabbed by another profit-driven and they ended up having like 1.5 million that goes, ‘oh we gentrifier? Or a dilapidated building people when it moved to the Siegessäule. It rescued from ruin by a man who un- was nuts, but nothing ever happened. Yes discovered this derstands and loves the city? Amidst a people got dehydrated and maybe they took climate of mistrust towards real estate a little too much of something, but there was empty city and we and Berliners’ legendary never any violence. Not like what I expe- defiance of change, the self-described rienced in in the 1980s, where made it ours.’ You “culture entrepreneur” (he has photo things were a little rough in certain corners. museums in Stockholm, New York You might get mugged, people had guns know, a lot of the and Tallinn, and has invested in and people were doing crazy drugs. But, you culture here and abroad) vows to try know, Berlin was not that. abandoned and secure a new, bright future for the derelict institution. And he has more It was also the time of Berlin’s legend- used to be owned plans for the city he calls home. ary squat scene, which people are still fighting for to this day... I think the squat by – including You don’t really sound or look scene got a little romanticised. I don’t share like it, the way you’re dressed the enthusiasm for living in a commune my family. now, but you were born and with people who don’t wash. I, personally, raised in Berlin – West Berlin, have always been a huge fan of plumbing right? I don’t dress like this every day (laughs). But it certainly contributed to (laughs). And yes, I speak English like the spirit that makes Berlin what it is. I just an American because I went to the think people have this romantic attachment or heating. Nobody had touched anything Kennedy School out in Zehlendorf! I to a unique time – but you can’t preserve since the 1930s. I obviously knew nothing grew up in Charlottenburg and speak it in . You can’t hold on to it forever about gentrification and how a place like real Berlinerisch German. I went to because it was literally just a moment. And Prenzlauer Berg could become so attractive boarding school in and the it wasn’t necessarily a happy moment for so quickly! But honestly we only did office US, and I studied photography in everyone. I think there’s a very privileged buildings, so were not some- New York. But I was always a Berliner. idealism that goes, “oh we came and we thing we understood well. My family always lived here and I’d discovered this empty city and we made it come back for every vacation – like a ours.” You know, I’m Jewish, and a lot of the Some spots in the former East have couple of weeks after the Wall fell, for abandoned houses used to be owned by Jews among the most expensive rents Thanksgiving 1989. After that I stayed – including my family. these days. Up to €23/sqm near Koll- here for about five years, until 1995. witzplatz. Do you think it was time Your family fled in the that Berlin put a cap on rents? What do So you lived through the post- 1930s, right? My father was born in 1933 on you think about the Mietendeckel? It’s Wende heyday – exciting times, Schönhauser Allee, on the corner of Milas- a decision largely driven by politics, by the right? I was 21 and those were super traße. We had a very big building there with desire to show that you are doing some- exciting times. In 1991 with two several apartments that were all occupied thing that resonates with the average voter, friends I founded D’Vision Records by different Roths. My grandparents man- like “we’re sticking it to the rich guys”. Put- and we produced and house. I aged to flee with their kids to in 1938. ting a cap on rents right now – fine, I think was working in real estate during the Everybody else got murdered. that’s a valuable tool. But I think what’s day, working for my father as his ju- more important is to admit that there is nior assistant, carrying his bag around Your dad came back to Berlin after the such a thing as supply and demand, which Michael O’Ryan – my father was a real estate devel- war to become a successful real estate means you just need to build more apart- oper. And then I’d go take a disco nap, developer. Did you recover your Pren- ments. That’s the only solution. And the and then go out and do the record zlauer Berg property after the Fall of Senat needs to let people build. I don’t do label. When you’re that young you the Wall? Yeah. In 1992 or 1993 my father real estate: Clärchens is the only property don’t need to sleep – you can do that said “look we’re getting back some real I personally own. But I do understand the on a Tuesday. And yes, there was that estate from your great grandfather. Go take business. And they need to let people build. unlimited DIY vibe, you didn’t need a busi- a look.” So I drove over there – and I came And they need to incentivise it. In the last ness , you just did things. Sometimes back, and I said “Papi, we have to get rid of 20 years they’ve passed so many regulations it was crazy dangerous. The original that shit as quickly as humanly possible.” I and requirements that new construction was literally a safe several floors down. There couldn’t imagine who would ever want to has become crazy expensive. Anything new was one staircase that was about as wide as live on Kastanienallee or Zionskirchplatz. that comes to the market automatically has your arm. And you went down three flights Those buildings didn’t even have toilets to be a ‘Luxuswohnung’.

MARCH 2020 9 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE

ferent when I was 22. But So why did you buy Clärchens? I’d been you know what, the city here a bunch of times and totally loved it. will change. It will change There was a deal, somebody was supposed and in ways that will feel to buy it, but the deal fell apart, everybody like the original spirit is ended up angry at each other, and then some getting lost. I don’t think friend came in and said, you know what, if we can stop it. you make an offer right now you could prob- ably buy this thing. I paid a lot for it, and I But we can help miti- will have to invest that much on top… but it’s gate consequences for my personal investment, so I don’t want to people. In Germany, disclose the numbers. the is pretty opaque about The previous owner was an heir to who owns what, and beauty company Wella, right? What Berliners have been happened? Yes, Hans-Joachim Sander. I’m subjected to specula- told he owns the fast food chain Vapiano and tion and investment hoped to put one of those pasta restaurants companies pushing out in here. He also had received a construc- tenants to squeeze out tion permit to close the front courtyard as much profit as pos- with another building. I think the sale of the sible... I know, but hon- front part fell through and then he was just estly those are anecdotes. done with it. Do you remember there was Here’s a fact: 80 percent a petition around Christmas to get me to of the buildings here are keep things the way they were? The initia- owned by large real estate tors literally wrote that Sander had never Clärchens Ballhaus on funds. They’re not owned looked to maximise profitability! I was like, Auguststraße 24 was loved by weird, anonymous in- who are these people? They have no idea! by locals and tourists alike for vestors from the Cayman He absolutely did maximise profitability Michael O’Ryan its ballroom and latin nights, islands. We all hear those here. For 15 years, nobody touched a thing. beautiful Biergarten and stories and they’re real Nothing! It’s this close to falling apart. Go to unique dilapidated charm. and it’s fucked up. Those the bathrooms – they didn’t even put a new people should be exposed toilet seat in it in 15 years. It’s foul. and we should know who owns which building. But I think if you were So you see yourself as saving the place? The Mietendeckel might turn out to be to find out who owns most of the buildings Yes, absolutely. I’m gonna save it. Everybody an incentive to build because new flats you’d realise that it’s about 20 large real is like “oh it’s so charming”. If they could trav- aren’t subjected to the rent cap. And estate funds, instead of government bonds. el back in time to 15 years ago, it was not this that’s fine. The more luxury flats there are, Basically people who saved some money beat up. And if you let this go on for another the less pressure there is on normal apart- went to the bank and bought this real estate five years, people would just be like “okay, ments. For instance build the outer ring fund. So you know who owns most of these this place needs to be burned down”. And, I of for instance – just 30 buildings? It’s old age pensioners. At the end don’t think that’s right. The goal right now is metres wide! It still leaves a magnificent of the chain it’s just other people. It’s not a to do some basic repairs and open up again huge field but you could build 10-12,000 bunch of rich guys sitting like Montgomery as soon as possible – hopefully by the time it apartments there quickly. And you know Burns going “ha ha ha, I’m gonna screw the gets warmer. We’ve started with some dance what? Make them affordable. Make them so little guy.” evenings already. But then at some point, that the socially weaker people actually also probably at the end of 2021, we’ll have to re- get to live with a view onto the park. How What about famous clubs like Griess- ally fully shut down and renovate this building awesome would that be? And make smaller muehle being evicted because the from the ground up: pull out every cable and apartments. Two-thirds of Berliners are peo- new wants to build on the every pipe in the wall. That will take a year ple living alone in an oversized apartment. property? The problem is that it was a and a half. I won’t change it a lot, though. I relatively empty space and everyone knew think it’s important that it remains in spirit Well, people voted against building on it was zoned for construction, including the exact same thing it was beforehand. Tempelhof six years ago. Now, with the Griessmuehle when they signed the . housing crisis, it’s a bit of a dilemma Look, I’m happy for them that they have What is Clärchens’ spirit for you? It’s a between quality of life and affordable a loud enough voice and can draw atten- Ballhaus – it’s about dancing and having fun. homes. They should have another refer- tion to it. I think Clubsterben is real and a The Schwoof night used to be a huge hit, and endum! There’s no dilemma. Politics and serious thing – I experienced it first hand in so were the swing and salsa nights. We’ll have laws are supposed to help us. And if the Manhattan. Griessmuehle is super fun and I those. It’s also a great place to hang and meet situation has changed, you pass new laws. think it should exist. But to be honest, I also over a drink or some food. We also want to I like Berlin, but this idea that people want think the Berlin culture is defined as much do good, solid German food, schnitzel or everything to stay exactly the way it is, by Clärchens as by the city’s clubs. I don’t goulash... Look, it’s getting harder to meet you know, it doesn’t work. We all change. I know a lot of other cities that have such a people. You don’t date at work anymore mean, Jesus Christ, I’m 52, and it was dif- diverse nightlife. because of, you know, modern sexual politics.

10 EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE

I love Berlin, but this idea that people Rumours say in Berlin soon too... Yes, hopefully really soon. I really want to tell want everything to stay exactly the you but I’m not allowed. We have others in the pipeline and it’s really a question of how way it is, you know, it doesn't work. We all they happen and when. But, you know, we’re looking at Shanghai and we’re looking at change. I mean, Jesus Christ, I'm 52, and it Berlin. I would love to open in Paris. I would love to be in Toronto, or Los Angeles, where was different when I was 22! I used to live… Do you think Berlin needs a new pho- tography space? Will you be competing You just literally can’t. You can’t go and hang back into functioning apartments. with C/O Berlin? I support C/O Berlin a around the gym because that’s pretty douchey. They want you to use Clärchens’ upper lot. I’m very good friends with the founder And clubs are great – but they’re loud, and floors for housing?! Yeah. There’s four flats Stefan Erfurt; I was a founding supporter. some of us don’t rely on our looks to find and they want me to refurbish them, because We won’t be direct competition because partners, but rather on our ability to tell a there’s the housing crisis and they want to we’ll be a Kunsthalle and do what we do in decent joke, and so we need to go to a place be politically active! But if I have to rent out Stockholm, Tallinn or New York: show the where we can be heard, and where we can talk, those apartments then this place is dead. You work of contemporary photographers while and maybe dancing isn’t my strong point but know, people always ask “is there gonna be offering a full experience – workshops, con- you know... (laughing) If you can come with dancing?” I don’t know if there’s gonna be certs, DJs, a really cool restaurant, a bar, a a couple friends to a place like this, it’s just dancing because if I have to put fucking apart- shop, etc. Another reason we won’t compete great! I think Clärchens is a special place. ments up there then I’ll have to close it at with C/O Berlin is because anybody who is 10pm! And that’s what they don’t understand. interested in photography will go see more What are you saying to people who wor- This is why the clubs are dying in Berlin. photography – you either like photography ry that Clärchens will lose flair? That’s or you don’t. Honestly, like all the other always a risk when you’re renovating So you are a businessman who invests cultural entrepreneurs I ultimately compete from scratch. Well you have to mitigate that in culture – which you did in Berlin, for with . I’ve gotta get people off the risk and one way I am doing this is to do this example with Kater Blau and Holzmarkt. fucking couch! project with David Chipperfield who’s a well- Can culture be good business and retain known architect in Berlin and proved with the its edge and quality? Holzmarkt is a good As a Berliner, how do you look back at Alte Nationalgalerie that he understands how example of a cultural business. We have a the last 50 years and the internationali- the old can mix with the new. You need to there, a restaurant, lots of little sation, but also gentrification, of Berlin? come in here and be like, “wow”. But it can’t shops, events, flea markets... it’s a form of I think it’s great that Berlin is so interna- be totally new and shiny. It can’t be that. culture but it’s also a for-profit undertaking. tional. I think it’s wonderful, but I think it At the end of the day, the people who invest- will change the culture and I think that pisses So when will the new, fully refurbished ed in it hope to see a return on the money people off. And the people who complain Clärchens reopen? I would love to close at they put in. But they also put in the money the loudest are people who’ve heard stories the end of the year to start but I think it’s go- because they believe in what it does. If you about Berlin being €200 for an apartment. ing to take longer. We are really in the hands do it well, you can come up with something Dude, that was 20 years ago. And there are of the government. They will decide what is that’s culturally important and earns money. the expats who come here and speak English protected and what is not. They will decide It can be a nightclub. Or a Ballhaus. and maybe a little German with a foreign how quickly we get the permits. We’re actu- accent, and it’s not just the cool areas. ally in relatively good dialogue with them. But Or museums. Your main business is When I go out to Tempelhof or Wedding it’s the biggest problem that I have right now is Fotografiska, a brand of photography changing there as well. And in good ways, they’re mandating that the empty spaces that museums and you now have three – in too. I think the Germans have become more were being used as offices upstairs get turned Estonia, New York and Stockholm. worldly and more open-minded. T

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11. / 21. MARCH AND 1. APRIL +49 30 47 99 74 00 ------Neukölln’s lefty Neukölln’s community pub A controversial landlord A controversial The company’s approach to business is to The company’s approach evict them The company is now trying to While Liebig34 and its supporters wait for a While Liebig34 and its supporters leftie hangout bar Neukölln’s final decision, Syndikat is also under with its fight threat, for survival unmasking a Berlin property gi Openedant in the process. in 1985 by squat on a neighbouring housing project from ters controversial. Its strategy generally consists controversial. strategy Its of buying up cheap, old houses and renovat in results often ing them, which critics say out or being kicked longstanding tenants The rents afterwards. hit with extortionate company has also gained a reputation for du well documented which are bious practices, set up by disgruntled tenants: on a website 2008, Padovicz In padowatch.noblogs.org. a lease agreement Liebig34 for 10 years, gave on Decemberwhich expired 31, 2018. But the move out and, since last residents to refused rent – thus paying stopped have summer, a squat again. making the project technically An initial hearing in the courts. through was quickly abandoned after November residents and sympathisers staged a bare- The in the courtroom. protest breasted squatters were subsequently banned from be the courthouse and a decision is set to handed down on April 30 – on the eve of enormous political 1. Given the date’s May for an , it could make importance to not moving “We’re explosive date. not giving up this house,” Jes out and we’re will resist.” “We adamantly. sie says ing a few paint bombs down the roof? from to Or daily violence is it the subjected we’re 2015, the police In police checks?” through a Gefahrengebiet the neighbourhood declared Tor Kottbusser (dangerous – just like area) to and Alexanderplatz that allows – officers at any time and search carry out ID checks passersby “They a reason. without even look Jessie, under of our ,” says the insoles herself. searches to who has been subjected The house was previously ownedby a was huge debts, but, due to joint-heirship The auction in 2007. put on sale in a forced the acquire residents tried to of the project house themselves a co-operative, through but the property specula sold to it was instead in 2008 for the bargain Padovicz Gijora tor Unterneh company, price of €600,000. His owns than 200 more mensgruppe Padovicz, alone. housing buildings in Friedrichshain facing charges, but thinks that “we have to to “we have but thinks that facing charges, it throw Is consider violence what is. really - - - - -

Nicholas Potter - By Nicholas Potter EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE ESTATE THE REAL Despite its many friends, it’s fair to say the say its many friends, it’s fair to Despite Liebig34 offers than just accom far more sie confirmed that 12 residentssie confirmed that 12 currently are ment in Friedrichshain, while the building while the building ment in Friedrichshain, (Küche KüFa also houses a bar and offers a with vegan für Alle) – a community canteen the public – twice a week on food open to Last summer, evenings. and Sunday Friday to they organised a Dorffest (or village fête) gether Rigaer94 with their neighbours in the with a cinema, painting work – complete shops, performances, variety shows and a flea the Kiez came,” “Lots of kids from market. while sipping her recalls cola. Jessie isn’t universallyproject loved. Critics speak attackwho violentJes of police. autonomists course and put it into action.” course and put it into floor contains an info modation. The ground on the squatterspace with an archive move ised with a rental contract. Until recently, recently, Until ised with a rental contract. basis starting rent pay-what-you-can was on a at €140 per also had month, but the project for those who couldn’t ‘solidarity rooms’ free residentsto 30 It is currently home it. afford a 27-year-old the world. Jessie, around from German who has lived in the house for the offer a past two years, is one of them. “We rents, high people who can’t afford home to find a place in Berlin’s to struggling who are or who perhaps property market -throat explains, sitting an illegal status,” Jessie have “But it’s the building. from in a café across also a space where we can organise resistance develop feminist dis against the patriarchy, -

- - - social activism social housing sanctuary Berlin’s last feminist erlin has long been of radical a hub mark on the This has left its protest. leftie anarcho-squats, city through

Berlin’s last alternative house projects are getting ready to getting are house projects Berlin’s to last alternative ready eviction.resist bar Syndikat The struggles of Liebig34 and show how property speculation affects the city.

12 chist stronghold Rigaer94,chist stronghold is Liebig34. The 34 is one of the city’s building at Liebigstraße last remaining a collective housing projects, for women, solely refuge and intersex trans describes itself as an anarcha- people. It – the only one of its space queer-feminist the Squatted in 1990 after kind in the city. Liebig quickly became legal of the Wall, Fall Situated in Friedrichshain’s Nordkiez, just Nordkiez, in Friedrichshain’s Situated anar throw the notorious from a stone’s pelago of collective-run bars and autonomous pelago of collective-run bars and autonomous fabric of the spaces that formed the left-wing the last few bastions of a today, However, city. once-blossoming scene under are threat. lective living based around principles of self- lective living based around organisation, while others offered a safe space These housing marginalised communities. to by were an archi projects complemented B

our house! Your business, business, Your bars and autonomous youth centres. The youth centres. bars and autonomous and 1980s derelict of 1970s neighbourhoods Berlin provided a fertile for ground West of the Wall while the Fall projects, alternative of abandoned, run-downleft scores buildings Wende post- quickly transforming in its wake, for squatters the world a Mecca Berlin into than just illegal homes, many More over. forms of col alternative championed projects THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE

SQUAT EVICTION WARFARE

Between 1970 and 2014, there were at least 610 political squats in housing projects. Today, there are at least 140 house collectives, the city. When faced with eviction, most fought until the bitter end. project spaces, community pubs, caravan parks and youth centres In 1990, the eviction of 13 squats on Friedrichshain’s Mainzer Straße remaining within the left-wing and autonomous spectrum. But required 3000 officers, 10 water cannons and a squad of helicopters from the autonomous youth centre Potse in Schöneberg, to the in what was one of the largest police operations in post-war Ger- punk squat Køpi on Köpenicker Straße, to Friedrichshain’s notorious many. Following this violent break-up, a number of projects were anarchist stronghold Rigaer94, many left-wing institutions face an legalised through rental agreements and existed as collectively-run uncertain future.

Weisestraße, the collective-run pub has been border drove to the firm’s address and found eviction hearing took place on October 29 a Schillerkiez staple for 34 years. But Syndi- a PO box with 76 other company names listed. last year. No one from Pears Global attended. kat isn’t just a haven for left-wing scenesters Eventually, after a search that saw them scour Syndikat’s lawyers argued that the shell com- planning their next demo over a 1312 Sabo- Danish commercial registries, they found a pany wasn’t adequately represented through tage Pils. “We’re a community pub,” stresses company with links to Firman: UK-headquart- a lawyer and criticised the fact that the Christian, a 39-year-old Cologne native who’s ed Pears Global. company had been registered in Luxembourg. been a member of the collective for 12 years. Unfortunately, the judge wasn’t convinced The pub is dingy, but in a charming way; its Pears vs the pub by Syndikat’s anti-capitalist critique, and walls are lined with posters from demos past, on November 26 the court ruled in Firman while above the bar hang two scarves with Pears Global Real Estate is owned by three ’ favour. Syndikat have appealed the slogans: “one struggle, one fight” and brothers from the UK. An old version of the the decision but Christian’s faith in the courts “Syndikat bleibt” (Syndikat is staying). company’s website, which has since been to save the bar isn’t particularly strong. “It’s Highlighting its community credentials, taken offline, stated that Pears owned 6200 pretty clear. The state protects property and Syndikat hosts regular Kiez meetings where flats and commercial units in Berlin. Mean- capital but not social spaces like ours.” local residents can seek advice for their own while, more recent research from Syndikat, While Liebig34 and Syndikat hope for the housing struggles, with lawyers and rent spe- verified by investigative research centre best and plan for the worst, alternative hous- cialists on hand to help out. This is a particu- Correctiv and the Tagesspiegel, found that the ing projects in the city are banding together larly pertinent issue in Schillerkiez, which company owned at least 3000 apartments in to defend their very existence. A campaign over the past 10 years has witnessed some the Haupstadt – all managed through a diz- has been launched under the title “Kein Haus of the most rapid gentrification in Berlin. zying string of shell companies. Subsequent weniger” (not one house fewer), garnering Between 2010 and 2015, the typical purchase research by the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung support from prominent cultural figures such price per square metre of property doubled revealed that Firman Properties – the owner as Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek, choreog- to €3500, according to the taz newspaper. of Syndikat’s building – is owned by Knights rapher at Berlin’s State Ballet Sasha Waltz, With all this change, Syndikat is one of the Properties, also based in Luxembourg, Schaubühne intendant Thomas Ostermeier few remnants of former times still left in the which in turn belongs to Knapwed Holdings and the directors René Pollesch, Milo Rau, neighbourhood. Limited in Cyprus, which itself belongs to Ersan Mondtag and Leander Haußmann. But soon it could be last orders. In July 2018, Karayan Limited in the British Virgin Islands. The campaign recently published an open Syndikat received notice that their contract And sitting at the top of this tree is Pears letter demanding the protection of these free, was to be terminated, and that they had until Global. So while Firman Properties officially alternative spaces. Its message: “Without the end of that year to hand over the keys. The owns just five buildings in Berlin, it is part of its alternative housing and cultural projects, collective immediately looked to negotiate a much larger web controlling a much larger Berlin would only be the city where the Wall with the firm, but that’s chunk of the city’s real estate pie. Neverthe- once stood. Socially, politically and culturally, where things got complicated. They found less, in 2017 Firman recorded a turnover of it would be much poorer.” The protest may out the legal owner was a Luxembourg-based €1.2 million, but in Luxembourg paid just appear to be little more than a tempest in the company called Firman Properties S.à.r.l., but €535 in tax. “That just shows how this whole teacups of the Pears and Padoviczs of this after struggling to find any further information system is built,” Christian fumes. world, but the point it makes might be worth online, decided to do some sleuthing. Friends So far, every attempt to contact the three keeping in mind for investors hoping to ben- of the bar who live near the Luxembourgish Pears brothers has proved unsuccessful. An efit from Berlin’s identity in the future. T

PREMIERE

Giovanni Boccaccio in ten stories Director: Kirill Serebrennikov by Kirill Serebrennikov based on the work by Co-production with the Gogol-Center Moscow Premiere: 8 March 2020 DECAMERONDates with English surtitles: 28, 29 March + 18, 19 April THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE

clubsterben

Gentrification on the dancefloor

KitKat and Griessmuehle – even the city’s most iconic night- Every attempt to contact the owners proved fruitless. The club’s management life institutions are fighting for survival against real estate suggested two investors willing to buy speculation. Is the party over? Politicians are feeling the the property and secure the existence of the club, both of which the new pressure to step in and curb Berlin’s ‘club death’. By Nicholas Potter refused to consider. Most of the ensuing negotiations – or lack thereof – were marred echno helped put Berlin on the map, Griessmuehle: city to the rescue? by a culture clash: there, the Austrian inves- but now the scene is partly fall- tors; here the Neukölln club kids. “Robert T ing victim to its own success. In Located in a disused pasta factory behind Neumüller, the director of S IMMO, actually the post-Wende years, ravers carved out Sonnenallee S-Bahn station, the recently came to visit the club,” Michaela Krüger, a dancefloors in the nooks and crannies of evicted Griessmuehle was one of Berlin’s Griessmuehle clubber and – as of Novem- Berlin’s post-industrial urban fabric. Some most cherished venues. It all started in 2011, ber – its publicist, told us during a Saturday of these places became crucial bastions of when founder David Ciura spotted the site afternoon party at the club before its closure. queer, alternative counterculture, offering from the Ringbahn and got off to check it “I don’t think he could understand why emancipated spaces to marginalised identi- out. Sandwiched between a canal and train people would want to spend their free time ties. Others became international brands, tracks, and far away from any residential in a disused factory.” drawing in punters from across the globe. neighbours, the area was perfect for an A petition to save the space quickly gained According to a study released by Berlin open-air party. Over the years, Ciura and 50,000 signatures, as heartfelt messages club lobbyists Club Commission, Berlin’s his team expanded into the adjacent factory, from ravers, DJs, collectives and fellow clubs club culture adds €1.48 billion to the city’s quickly establishing Griessmuehle as one of flooded social media. The topic quickly economy each year. Berlin’s top clubs. But more than just a party garnered the attention of Berlin’s politicians But the Hauptstadt’s clubland is in an place, Griessmuehle also housed a record too, who passed a motion committing them increasingly precarious position. As the shop and canteen, hosted flea markets, ping to finding an alternative, city-owned location population of the oh-so-cool metropolis pong events and cinema evenings, and even for the club. While the Senat is searching, soars and property investors ruthlessly add organised workshops for kids. Griessmuehle has gone into exile: its upcom- to their portfolios and as startups advertise The club’s seemingly smooth expansion ing events will be housed in the Friedrichs- jobs with the lure of Berlin’s cultural capital, continued until 2016, when the property was hain club Polygon (formerly Kosmonaut) and the city’s clubs are losing out. Over the last bought by SIAG Property II GmbH, a subsidy Alte Münze in Mitte. A sale of the Sonnenal- 10 years, around 100 of them have closed of the Austrian Sparkasse Immobilien AG. lee property in the immediate future seems their doors for good, including famous Managing the property for them is the Vien- to be off the table, as S IMMO appears to be haunts like Stattbad Wedding, Horst Krzbg, na-based S IMMO AG, which by the end of planning to “develop” the land first. Despite Farbfernseher and Chalet. Admittedly, new 2018 had a portfolio worth €2.2 billion. Soon being evicted, Griessmuehle is taking heart locations have opened during this time – after the purchase, management terminated from its successes – and vows to fight on. but it’s becoming harder and harder to find Griessmuehle’s contract, replacing it with a “Our petition showed that we can make an suitable spaces, resulting in a net loss. The new agreement that had to be renewed every impact. We’re going to continue campaigning phenomenon has been so stark that the Ger- six months. This precarious situation con- for club culture,” Krüger says defiantly. mans even have a word for it: Clubsterben, or tinued until November 2019, when the city ‘club death’. According to Club Commission, approved a building permit for the location, KitKat: the party isn’t over! 24 of Berlin’s approximately 280 clubs are in thus increasing its value 10-fold. S IMMO acute danger. But they certainly aren’t going then started planning the sale of the land and Meanwhile, another beloved Berlin institu- down without a fight as the iconic institu- declined to renew the contract, meaning that tion – KitKatClub – is also under threat. tions Griessmuehle and KitKatClub have Griessmuehle had until January 31, 2020 to Named after the variety club in the 1972 film proven most recently. try and save their space. Cabaret starring Liza Minelli, the fetish club

14 EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE WWW.BERLINER-ENSEMBLE.DE/SURTITLES has been hosted at various locations since Disselkamp said. “It’s unrealistic to think its inception in 1994. Since 2008, it’s that we’ll just vanish into thin air.” ENGLISH SURTITLES been located in Sage Club on Köpenicker Straße, where it is a subtenant. The To the and back building itself was formerly part of the Heinrich-Heine-Straße U-Bahn station, Both Griessmuehle and KitKat are prime by Tennessee Wllams which, due to its location on the border examples of how fragile Berlin’s world-re- 03/04/2020, 7.30 – 9.15 p.m. of East and West Berlin, was a ghost sta- nowned club cultural heritage is. Without tion during the city’s division. In 1990, decisive action, there are concerns we THE TIN DRUM the station reopened and in 1991, the leg- could sleepwalk into a situation where by Günter Grass endary after-hour club Walfisch opened the forces of gentrification decimate the 03/12/2020, 8.00 – 9.50 p.m. on the mezzanine level of the building. city’s nightlife. As the property situation In 1997, Sage Club – a cavernous, psyche- becomes more tense, clubs are sitting FELIX KRULL delic adult playground, complete with a ducks. Noise complaints, extortionate based on Thomas Mann swimming pool – moved in, with KitKat rents, flimsy subtenant contracts and a 03/20/2020, 8.00 – 9.30 p.m. joining a decade later. Once again, the lack of legal tenancy protections all pose arrangement seemed to be working for all existential threats. So what would save LIFE X 3 involved. That is, until November 2019, Berlin’s nightlife? by Yasmna Reza when Sage boss Sascha Disselkamp, the In November, Die Linke’s 03/22/2020, 6.00 – 8.00 p.m. main tenant of the property, received a introduced a motion to the Bundestag termination notice from the owner – a with several measures that would protect For the best vew on both property from Munich who owns clubs. One proposal is to introduce Kul- stage and surttles we re commend the majority of the space. The club previ- turschutzgebiete – or cultural protection gallery seats or rows 11-18 n the orchestra. ously had a 10-year contract that would areas – into building law, which would renew automatically if neither party protect existing venues and enable the intervened. But instead of simply negoti- establishment of new clubs in inner-city ating a new contract, as some expected, areas. “The R.A.W site would be a perfect IN ENGLISH there was talk of developing and then candidate,” Lay suggests. The former selling the land. Disselkamp instantly railway repair site in Friedrichshain is one GUIDED TOUR BEHIND THE SCENES suggested that he find investors to buy of the largest cultural spaces in Germany. 3/4/2020, 5.30 – 6.30 p.m. the property and secure the future of For years, plans by investors to develop both clubs, however the owners wanted the land have been met with resistance by For group bookngs please contact to sell it to someone who would do some- local residents and politicians alike. enblcke@berlner-ensemble.de thing “sensible” with the plot. “I asked Further measures in Lay’s motion if he thought what we do isn’t sensible. include introducing a federal fund for He said he didn’t mean it like that, but he noise protection measures and an “agent wants to sell it to someone who develops of change” principle, which would require it in a way that corresponds to the poten- investors to pay for sound-proofing tial value of what one could build there,” themselves when buying or develop- Disselkamp says carefully. This echoes S ing property next to existing clubs. The IMMO’s reluctance to treat Griessmuehle proposal also seeks to limit rent increases, as a genuine business partner. It also il- introduce regulations for minimum con- lustrates why those in the voice tract lengths and offer more protection frustration with investors often failing to against terminating contracts – policies take club culture seriously, overlooking that would help both Griessmuehle and its integral artistic and economic value to KitKatClub. Meanwhile, the Green Party the capital. has introduced a largely similar proposal The news of the clubs’ apparent closure and the FDP has authored their own - sent shockwaves through the interna- tion which seeks to reduce the “bureau- tional press. The support for KitKat and cracy madness” and “tax burden” that it Sage was loud but there was also a lot of sees as responsible for the hardships clubs confusion over the exact circumstances. are facing. Disselkamp confirmed to Exberliner that These motions are now being discussed a new contract between KitKat and the in the Bundestag’s building committee. owner is currently under negotiation A more radical measure would be to sub- and both clubs will likely be able to stay. sidise clubs with public money, already Since KitKat uses the space more often, standard practice with other cultural it’s thought that the new contract will list institutions. As Pamela Schobeß, chair KitKat as the main tenant – and prob- of the Club Commission and owner of ably include a rent increase. Selling the the club Gretchen, said at a recent open property no longer seems to be on the hearing on the issue in the Bundestag: cards. “Neither Sage nor KitKat are going “We are no less valuable than theatres or © JR Berlner Ensemble down without making a lot of noise,” opera houses.” T

MARCH 2020 WWW.BERLINER-ENSEMBLE.DE THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE

politics head of Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain’s department for building and planning. Faced with the current housing crisis, Schmidt found himself at the forefront of the struggle to reverse public policy direction – for 25 years, the govern- ment has allowed market forces to steer policy, which critics say has led to our current predicament. In 2017, he was behind the city’s purchase of Kottbusser Tor’s iconic Neues Kreuz- berger Zentrum for €56.5 million to stop the mammoth housing block from being converted into luxury flats. In 2019, he got the Berlin government to buy 800 flats on Karl-Marx-Allee, pushing away real estate giant Deutsche Wohnen. All in all he claims having saved over 4000 flats (2 percent of the housing stock) in his district. Here are some other real estate projects with the Florian Schmidt stamp on them.

Media ’s middle finger Marcelina Wellmer Twenty years ago, Berlin’s planners cleared an industrial wasteland along the Spree in Friedrichshain and called it Media Spree, intended to be a The Green knight home for Europe’s entertainment biz. Instead, it has morphed into the Campus. The Berlin-based online retailer has 10 completed office buildings surround- of public housing ing the Mercedes Benz Arena, with three more given the green light for construction. Hailed as a Robin Hood-like figure for championing small This includes plans for a 90-metre-tall tower tenants’ rights against big developers’ interests, disctrict by architect Gewers Pudewill named Stream. Like other Zalando buildings, the high rise councillor Florian Schmidt is now under political fire radiates a slick corporate sheen at odds with from his political enemies for alleged wrongdoings. the district’s gritty character. Dan Borden looks into the Green politician’s legacy after Still, it’s nothing compared to Edge East Side Tower, the skyscraper going up across his three ground-breaking years at the helm of Kreuzberg- from Warschauer Straße U-Bahn station. Friedrichshain’s building and planning policy. Better known as the “ Tower”, the 140-metre office block will house 3400 of the retail giant’s high-tech minions. For locals ast July, investor Signa Holding unveiled “No KaDeWe-isation of Hermannplatz,” who’ve spent decades fighting the corporate plans to rebuild the original Karstadt declared the 45-year-old.Schmidt is either a invasion of their Kiez, this looming glass slab Ldepartment store on Hermannplatz. courageous community-minded Robin Hood feels like a triumphant “fuck you”. With its 56-metre towers, the 1929 building figure or a dangerous leftist radical, depend- When star-architect Bjarke Ingels presented was a glamorous landmark of Weimar-era ing on who you ask. When we first profiled updated plans last October, Schmidt did his Berlin. Destroyed by vindictive Nazis in 1945, the Green politician in October 2010, he was best to torpedo the tower. The new design, its 21st-century resurrection was praised by still a young community activist touting plans Schmidt said, looked nothing like the origi- many as correcting an act of architectural to build a Berlin Kunsthalle to house con- nal competition-winning scheme and lacked vandalism. But then suddenly, in August, the temporary art. Since then, the Cologne-born people-friendly amenities agreed to in previous building commission of Kreuzberg-Fried- Berliner fought to expand the city’s supply of workshops. Scrap the project, he said, and start richshain vetoed the project. Mayor Michael artist studios and social initiatives via projects over. That drew the ire of Jan Eder, chief execu- Müller was pissed, criticising the “short-sight- like the Haus der Statistik on Alexanderplatz. tive of Berlin’s Chamber of Commerce. He ed” municipal bureaucrats and their vocal But it was the 2011 initiative “Rethinking the called Schmidt’s opposition to the €400 mil- ringleader Florian Schmidt. As the district’s City” promoting new real estate politics that lion project “an economic hara-kiri strategy” building councillor, Schmidt gave the project brought him into the public limelight. When designed to scare global investors away from a big thumbs down. He predicted the slick the green party joined the local governing the city. The Berlin city government overruled faux-Deco behemoth would drive up rents. coalition in 2016, Schmidt was appointed the Schmidt and gave Amazon the go-ahead.

16 EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE

30 years to extinction apartments. The investor cast himself as a rooftop greenhouse for urban gardening. white knight resurrecting a 1960s landmark; Commercial spaces and over 500 apartments Across the Warschauer Brücke, down behind Schmidt accused Gröner of reneging on his will be built around landscaped squares and the octagonal Döner stand, lies the R.A.W. commitment to include 5000 square metres playgrounds. But the project’s centrepiece Gelände. It’s a time capsule of 1990s DIY of affordable housing. When Gröner threat- is a 16-storey residential tower, which the Berlin: century-old industrial buildings re- ened to walk away from the project, Schmidt architects have promoted as the heart of a purposed as bars, art spaces, food and music was happy to show him the door – then model residential quarter. The scheme bears venues that are glorious in their romantic promptly pulled together a new development the hallmarks of Schmidt’s planning philoso- decay. Throw in some drug-dealing and petty team. Cologne-based Art-Invest will revive phy: a family and eco-friendly upgrade that crime, and R.A.W. has evolved into an anar- the building as 70,000 square metres of office preserves an authentic Berlin mix of func- chic annex to Simon-Dach-Straße’s abrasive space, while Berlin-owned Degewo will con- tions and residents. party scene. R.A.W.’s awkward location along struct 320 new apartments on the land around But closer to his heart is the new purchase the S-Bahn tracks kept it off investors’ radars it, with 200 of those to be subsidised. strategy he’s recently developed to help – until now. When its new owners proposed Berliners buy back real estate: a bold, new clearing the property for high rises, Schmidt One utopia too far? financing model that mixes public subven- spearheaded a months-long design workshop tions and a cooperative system involving the that united investors with locals and led to In October 2014, developer Arne Piepgras an- locals. “My utopia of buying back the city, a compromise that makes the area more nounced he’d bought a prime chunk of Kreuz- isn’t about getting the city to own new build- family-friendly while preserving its character. berg from the German government for €36 ings, but about enabling people to take con- Key buildings – like the World War II bunker million. Known as the Dragoner-Areal, it’s a trol over their own housing,” says Schmidt. reused as a climbing wall – are protected as collection of former stables located behind “We managed to buy back 10 buildings that landmarks, while locals get wish-list items the long, castle-like Finanzamt building on way,” he adds proudly. like a new grocery store and a swimming Mehringdamm. Piepgras planned to demolish But today, Schmidt finds himself under a pool. Meanwhile, those endangered legacy the 19th-century buildings – displacing health political cloud. FDP, CDU and now also SPD tenants also received a new lease on life, food store LPG and the Gretchen club – to politicians have accused him of withholding literally: the bars and clubs are guaranteed make way for luxury condos. Local politicians documents relating to the city’s purchase low rents for 30 years. In exchange, investor cried foul, and Berlin’s Senat pushed Piepgras of apartment buildings through the hous- Kurth Group can build a 100-metre office out and took control. Planners united the ing co-operative Diese eG. Schmidt denies tower – a victory for Schmidt’s brand of property with neighbouring city-owned plots any wrongdoings. “My new strategy to buy community-focused give-and-take. to create a 21,000sqm block, then launched back the city is meeting incredibly strong an ambitious, years-long planning process resistance, including from some parts of the Return to sender that involved three competing design teams SPD – they want to stick by their good old in dialogue with stakeholders. public housing policy,” he explains. In September 2018, Schmidt took his anti- On February 1, Florian Schmidt helped In his zealous push to buy back Berlin’s gentrification message to national TV, debat- unveil the winning scheme, developed by housing, did Schmidt break the rules? Or ing against developer Christoph Gröner on SMAQ Architektur & Stadt and collaborators did he just step on too many powerful toes? the ARD talk show Maischberger. Last year, Man Made Land. The plan will preserve not Either way, the investigation seems timed the men were locked in another battle, this only the historic buildings but also less-de- to undermine Schmidt’s leverage and could time over a scheme by Gröner’s company CG sirable long-term tenants like metal-working possibly put a stop to his bold new plans for Gruppe, to convert the abandoned Postcheck- and car repair shops, while the largest indus- bringing back the city to the people who live amt tower on Hallesches Ufer into luxury trial building in theEN complex will get a new in it. T

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11. – 13. 3. 2020 ExBerliner Aisha and Abhaya 230 × 100 mm + 5 mm, 4c Director: Kibwe Tavares 1/3 page Choreoraphy: Sharon Eyal Choreoraphy co-creator: ANNE TERESA DE BALLET Gai Behar KEERSMAEKER / PSO Unocated v3 Fogra 52 300 dpi minimum Bleed 5mm on all sides RAM ROSAS make sure all artwork extends to the full bleed full page: 230 x 305 2. – 4.4.2020 BERT Rain (Live) — no crop marks M u s i c : I c t u s E n s e m b l e 5. – 7. 3. 2020 — no bleed marks 7. – 9.4. 2020 — no registration marks Enter Achilles — no color bars A Ballet Rambert & Sadler’s co-production Achterland — no page information A work by Lloyd Newson (DV8 Physical Theatre) — Please leave a safety margin of 3mm from the trim edge for type and logos that are not meant to bleed The Berlin performances are made possible Haus der Berliner Festspiele Huo Glendinnin Huo Aerschot Van Anne

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property market For the past three years, you have been researching the inner works of Berlin’s property market, and who owns what. What got you involved? My expertise is in illicit financial flows and tax havens, but in 2017 I was approached by a local journalist investigating the Who owns Büchertisch, a sort of social book exchange being pushed out of Mehring- hof in Kreuzberg by some investor. We discovered an investment fund from Jersey had bought the house in 2005 and that Lehman Brothers were involved. We ended up writing an article about it for the Tagesspie- Berlin? gel. In 2018, the building was sold to Blackstone, a big US private equity firm that recently bought close to 5000 apartments in Berlin. I thought it Ever wondered who really was a very interesting story and wanted to know more about who owns owns your flat? Anti- what in the city. In total, there are about two million flats in Berlin and expert and wealth more than a quarter are owned by private companies. I thought people should be able to know whose bank account their rent really goes into. campaigner Christoph But in many cases it’s impossible – not even the city knows. Trautvetter tells Exberliner about his painstaking What do you mean by ‘not even the city knows’? In Germany the land register isn’t public, but surely transfers of ownership must foray into the world of Berlin be listed... In the real estate register you just find a load of subsidiaries. real estate – a market he Deutsche Wohnen (DW), for example, has more than 100 companies sees dominated by anonymous that own their apartments. To find out how many apartments they own, you have to take this list to each of Berlin’s registry offices. Whether they billionaire landlords and actually give you the information is up to them. And, again, big players so badly lacking transparency like the Pears brothers from the UK don’t appear on the registers at all. that it’s turned Germany into a They have about 50 companies in Luxembourg who own around 6000 apartments in Berlin and the link between these companies is hidden hotbed of money laundering. behind shell companies in Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands.

By Ruth Schneider Your study outs 12 top companies that own real estate in the city. The biggest one is Deutsche Wohnen, right? Yes, with nearly 120,000 apartments, they are by far the biggest. But in a way DW are very transparent – they publish annual and even quarterly reports with several hundred pages of information on their apartments, average rents, profits and much more. Their biggest shareholder is Blackrock, but there are lots of other institutional investors that invest money from pension plans, life-insurance policies, etc. like the Ärzteversorgung Westfalen (Pension Fund of the Doctors of Westphalia). Usually they own more than half of the shares of big companies. But not even DW knows everyone who owns their stock. So if you are a dictator’s son and you stole €1 billion and moved it around different banks and from there into a fund and into DW, they are not going to know.

Later this month, you’re speaking at a Disruption Network Lab conference and giving a guided tour of some of the Berlin by “anonymous investors” – who are they? When you think of anonymously owned real estate, what comes to mind are these stories of letterbox companies secretly owned by oligarchs and klepto- crats, or billionaires wanting to evade tax. Or you think of the local crimi- nal or the mafia strawmen buying real estate. You definitely find some of these in Berlin, but they make up just a small share of dirty money. If you have bigger amounts to invest, things usually get more complicated. Then you might use one of the investment funds that own five to 10 percent of Berlin apartments for example. These funds are very difficult to trace and often completely anonymous. Especially those that operate via the Cay- man Islands, Jersey, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar or any other of the many secrecy jurisdictions. There’s no way to find out who’s behind them.

“Real estate companies are greedy emperors made of bricks, concrete and smog,” says subvertising collective Steal This Poster. “Deutsche Wohnen is the first we’re targeting. There’s more to come.” On March 26 they’ll hold a workshop on the art of spoofing corporate advertisements

Illustration by Hogre, source stealthisposter.org source by Hogre, Illustration as part of Disruption Network Lab.

18 EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE

Transparency International exposed UK. They invest through two companies from empty and decaying. Some anonymous inves- the German real estate market as a the British Virgin Islands but they use inter- tors of dirty money just rent out apartments hotbed of money laundering, especially mediaries in Luxembourg and Cyprus. So they at the normal rate, not wanting to make a favoured by the Italian mafia. Why is don’t have to register because EU companies huge profit and cause any trouble. But very that and who is involved? One element are excluded from that duty. In theory that’s often, once you give your money to a profes- is the use of cash. In Italy it is forbidden to fine because all EU countries are supposed to sional money launderer, he will also take care buy anything for more than €1000 in cash. have open public registers listing the com- of making a good profit. Sometimes the dirty But in Germany, you can bring suitcases full panies’ beneficial owners. So in Luxembourg money is greedy and sometimes it’s not. of cash and buy a house. And obviously the everyone can now see that those companies mafia has a lot of cash, right? Another reason belong to the Pears brothers. But Cyprus So you’re saying the greediest landlords is that if you are a drug dealer and have €1 hasn’t implemented the law yet and there are are not necessarily the criminal ones, billion worth of assets you don’t want to still many other ways around registration. At right? Private equity funds are probably buy real estate in Italy, because there is a least now the Berlin government has hired the worst. Blackstone, Carlyle and smaller good chance that the Guardia di Finanza is three people to check on the notaries. investment funds promise their investors an going to come and take it away. In Germany annual return of 10 to 15 percent and to make no one’s going to ask questions – there’s no But how can investors still manage to this money quickly – usually in less than 10 transparency of real estate ownership, no stay anonymous despite these new con- or even four years. To make this amount of checks. In 2018 there was a case where 77 trols? For example, what you can do is open money from real estate in Berlin so quickly flats worth €10 million were seized from a an investment fund in the Cayman Islands, you have to be really aggressive. Neukölln family clan. They had bought them where the investment manager will mix the with criminal cash and were only found out money of nine legitimate clients with your What strategies do they use to maximise much later. There’s very little control. We non-legitimate money, put it into the invest- profit? In Germany you can’t just raise have the same rules that the whole world ment fund and no one will ever know you rents the way you like, or evict tenants... has: when someone comes to a car dealer or invested. If this investment fund then buys There are different strategies. Some like estate agent with a suitcase full of cash and something, in the transparency register you to buy cheap apartment blocks and social they find it suspicious, they have to report it. would just see the name of the investment housing, let them get run-down, don’t invest But the enforcement is really weak. Take the manager. And he will say there is no official in upkeep, and just make money from the guy who worked as security at Bode Museum owner – because only those who own more rent. That’s one approach. Another popular and helped to steal the 100kg gold coin two than 25 percent have to register – so the in- approach in the past decade has been to buy years ago: he never had any money and then vestment manager will say that ownership is an apartment building, renovate, add a lift suddenly comes with a bag full of cash to buy split between many people and that he is the or balcony, and then increase the rents to a an apartment and no one filed a suspicious one who makes the decisions. So his name level the tenants can’t afford. When the old transaction report! will be there and the notary will say that it’s tenants are gone, they bring in new people perfectly fine. who pay three times as much. Sometimes But what about Germany’s new anti- they’ll offer tenants €10,000 or more to leave money laundering measures? Notaries How do you spot real estate that’s being and then rent out the same apartment for are supposed to report suspicious used to ‘store’ money? There’s the story of €15/sqm. You can find some of the Black- transactions and carry out background The Bishops Avenue in London with Russian stone apartments in Kreuzberg – not even in checks, from now on including that for- oligarchs buying fancy villas left empty. We the nicest streets – for rent at €18 and above! eign companies are registered with the have a few notorious housing blocks here in Others rent small rooms, furnished and German transparency register. Why isn’t Berlin: for example around Alexanderplatz serviced apartments for more than €40/sqm. it working? Take the Pears brothers from the or in Mehringhof several apartments are left Or they turn first-floor shops into homes for

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refugees, with the city paying comfortable great to have 100,000 or 200,000 more right rents. And last but not least there’s the strat- now, because now we have excess demand. egy of splitting up buildings and selling the But in five years the situation might already individual apartments for twice the price. be different. We’ll still need many more small and affordable apartments but that’s Do you think the Mietendeckel will not really what is being built at the moment. mean anything to these investors? For some it could spell real trouble. For exam- So who owns Berlin? The Real Estate ple, Akelius owns more than 50,000 apart- lobby likes to say that 50 percent of flats ments around the world, nearly 14,000 here are owned by small people: nice old ladies in Berlin. Akelius is specialised in renovating or the baker who bought an apartment for apartments and them out for €16/ his retirement. It’s true that 50 percent are spm or more. Considering that one third privately owned but many of them by the of Akelius’s apartments are already mod- lords and dukes, the billionaires and multi- ernised and charging these kinds of rents, millionaires who own hundreds of them. they might have a big problem. The Pears brothers are perfect examples, but there’s also that local politician who owns Do you think the rent freeze is a good Tax policy specialist Christoph Trautvetter Berlin real estate worth €100 million, or Mr. idea? I think it’s a very good idea. Many works with Netzwerk Steuergerechtigkeit Berggruen the billionaire who used to own landlords don’t have any need or reason to (The Tax Justice Network) and leads the Rosa Karstadt and has plenty of apartments in increase rents. Most of them bought their Luxemburg ’s project Wem gehört Kreuzberg; or the Samwer apartments 10 to 20 years ago for €1000- die Stadt? (Who owns the city?). In June 2019 brothers... There are many more we don’t 2000/sqm, and so with a rent of €6/sqm, he released a study on 12 companies which know about. It’s a huge work to collect all they can already make a very decent profit. together own 10 percent of the Berlin real this data and we’re already making progress. If they charge €9/sqm or more they are mak- estate. He’ll be speaking at the Disruption But we will only really know the full truth ing profits that are completely unreasonable Network Lab conference “Evicted by Greed” once we have an open land register, which I considering the low level of risk: like eight to on March 27. think will take at least another 10 years. 10 percent on a very safe investment. Look at the property market: until 2012, Berlin Why so long? The wealthy people in Ger- property sold for €1000/sqm, now it’s more square meter per person is increasing. Mean- many – the few very wealthy families – are than €3000/sqm. Within six or seven years, while their children and many young people allergic to transparency for an obvious rea- anyone who owned real estate made a profit have been moving here looking for their own son. Because the only way to sustain such an of 300 percent! My opinion is that no one flats. Give it another five years and this peak unequal system is by hiding it. We are living should make this kind of profit. Germany will be over. Meanwhile all that construc- in a democracy and if it comes down to tak- is a very unequal country in a world that is tion being launched at the moment will have ing away from 10,000 people to redistribute extremely unequal. We need to regulate and come to market. So we might even end up to 10 million, you will always find a major- redistribute this wealth. with too many flats. ity for that. So that’s why they are fighting tooth and nail against anything that brings So how do you suggest wealth should be Everyone says “We need to build more”. transparency because it will create the public redistributed? It will have to be a pack- You’re saying don’t, we’ll end up with pressure to change something. By doing so age of different solutions. You have to make too many flats?! I think the blind focus on they allow the crooks and criminals to hide speculation less profitable, through regulat- building is completely misplaced. It would be using the same . T ing rents, and possibly a tax on transactions. You also need to work on making it harder for dirty money to invest in real estate, The big 12: companies owning more than 3000 flats in Berlin which would already make the demand a bit smaller. You can redistribute using a mix of Company Flats Main investor a wealth tax and taxing gains also for private Deutsche Wohnen SE 111,500 BlackRock individuals or by expropriating at historical Vonovia SE 41,943 BlackRock values, basically the expropriation model the Deutsche Wohnen & Co. Enteignen cam- ADO Properties SA 22,238 Israeli company/ private equity corporation Apollo paign is calling for: to buy back apartments Covivio SE 15,970 Italian billionaire Leonardo del Vecchio Foundation based in the Bahamas, founded by from any company owning more than 3000 Akelius 13,817 apartments in the city at 2012 prices. Roger Akelius (Sweden) TAG Immobilien AG <4000 Massachusetts Financial Services Company (USA) How do you see the Berlin property SA 8141 Cypriotic law firm/Israeli billionaire Yakir Gabay market developing in the next 10 years? BGP Investment SARL ~8000 Chinese consolidated state fund That’s impossible to predict but it might Pears Global Real Estate <6000 British billionaire family Pears look very different. At the moment we have a Hilfswerk-Siedlung GmbH (HWS) 4607 Protestant Church (100 percent) peak of demand for housing, because of age- IMW Immobilien SE/ropiuswohnen 4245 Warwick Square Foundation, Jersey (100 percent) ing babyboomers, which means many single pensioners living in apartments that are far DVI >3800 unknown too big – and you can see that the average Source: Profitmaximierer oder verantwortungsvolle Vermieter? Foundation, June 2019

20 EXBERLINER 191 - 21

Martin N. Hinze - - Landlords must now must Landlords decide between of all,” said Georgio (last name withheld), aof all,” said Georgio (last name withheld), “Theyone-flat landlord, should be targeting Several not us.” companies, estate the big real Berlinyears ago Georgio bought a flat in a hip kiez, spent a small fortune renovating it, and to has leased it at above-regulation rates moving are his tenants Now his costs. recoup he would the new law, to out and according “I’mlose €300 a month on a new contract. friends and familythinking of renting it to is going This law instead. without a contract The Mieten a huge black market.” create to accepting stagnant or lower rents, selling de to 10 “Whenactive, I expect five this is ants. Our understaffed.thousand cases. courts are right, nothing are Even if they [the tenants] very long time.” will happen for a very, includes “hardship” exemptions for exemptions deckel includes “hardship” But Georgio lose out. owners who stand to the numbersran and found he is ineligible. Back at the valued assets, or acting illegally. “select weremeetup, landlords advised to by carefully” choosing foreigners tenants their rights, and know or exercise to unlikely “Those who screw troublemakers: avoid to old German are their landlords people who said. As for the be right,” the lawyer love to many don’t believe of fines, threat the city “It landlords. prosecute to has the resources get a court six months just to takes already German appointment,” said one veteran who has experience evicting ten investor - - - - MARCH 2020 MARCH THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE ESTATE THE REAL

cheat, lose or sell The landlord’s dilemma: Other cities have rentOther caps, but none on cities have “I understand why they did something, but“I understand they why did something, me mostthey hurting small owners are like spite existing federal rental – the regulations spite sup Mietpreisbremse – that are , or rent brake But there were no cool the market. posed to meaning that 95 penalties for cheating the law, percent of flats advertised in Berlin in the past year were above the allowed limit, according a study by Immobilienscout24. to ing market, to restrict investors’ profit, and profit, investors’ restrict to ing market, rental from stress.” tenants protect this scale. Given 85 percent of Berlin’s 3.7 the cap is onemillion residents tenants, are of the most impactful of any worldwide. Sup long overdue. are the regulations say porters been over rising rapidly Berlin rents the have past decade, particularly for new contracts almost doubled. That’s de where prices have erty. The historic vote was split along party vote The historic erty. Die lines: the ruling coalition of the SPD, opposition and Die Grünen in favour; Linke Sitting FDP and AfD members against. CDU, in the viewer’s gallery Wild was Rainer of the say could Association. “You Berlin Tenants’ it’s the biggest and most important reform in the city since the fall of the ,” the first time in decades, they Wild said. “For in the hous intervene strongly trying to are - - - - - politics By Joel Dullroy By Joel I admit, I love private property. I property. I admit, I love private be think there’s to nothing ashamed of,” the young real The ice age cometh estate lawyer told the crowd crammed into the crowd into crammed told lawyer estate office in broker’s of a credit the backroom Mitte. and The meeting for landlords was held in property investors potential all ratherEnglish. “I assume that you are not The anxious audience braved had left-wing.” discuss the to weeknight a wet February change their to rental that threaten reforms a show of hands, to According fortunes. buy an apartment; the to about half wanted other ridicu half were “It’s owners. already cians heckled and whooped as the law was cians heckled and whooped as the law and then passed, thus effectively debated for rental prop suspending market the free Only days earlier the Act for the Restriction Only days in Berlinof Residential Rents – better known as the Mietendeckel in by a rowdy – was voted Politi parliament. session of Berlin’s state tion.” But he cautioned the crowd to take it take tion.” But he cautioned the crowd to you law, into it’s been voted seriously: “Now the rentmust respect freeze.” necked man. The lawyer shared their angst. their angst. shared man. The lawyer necked violates he said. “It law,” a terrible “It’s the constitu property rights, and it violates lous,” exclaimed one woman. “It’s a hostile one woman. “It’s lous,” exclaimed said a turtle against investors,” climate

The city’s radical rent The city’s radical freeze everyoneby took it was a surprise. And damn good one for the vast majority of the city’s tenants. it. But not everyone likes meet-up join a landlord We a tenants-rights and talk to activist and an FDP free- leader – all of market unhappywhom are with the new law.

Berlin’s rental rental Berlin’s revolution THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE

Inside story Constitution to the rescue?

Most landlords, and the real estate industry as a whole, are now Politics under the cap banking on successful legal challenges to the Mietendeckel. Several cases are expected to be brought before Germany’s constitutional How the Mietendeckel was a random pro- court – a process which could take years. The key question is whether posal that stumbled to success – almost states, rather than the federal government, have the right to regulate blowing up the coalition and contributing rents. Both sides have amassed legal ammunition for their cases, and to the curtailment of the mayor’s career. prominent lawyers have lined up to both praise and denounce the law. Supporters say states were granted powers over housing by a 2006 Berlin’s groundbreaking Mietendeckel seemingly came from federal reform. Opponents say that doesn’t extend to controlling nowhere. It wasn’t the result of a grand and idealistic political prices. A separate legal challenge will be mounted, arguing the laws project. It featured in no party’s manifesto at the 2016 city elec- cause financial hardship and must be suspended until they can be tion. It is a result of infightings within Berlin’s ruling evaluated. German courts could decide to reject the law in part or in coalition partners, the SPD, Die Linke and Die Grünen – all eager whole. If the law is upheld, opponents are already talking about taking to win ground among centre and left voters. matters to the European Court of Justice. Housing campaigners and Its inception can be traced back to late 2018 and the grassroots legal scholars around the world are paying close attention: politicians campaign Deutsche Wohnen & Co. Enteignen that launched a from to Munich are already calling for similar freezes. petition calling for the city to forcibly take over thousands of apartments from large property companies. It soon gained enough Keeping up the pressure signatures to trigger a referendum process. Startled, politicians scrambled to placate citizens with a moderate compromise. While landlords are outraged over the Mietendeckel, some renters are The first proposal for the Mietendeckel came from federal SPD also upset. The law doesn’t go far enough, according to long-time member Eva Högl, who in January 2019 published a policy paper activist Gerhard Wasielewski. “I’m not at all happy,” he said. “Every together with two lawyers, Kilian Wegner and Julian Zado. It was year there are 6000 . There are people working in low-paying then taken up as official policy by the Berlin branch of the SPD. jobs and retirees who can’t find an affordable home in Berlin. There But not all in the party were on board: Michael Müller, Berlin’s are thousands of homeless people on the streets. The Mietendeckel mayor and SPD chief, was particularly opposed. doesn’t help these people at all.” Administration insiders say Müller tried to kill off the Mietendeckel Wasielewski dresses up as the Miethai, or rent shark, at street by handing responsibility for its implementation to someone he demonstrations. And he isn’t putting away his shark mask just yet. He thought would fail: Berlin’s housing minister Katrin Lompscher, was among several dozen activists meeting in a Kreuzberg commu- from Die Linke. Lompscher pushed back, arguing for a joint- nity space to plan a protest at Potsdamer Platz on March 28 under the party working group to realise the complicated legal policy. But banner of “Mietenwahnsinn” – rental madness. “If the pressure from Müller’s office refused: Lompscher and Die Linke should do the under stops, the action from above will too,” he said. The Mieten- work, and bear the blame and shame when it failed. “The Sozis wahnsinn activists are calling for a universal right to accommoda- (SPD) are throwing us a hot potato. The Mietendeckel is a hard tion, which would oblige the city government to provide a home to case. It puts us on thin ice,” Linke leader Klaus Lederer said in whomever needs one. March 2019. What followed was months of negative leaks to the Berlin Misguided and set to misfire press against Lompscher and the Mietendeckel, which some insiders think came from Müller’s office. This peaked on June Meanwhile for the free marketeers of the FDP, the Mietendeckel is 10, when details of the planned law reached the press, revealing ideologically abhorrent. They believe only more supply would result for the first time that rents were to be frozen. Property owners’ in downward prices, and argue no new housing will be built. “Invest- association Haus und Grund immediately advised its members ments and new construction will be slowed down by the Mietend- to raise their rents, and tens of thousands did so. eckel,” predicts Sebastian Czaja, Berlin FDP faction leader, sitting in Incensed, Die Linke called for an emergency coalition meeting, his parliamentary office. Yet the new law specifically excludes new threatening to pull out of the government if Müller didn’t stop properties as a way to incentivise investors to shift from buying to undermining the Mietendeckel. The SPD, trailing in the polls, building. Between 2009 and 2018, investors spent €139 billion pur- could hardly afford to risk an election. Days later, on June 18, chasing old buildings, and only €16 billion building new ones, accord- the coalition parties jointly signed a commitment to deliver the ing to Die Linke. Mietendeckel. Months of inter-party wrangling followed, but Czaja also criticises Berlin state authorities for failing to issue Lompscher managed to complete the complex job and hand building permits. Yet there are some 65,000 approved sites where over a draft law, which was finally approved by the Berlin par- construction hasn’t started. In some cases, investors obtain permits liament on January 30, 2020. Mayor Müller, the Mietendeckel’s in order to sell the vacant land at a profit. Confronted with these least fervent cheerleader, was absent for much of that historic facts, Czaja shifts arguments. “The problem is nobody trusts this parliamentary session. One day earlier he had announced he government because it completely changes its position overnight,” would be leaving office before the next election. Czaja concludes. Some investors believe the city has other motives: Berlin has a history of revolutions caused by mistake, not least to force down the price of apartments to enable state-owned housing the opening of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 because of er- companies to buy them at knock-down rates. “It’s a land grab,” said roneous comments by East German official Günter Schabowski. one British investor at the property meet-up. He said a city-owned The Mietendeckel is the latest Schabowski moment. Now begins housing company had asked to buy one of his apartment blocks in a new exciting, terrifying and unpredictable chapter in Berlin’s Friedrichshain. “They want to pressurize investors to sell to them. history. — JD They want to scare us away.” T

22 EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE Berlin Mietendeckel How does it affect you?

If you’re a tenant Rejoice! Your rent is now officially frozen. Your next rent increase may come in 2022, when landlords can add 1.3 percent due to inflation. And your current rent could decrease, if you are paying 20 percent above the new legal limits. Additional costs for furnished flats, short-term and extra services can no longer be added. Only properties built after 2014 are exempt from the cap. Your landlord is now obliged to send you a letter telling you the age and condition of your building so you can check the correct rate. If you’re paying too much, you’re entitled to a reduction as of November 2020. But careful – lawyers at wenigermiete.de advise tenants to keep paying current rents until the court cases around the legality of the cap are resolved, but add “Zahlung unter Vorbehalt” to their bank transfers see what to reserve the right to eventually claim back-payments. In the meantime you may already be entitled to a rent reduction under the existing rent cap (the so-called Mietpreisbremse) which is legally solid. Join a tenants’ association or use wenigermiete.de to check. you‘re If you’re subletting The Berlin Senat says the Mietendeckel also applies to sublets, including rooms in shared flats. Main tenants have the same obligations as landlords. Your rent should be based on your room size and share of common spaces, and shared costs for utilities. Your main tenant is obliged to pass on information about the rent freeze and possible reduc- tions. If comradely discussions fail, soon you can go to the Bezirksamt for missing advice. Cheating subletters may face big fines. If you’re a landlord Tread very carefully. You’re now liable for a fine of up to €500,000 if you step out of line. And don’t count on the constitution- al court cases – the Mietendeckel is effective until decided otherwise. For new contracts, you can now only charge the maximums listed in the rent cap table (from €3.92/sqm to €9.80/sqm). For existing contracts, you can charge 120 percent of what the table lists. Renovations according to strict criteria may allow an additional €1/sqm. Charges for furnishings, limited tenancies and extras are no longer permitted. You’ll soon be obliged to inform your tenant about the age and condition of your building. Legal opinions about how to formulate this letter differ. Berlin’s biggest property owners as- sociation, the BBU, is advising members to proactively reduce rent to avoid fines. You may need to lawyer up. For advice and support, you could join an association such as Haus & Grund. You can still use AirBnB, but only if you are registered with the Woh- nungsamt – and acceptance is not automatic. Keeping your property vacant for more than three months leaves you liable for a fine. You could choose to move into your own flat, but will have to give your tenants a notice period of up to 10 years. Be careful about striking handshake deals for extra rent. Your tenant could turn on you at any time and report you. Merely receiving too much rent could make you liable for a fine. There are plenty of people offering tips to skirt the law. Use your own moral compass to decide what to do: fight, evade and risk a fine, or play it safe and wait it out.

If you want to rent a flat Congratulations! You’ve hit the jackpot. New rental contracts are now capped at bargain prices. All those overpriced ads are invalid. You can’t legally be charged more than €9.80/sqm (plus around a euro, depending). Furniture is now included and short-term leases are the same as long ones. Better still, you can accept an overpriced con- tract, move in, and then immediately cut your rent to the legal maximum. If you’ve agreed to a grey market handshake deal, you’re safe but your land- lord is in trouble. You can report them to the Bezirksamt, and they could be native speaker fined €500,000. The only problem is finding a flat! Catch Joel Dullroy’s podcast “Rent Freeze”, from Radio Spaetkauf, at exberliner.com Goltzstraße 12 - Schöneberg MARCH 2020 215 40 60 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE architecture

lent, unjust past. From 1924, GEHAG’s head architect was , a pacifist socialist An egalitarian estate determined to bring dignity to working class accommodation. Throughout the decade, over 10,000 apart- Prenzlauer Berg is home ments were built according to Taut’s plans, to an architectural World The right to healthy housing often with his protégé Franz Hillinger, each Heritage Site: Bruno Taut’s combining minimalist Bauhaus stylings with Berlin’s modernist housing estates are a an emphasis on nature and light. Schillerpark colourful 1928 Wohnstadt product of the context in which they were in Wedding is an elegant experiment with Carl Legien. The social- built – and the political will that made them floor plans and courtyards, while the famous minded Modernist estate possible. After the First World War, Berlin “Horseshoe estate” in Britz splendidly skirts faced broad social and economic difficulties. a central pond. Two more of Taut’s designs is a testimony to the in- The city had swelled since becoming the cap- – the pre-war Garden City and novative ways Berlin once ital of the unified German Reich, the popula- the Wohnstadt Carl Legien – join Reinick- thought about housing. tion growing over 150 percent between 1871 endorf’s White City and the Siemenstadt at and 1919. With nearly a million residents, the border of Charlottenburg and Spandau to By Alexander Wells, greater Berlin was the world’s third most complete Berlin’s sextet of UNESCO-listed photos by Marcelina Wellmer populous city. Yet urban planning was largely Modernist developments. unregulated, with housing left to the private Weimar Berlin was utopian – but there sector. A vast surplus of workers and urban were darker days to come. When the Nazis t the easternmost limit of Prenzlauer poor found themselves paying extortionate rose to power, they took over GEHAG and Berg stands an unusual piece of Berlin rents to live in the notorious Mietskasernen – forced out Wagner. Taut fled via Japan to A history. Set in an unfashionable neigh- dark, overcrowded tenement buildings beset , where he lived and worked until bourhood at the intersection with Weis- with health and safety problems. his death in 1938. His architectural legacy sensee and Pankow and encircled by five Article 155 of the Weimar Constitution there led him to become the first, and last, discount supermarkets, it is easy to miss. But changed that, affirming the right to “healthy non-Muslim to be buried in the Edirnekapı heading east down Erich-Weinert-Straße, the housing” and the state’s duty to supervise Martyr’s Cemetery in . side streets, lined with shrubbery and trees, landlords, intervening where necessary in grow wider; the cheery-painted buildings are order to “prevent abuse”. In booming Berlin, Beating tenements arranged on wide courtyards, a surprising with a shortfall of hundreds of thousands on their own terms splash of colour here and there. of suitable apartments, the authorities had If it weren’t for the occasional tourist their work cut out for them. But they were The Wohnstadt Carl Legien – named after a snapping photos, you wouldn’t guess that also big thinkers and prepared to take risks. prominent trade unionist – is unique among Wohnstadt Carl Legien is a UNESCO World Armed with funding from a redistributive the UNESCO estates for its focus on work- Heritage site. But this Modernist hous- housing tax, formidable city planner Martin ers. Built in then-proletarian Prenzlauer Berg ing estate, together with five others across Wagner spearheaded a range of new devel- in 1928-1930, this was Taut’s cheapest and Berlin, was given the UNESCO distinction opments through a housing cooperative most central project. According to biogra- in 2008 as an “outstanding testimony” to named GEHAG. pher Kurt Junghanns, Taut wanted Wohn- the progressive building and housing poli- This drive was the perfect opportunity stadt Carl Legien to show that new humane cies of pre-war and Weimar Berlin. Whereas for a new generation of forward-thinking design principles – adapted to the high- most of the other developments are in outer architects, including Bauhaus founder Walter density setting – could defeat the tenement suburbs, Carl Legien is just off Prenzlauer Gropius. For these young radicals, more system on its own terms. Allee, a stone’s throw away from Berlin harmonious forms of urban living would Eighty percent of the estate’s 1149 apart- State Ballet School. allow modern Europe to break from its vio- ments have only 1.5 or 2 rooms. These are

24 EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE

Visiting Bruno Taut’s UNESCO estates

Wohnstadt Carl-Legien Grouped housed in four- and five-story buildings spread undergoing hyper-gentrification, brought on by around Erich-Weinert-Straße, a mere over 8.5 hectares. Despite limited land and an luxury renovations and upscale . 10-minute walk from S-Bahn Pren- austerity budget, Taut wanted residents to en- The Wohnstadt Carl Legien is closer to working- zlauer Allee, this is the most cen- joy a sense of space and community. His solu- class Weißensee than to Kollwitzplatz, both geo- trally located of Taut’s Berlin estates. tion was building long U-shaped blocks around graphically and in spirit, but annual rent increases Visitors can walk across most of the three large courtyards, each opening onto the have strained its social fabric. estate and relax at Café Eckstern central Erich-Weinert-Straße. Every apart- According to the local Mieterbeirat, while the (Sodtkestr. 20, Mon-Sun 8-19) amidst ment had a balcony or loggia; functional rooms problems are less severe than elsewhere in Berlin Bauhaus-inspired murals. like bathrooms and kitchens faced the outside (an 85sqm flat on the estate’s Sodtkestraße was street, while bedrooms and living rooms looked advertised for rent in 2019 by Deutsche Wohnen The most towards the greenery. for €821 cold), the estate has been changing, with spectacular Taut creation is the To make these courtyards inviting, Taut numerous long-term renters leaving and many “Horseshoe Estate” in Britz, right by had the walls painted blue, red and green. His who stay feeling acute financial pressure. One the U-Bahn Parchimer Allee. Stroll love of colour was rather eccentric – he called older resident, who wished to remain anonymous, around the central pond then head it the “joy of life” – and he was mocked as said she was proud to live in a Bruno Taut estate. to the café and information station “colour-blind” by Le Corbusier. More recently, “Living here is like a village,” she said, noting the to learn more about Berlin’s large Taut’s colour scheme has been refreshed, with rare greenery and calm. But, having lived in Carl housing estates. Two-hour guided staircases in orange and white and the window Legien for 14 years, she believes residents must be tours in English can be booked frames bearing Bauhaus yellow, red and blue. protected from rent increases. In her building, she online for €19. Keen beans might The original Modernist signage on Gubitz- says, everyone but her husband and her are new stay the night at Tautes Heim, a straße has also been restored. It had been taken younger tenants, often paying far higher rents. “rentable museum” that recreates his down by the Nazis and not replaced by the It is peculiar that UNESCO-listed housing – par- interior design concept (from €150 GDR authorities as the estate fell into disrepair ticularly radical social housing – is owned by a pri- per night, three nights minimum). – ironically, perhaps, given the Communist re- vate company, and reflects the city’s tangled history gime’s esteem for state housing. In West Berlin, of real estate since unification. In 2003, the Berlin Gartenstadt Falkenberg Taut’s meanwhile, Taut’s other designs helped inspire Senat stopped investing in social housing altogether, earliest design (1912), this madly a number of major developments, although the though faced with a serious housing shortage, they colorful “garden city” in Altglienecke “large estate” paradigm eventually lost popular- became active again in 2014. Having flogged state aims for the look of an idyllic rural ity. After the Wende, Berlin’s notorious sell-offs housing at dirt-cheap prices, Berlin faces the tough village. Start at the orange-coloured of public housing saw most modernist estates choice between building pricey new apartments Akazienhof on Am Falkenberg, then transferred into private hands. GEHAG was and buying back once-public buildings in order to explore the wartime extensions partially sold in 1998 and the Wohnstadt Carl keep rents manageable, as they did last year with built on nearby Gartenstadtweg Legien and three of the other UNESCO sites 670 units on Karl-Marx-Allee. Through measures and around. The S-Bahn at Berlin- were snapped up by controversial landlord like buy-backs and the rent ceiling alongside activist Grünau is a five-minute walk. Deutsche Wohnen. campaigns against mega-landlords, Berlin is becom- ing a laboratory for non-market housing options. Siedlung Schillerpark Located on A durable concept? Only a few thousand people live in the Wohn- Bristolstraße in Wedding’s English stadt Carl Legien today, but the work of Taut and Quarter, a short walk from U-Bahn Carl Legien has since been carefully renovated Wagner has had a much broader influence. Their Rehberge, this is the most minimal- through a process of compromise with renters, high standards, innovative designs and unabashed ist of the Taut estates. Check out private landlords and heritage requirements. idealism shifted the expectations for social hous- the red-brick patterning and the Yet, under private ownership, Taut’s social ing in Europe. Berlin’s UNESCO sites, Carl Legien unique orientation of the buildings, ambition for the site as a mixed community of included, stand as a reminder of what progressive then take a walk in the century-old neighbours is proving harder to protect than public action on housing can achieve – especially Schillerpark across the street. the architecture. Prenzlauer Berg has been when the state keeps its people in focus. T

MARCH 2020 25 - - - Shifting attitudes Shifting It’s easy to see why politicians see why easy to It’s bring the Feld chosen to have agenda. the political back onto rents are average the city, Across up 26 percent since the origi nal 2014 referendum. And with signs that Berliners might be see development on willing to the housing to alleviate the field seen crunch, the parties have 2019 a May In an opportunity. byopinion poll commissioned RBB and the Berliner Morgenpost, percent of those questioned 59 of said they would be in favour perimeter, building on the site’s Diegowith 38 percent against. Cárdenas Tempel 100% from these figures disputes hofer Feld

ASTOC Polling aside, there is a genuine sense that Polling and rejects the idea that the mood has and rejects with changed. “These polls should be taken Exberlinera pinch of salt,” he told , counter ing that surveyhighly dependent are results on which parts of the population you ask. “What of people that about the thousands they Are every day? Feld visit Tempelhofer polls?” Indeed, in these being represented 2019 When an August the numbers do vary. poll by newspaper asked free Berliner Woche specifically whether there should be another referendum, 68 percent of respondents said of the RBB result. opposite no – the precise the housing crisis has caused public attitudes resident Leonie Umbach Friedenau shift. to down the vote was one of the 64.3 percent to Senat’s plans in 2014 because she had no faith in politicians: “They knew already in the early that a housing shortage was coming,” vote to me this was a reason “For she says. against – politicians had shown themselves incapable of thinking and acting in the long- since of Berliners.” Having interests term experienced first-hand the housing pressures rent fight two increases by her– she had to now believes – Umbach landlord there is a to be got case for building on the field. “It’s done sensibly “it can’t be though,” she insists, Platz or Mercedes-Benz another Potsdamer dead against the Campaign groups quarter.” support2014 plans now also give tentative Deutsche from Thomas McGath building. to an initiative campaigning Enteignen, Wohnen of 200,000 privately-owned for the return is his group public hands, says flats into not against “We’re by and large in favour: question is what’s being but the real building, built, who it’s for and how much it’s actually rent prices down.” The SPD keep helping to will housing at Tempelhof their promises be a “social rent” of €6.50 per metre, square - - - - urban planning

EXBERLINER 191 THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE ESTATE THE REAL By Benjamin Haughton The social democrat SPD and conser land to provide new habitats for wildlife. provide new habitats for wildlife. land to Any decision on these plans has been ruled opposition out during this parliament due to the governingfrom Green and Left par Pop Ramona Though with Greens like ties. well have the consensus may now wavering, next year. by the time the city votes shifted Any optimism felt by campaigners in 2014 is a distant memory now. vative CDU also favour building, but for but for building, vative CDU also favour them moderation is the name of the game. its Both parties feel the Senat overplayed hand in 2014, and that with a less intru sive development, they could well get the both their plans Crucially, public on board. 6000 flats in around limit construction to the south-east corner by the Autobahn and the much-loved Damm, leaving Tempelhofer Schillerkiez and Columbiaquartier edges the too: There other are sweeteners intact. rent the flats will be for social SPD promises planting a while the CDU proposes only, of wood – an area “Klimawald” 110-hectare a “beacon” for “creating housing efficientlya “beacon” for “creating that the and promises and intelligently” His in this. a role local community will have strip along would see a 100-hectare proposals built on – much entire perimeter the site’s plot put forward bolder than the 75-hectare 2014 plans. in the rejected - - - -

s the referendum came in on results May 25, 2014, campaigners couldn’t believe their luck. 64.3 percent of

Fast forward six years – and a decade since six years – and a decade forward Fast 26 cember, Sebastian Czaja, leader of the liberal cember, FDP’s faction in Berlin’s city and pro-market parliament, his party’s plans to put forward build 12,000 flats on the field, with a mix of and social units alongside commercial private the development will be Czaja says buildings. tection of the site in law. With the field safe, in law. of the site tection a sigh of relief. activists could breathe it first became a public park – and the 300 on warm 60,000 visitors draws site hectare the field is its popularity, despite Yet days. once again facing an uncertain The future. and as this need has city needs housing, shift back onto begun to grown, eyes have for construction. as a prime site Tempelhof announcement a headline-grabbing In in De aged to gather the forcing 185,328 signatures, aged to that The victory vote. a public put it to city to the diggers, but ledfollowed not only stopped , Feldes the Gesetz zum Erhalt des Tempelhofer to a piece of legislation that enshrines the pro ping it in its tracks. It was a big achievement: It ping it in its tracks. both local and national media supportdespite of the former airport,for building on a quarter man Feld 100% Tempelhofer campaign group A With the housing shortage squeezing renters now more Withshortage squeezing renters the housing constructing new flats on Berliners’ than ever, table. But it’s a tough on the is once more Feld favourite housing? or affordable call: urban nature The Tempelhof The Tempelhof dilemma Berliners had just voted against the Senat’sBerliners had just voted stop Feld, build on Tempelhofer to proposal THE REAL ESTATE ISSUE

though McGath’s group suggests rents between €3 regular earners – 80sqm flats are listed at €650,000 and €4 if pensioners and the unemployed are to – the project at least shows you can build housing afford them. For comparison, last year’s Mietspiegel and end up with a net gain in green space. listed a Berlin average of €6.72 and the new rent cap Of course, city planning is more than a numbers prescribes a maximum of €8 for most flats. De- game and any loss of space on Tempelhofer Feld tails of the FDP and CDU’s affordability measures to housing would impact its function as a sanctu- remain uncertain. ary for people and animals. “The field is one of the One of the sticking points in 2014 was the top- most valuable habitats in Berlin for certain birds, down nature of the Senat’s plans, and for McGath hosting 40 percent of the whole skylark population this was a big reason why the city lost. “People in the city,” says Dr. Mascarenhas. And in addition have an innate desire to have control over their to keeping Berliners entertained, it also keeps them city,” he says. Any new decisions over housing on cool by minimising the urban heat effect – a benefit Tempelhofer Feld, he believes, need to be made that Mascarenhas notes is “particularly relevant in with the blessing of locals: “It’s not a question the face of climate change”. of where you can just throw up apartments, but instead doing it in a way that’s sustainable and A battle looms connected to people’s areas.” On this, the SPD has learnt its lesson: it proposes a “competition of In the end, the public will decide the future of ideas” so local stakeholders can have a say on the Tempelhofer Feld. All the parties agree that a refer- new plans. endum must be held before any decision is made, and victory is by no means certain. Campaigners Grass versus concrete are already preparing to stand in front of the bull- dozers, including Kreuzberg activist Georg Daniels When it comes to housing, Berlin is playing who helped develop city guidelines for maintaining catch up. Years of underinvestment and a grow- Tempelhof as a green space. “In terms of housing ing population mean the city has to build at least policy and the city’s approach to the environment, 20,000 flats a year just to bring supply in step with it’s completely idiotic,” he says of the proposals to demand. For Senat planners, this build. The idea of Tempelhof as a means finding a compromise solution to the housing problem between the need for homes and is a myth, he points out, and the need for green space, and unfairly pits green space against Tempelhofer Feld isn’t the only homes. “There are so many other oasis under threat. The Senat’s sites in public ownership that 2030 housing plans will see 26 al- should be considered before lotments built upon – a prospect We’re not against even thinking of building on the no more popular with green field,” he says. Indeed, citywide fingered Berliners than digging building, but the there are 60,000 flats which have up Tempelhof. With politicians planning approval but have yet to having to pick between options real question be built, and countless more that BERLIN like these, it’s easy to see why are finished but sitting empty. some have decided the field is is what’s being The Senat estimates Berlin is ORANIENPLATZ worth another shot. likely to need at least 194,000 But not everyone is convinced built, who it’s for new apartments by 2030. by this kind of “either or” think- For Daniels and Diego Cárde- ing. Dr. André Mascarenhas from and how much nas from 100% Tempelhofer BY the Landscape Ecology Lab at Feld, a lot of the noise about HAKAN SAVAŞ MİCAN Humboldt University Berlin it’s actually Tempelhof is the parties posi- argues that by using brownfield tioning themselves ahead of the sites and empty buildings, it is helping to keep 2021 elections, with FDP par- possible to house more people ticularly keen to push the issue. FROM 28/MARCH without sacrificing green space. rent prices down. “The FDP is tiny in Berlin and to While this sort of development overcome the five percent hurdle is more complicated, planners in the next elections they need ought to “weigh that effort against being able to proposals and issues that will bring in the votes,” offer higher quality of life to city residents,” he Cárdenas says. The party is already pursuing a ref- ALL PLAYS WITH says. Yes, people need homes to live in, but they erendum, and if it can gather the 20,000 signatures ENGLISH SURTITLES need green spaces too – a philosophy the city has required it could secure a vote as early as next year. shown can work in practice. The development of But any push to build will come up against a feisty Gleisdreieck on a former GDR railway depot near public campaign by the park’s supporters – not to Potsdamer Platz saw planners come up with a mix mention the 100 percenters who won last time. of new housing and recreational space, culminating Daniels gathered signatures back in 2014 and is in a 31-hectare park that opened in 2011. Though preparing to defend the field once again. “You bet its slick newbuild homes are beyond the reach of we’ll fight,” he says. T MAXIM GORKI THEATER Am Festungsgraben 2, 10117 Berlin

MARCH 2020 Box Offi ce: 0049 30/ 20 221 115 Tickets online: www.gorki.de WHAT’S ON — Film

The pursuit of certainty

Editor’s Choice Three filmmakers search for truth in family, media and war – with varying results. By David Mouriquand

Japanese director work- veteran tell the true story of an himself, is essentially hoist with his ing abroad, an American American security guard who foiled own petard. A screen veteran and a self- a terrorist bomb plot at the 1996 Finally – and saving the most DON’T MISS taught journalist from Syria: three Atlanta Olympics. The event was vital film this month till last – is film‑makers seek to peel back reality misreported at the time and Jewell For Sama (photo). This diary film Filmbörse’s and uncover truths. ended up hounded by the press and charts the bombardment of Aleppo second-hand gems Hirokazu Kore-eda’s appropriately suspected of being a terrorist by the by Assad, one that sees a mother not Hungry for some titled La Vérité (The Truth) is his FBI. Openly conservative and no only chronicling conflict but also vintage memorabilia or rare knick-knacks? first film outside of his native Japan. fan of what the current occupant of making a testament for her daugh- Head to Filmbörse He’s set his sights on Paris, where 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. labels the ter, whose birth city is gradually at Teleger See- Catherine Deneuve plays a fading “fake news media”, Eastwood was dying around her child. Assisted by terrassen’s Palais am diva actress who’s about to publish a perfect fit for this story, which co-director Edward Watts, Syrian See for a movie flea market bazaar unlike her memoirs. Her long-suffering continues his run of often-clumsy self-taught video journalist Waad any other. daughter (Juliette Binoche) realises crusades – from American Sniper to al-Kateab reconstructs four years Mar 1, 10-15:00 that many crucial elements have Sully – that deal with real-life figures of her life – from her support of the Berlin Film Society been airbrushed in the book. “I can’t whose heroic acts have been unfairly civil revolution to the arrival of her presents Honey Boy find any truth here,” she tells her scrutinised. No surprises here, as daughter and her days as one of the Catch Alma Har’el’s mother about her version of events. Paul Walter Hauser is terrific in last remaining rebels in Aleppo – in fantastic Honey Boy, starring Shia Ironically, the same could be said the central role, helped by a stel- a profoundly stirring documentary LaBeouf, at Babylon about La Vérité itself. The encounter lar supporting cast (Sam Rockwell, that shows the camera’s power to Kino. It won between one of Japan’s most vital Kathy Bates), but the film lacks nu- denounce barbarism, crystalise facts, the Special Jury filmmakers and the two French thes- ance and feels problematic. Espe- and prove the soul’s defiant Prize at Sundance and remains without pian heavyweights promised much, cially egregious is its misogynistic nature. The documentary also poses German distribution, but none of it rings true, and you’re presentation of a fictitious event as broader, existential questions about so don’t miss it on left with a middling mother-daughter fact, focusing on a female journalist parenthood in a heartbreakingly the big screen for one night only. melodrama we’ve seen countless (played by Olivia Wilde) who sleeps profound manner. While it might Mar 4, 19:30 times before. It’s baffling how the with a source for information. East- sound unbearably grim, For Sama is filmmaker behind the 2018 Palme wood wants to celebrate an unsung a hopeful cry of defiance and an es- EXBlicks: The Last Berliner d’Or-winning Shoplifters could make hero but, by misrepresenting facts sential watch. T Catch director such a bland film. Both Deneuve and Gregor Erler and his Binoche are on fine form but can’t Berlin real estate thriller about one shoulder the whole project, which La Vérité (The Truth) Starts Mar 5 D: Hirokazu Kore-eda tenant’s fight ends up as a textbook example of the (France, Japan 2019), with Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche | For Sama against a greedy limits of nominative determinism. Starts Mar 5 D: Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts (Syria, UK 2019) | real estate investor. Only marginally better is Clint Richard Jewell Starts Mar 19 D: Clint Eastwood (US 2019), with At Lichtblick Kino as usual. Eastwood’s latest movie Richard Paul Walter Hauser Mar 23, 20:15 Jewell, which sees the Hollywood

28 EXBERLINER 191 WHAT’S ON — Film

Previews

Seventh feminist challenge The Berlin Feminist Film Week has committed to providing a platform for those frequently neglected in the film industry.

The seventh Berlin Feminist Film Week provides a diverse selection from multiple genres, as well as workshops and panels. The open- ing film is Haifaa al-Mansour’s The Perfect Candidate, an uplifting fable about a young Muslim doctor, Maryam, who campaigns to win a local election. Set in a small Saudi-Arabian town, the story tackles the topic of women’s rights and observes the possibility of changing dynamics through the lens of its central character. The programme also includes a wide variety of documentaries exploring feminist experiences. Our standout is Paula Eiselt’s debut feature 93Queen, about a group of Hasidic women in who try to form the first all-female volunteer ambulance corps in New York. As an Orthodox Jew, the filmmaker was allowed impressive and unprecedented access to the insular community and its rituals. The resulting documentary is one not to miss. As part of the festival’s retrospective section Focus Feminist Heritage, the fest will screen German cult classic Bandits, Katja von Garnier’s 1997 road movie that sees four women inmates form a band as part of their reintegration programme and escape their prison minder. It’s both a celebration of sisterhood and a portrait of liberation well worth revisiting. — DM

Berlin Femininist Film Week Mar 5-9 BUFA Campus, full programme at berlinfeministfilmweek.com

Goalies and accidental activists 11mm International Football Film Festival caters not only to football fans but also cinephiles with a taste for stellar documentaries.

The 11mm Film Festival returns to Babylon with an eclectic line-up. It kicks off with documentary Men Of Hope, a portrait of an Afghan football team and their German-Croatian coach Petar Šegrt, who are on their way to qualifying for the Asia Cup 2019. The series of films about goalkeepers opens with the German premiere of Dutch doc Keeper, by Johan Kramer. The filmmaker followed solitary goalies from various Dutch leagues, with eye-opening and at times humorous results. There’s also a special focus this year on the worldwide develop- ment of women’s football, headlined by a screening of our festival highlight, the 2018 doc Freedom Fields. Naziha Arebi’s film follows three women and their football team in post-revolution Libya; it’s the impressive story of how they become not only role models but also accidental activists. The biggest name in this year’s programme is Asif Kapadia’s superbly edited doc Diego Maradona, which delves into the life of the infamous Argentinian legend and establishes a Jekyll and Hyde dédoublement of shy boy Diego and ego-monster Maradona. Lastly, make sure to check out Alex Gale’s UK doc The Fort, which chronicles the trials and tribulations of the Scottish Highland League team Fort William FC. Cult for all the wrong reasons, the club has been dubbed Britain’s worst football team. — DM

11mm International Football Film Festival Mar 26-30 Babylon Mitte, full programme at 11-mm.de

MARCH 2020

Unbenannt-1 1 21.01.2020 12:56:14 WHAT’S ON — Film

ReviewsInterview There’s also some tragic irony about the camera being turned against the actor… That was cer- “It’s the story of tainly an interest to me, how the same tool that an actor uses and that is used to make cinema, can be turned. the breakdown You have this parallel filmmaking be- ing made by the FBI, who go through archives, do their research, write fake of a great actor.” narratives but ultimately use the same tools of cinema. Director Benedict Andrews on going for emotional truth in his unconventional biopic . How much artistic licence did you take with the FBI surveil- By David Mouriquand lance we see in the film? We have the facts of the documents she enedict Andrews has made a could have maybe had the look, but I received and certain information has name for himself by creating can’t imagine any version of the film come to light about the tactics used Bintensely claustrophobic envi- without . She shares by COINTELPRO [a series of covert ronments for his characters on stage. a similar unpredictability and impul- projects conducted by the FBI Now he’s filming the walls enclose sive quality with Jean, who people aimed at surveilling and discrediting REVIEWS around Kristen Stewart’s tend to know as more of an icon American political organisations] in his sophomore feature film,Seberg . than as an actress. Kristen under- against activists and the way they The Perfect Set against the backdrop of the US stood that and has also experienced spread hatred and misinformation. Candidate civil rights movement of the late life in the public spotlight from a We’ve weaved in things we found D: Haifaa al- Mansour (Saudi 1960s, the film is both a biopic and a very young age, much like Jean. in various biographies and embroi- Arabia, 2019) political conspiracy thriller. dered upon facts, to best focus on an There are many accounts of her emotional truth. Wadjda director Haifaa al-Mansour Why Jean Seberg? It’s the nexus life and they all seem to contra- returns to Saudi she had between her artistic life, dict themselves. How much of Do you see your film touching a Arabia with this her political life and her romantic this biopic is actually based on nerve in the current political cli- gently empowering fable about a young life – and all that in this powder verified facts? What’s specula- mate? I’m happy that it’s timely and Muslim woman keg moment of the late 1960s… tive truth? This segment of her life become even more so while doing it. campaigning to win The way these things overlap into created its fair share of metafictions It’s a deliberately political film in that a seat on her town’s a surveillance thriller of sorts, with as well. There’s her husband, Romain it shows an institution pitting itself municipal council. Starts Mar 12 a violation and weaponisation of Gary’s book White Dog, and Carlos against an individual who is a part of a private space, was interesting to Fuentes’ Diana The Goddess Who a movement for change, and I like to Like a Boss me. Ultimately, it’s the story of the Hunts Alone. There are texts that can- do things that touch a nerve. I never D: Miguel Arteta (US, 2020) breakdown of a person, and a great nibalise her life, particularly around just wanted to make a nostalgic 1960s actor. this period, and the biographies con- trip, and I like the way that this story All hopes surround- tradict each other. The film is full of speaks to the turbulence of the times ing the promising pairing of Rose Why did you cast Kristen Stew- speculative truths. We’re not trying we live in and the emergency of now. Byrne and Tiffany art to play Seberg? There’s always to tell the whole story or the defini- What you see in an analogue form Haddish as two the trap of doing an impression of tive story – we’re more interested in in the movie has grown up to be the business partners trying to make a someone, and now that I look back, I the emotional truth of a time in her Frankenstein’s monster of surveil- mark in the cos- can think of some fine actresses who life she called ‘a nightmare’. lance that we live in. metics industry are quickly dashed in this aggressively naff comedy. Starts Mar 12 Seberg My Spy starts D: Peter Segal (US, 2020) Mar 26

Dave Bautista stars as a tough as nails CIA agent at the mercy of a precocious 9- year-old girl in this lightweight spyspoof that delivers exactly what you’d expect from its premise.

Starts Mar 12 Filmverleih Prokino

30 EXBERLINER 191 WHAT’S ON — Film

Reviews Waves About Endlessness Emma.

From the director of Krisha and It Comes At Many have raved about Swedish auteur Roy Based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel about the Night comes another family drama that mov- Andersson’s most recent film – a collection of restless matchmaker Emma Woodhouse, Emma. ingly centers on parent-child relationships and existential sketches which nabbed him the Best is an engrossingly stylish, perfectly acted but the limits of forgiveness. We follow popular Director award at last year’s Venice Film Festival unambitiously faithful adaptation that feels like it high school senior Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr) – but About Endlessness underwhelms more could have been much more. The film’s release who is under pressure to excel, and whose than it enchants. The director of the award- date does not play in its favour, as it comes hot comfortable middle-class existence comes winning A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting off the heels of Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, a under threat when a life-altering discovery is On Existence has lost none of his inimitable style far superior costume drama that has ambition made. For reasons which shall remain unspoilt or deadpan charms, but this newest project still to spare. Emma. prefers to play it safe rather here, Waves is a film of two halves, with the feels like a collection of outtakes half-arsedly than rock the frocks, and because the novel second feeling less vibrant than the first. The film edited together to make a feature film. If this is has been adapted so many times (perhaps best could have taken the time to say more about your first dalliance with Andersson’s brand of of all with 1995’s Clueless), its reluctance to set the African-American middle-class experience melancholy, then you can add an extra star to itself apart is even more frustrating. Still, the in today’s America, but still radiates enough this review’s rating, even if finding transcendence pitch-perfect supporting cast truly are beyond compassion to feel life-affirming. Its wonder- within its admittedly superbly-shot but oblique reproach, with brilliant turns from Josh O’Connor ful soundtrack – ranging from Frank Ocean vignettes will prove to be an uphill struggle. If, as the ingratiating Mr. Elton, Mia Goth playing to , via Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on the other hand, you’re familiar with his work, ingenue Harriet Smith, as well as the hilarious instrumentals – is no small bonus. — DM this business-as-usual approach is disappoint- yet touching Miranda Hart as Miss Bates. They ingly draining. — DM make it worth the price of a ticket. — DM Starts Mar 19 D: Trey Edwards Shults (US 2020) with Kelvin Harrison Jr, Sterling K. Starts Mar 19 D: Roy Andersson (Sweden Starts Mar 5 D: (UK 2020) Brown, Taylor Russell 2019) with Bengt Bergius, Anja Broms with Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy

Wed 04.03. 8 p.m. | Philharmonie Fri 27.03. ROBIN 8.30 p.m. | Philharmonie TICCIATI Viola Antoine Tamestit CORNELIUS DJ Sven Weisemann Weill MEISTER Live Act | Suite from ›Lady in the Dark‹ Jungstötter Bartók Viola Concerto Casual Concert Martinů Strauss Rhapsody-Concerto ›Also sprach Zarathustra‹ Dvořák Symphony No. 8 dso-berlin.de/en WHAT’S ON — Music

Story time Michael Buishas

Editor’s Choice In the mood for dreamy indie? Look no further than these two gigs. By Damien Cummings

erlin will play host to two truly duction didn’t offset it so perfectly. up in the odium of suburban London, stand-out acts this month. Stylish yet understated, 2017’s The Lenker’s, you feel, arises from simple BListen to either of them once, Ooz was brimming with nuanced universal pleasures like campfires and it will be immediately apparent jazzy beats and gurgling psychedelic and road trips. Wholesome would be that neither one sounds at all like pads, masterfully condensed into one the word, but then again, wholesome the other, but listen to them both of the albums of the decade. never seemed to feel so visceral. It for long enough, and you might On this year’s Man Alive! Mar- is that tradeoff that is at the heart of well notice that they make you feel shall’s swampy lo-fi beats and Big Thief. DON’T MISS somewhat similar. Theirs is music for belie an artist who appears to be Lenker builds worlds of minute, long, introspective nights and still thawing into his creative peak. Amid personal and emotional details The Hans, Top Down, longer days of suffocating boredom. the laudanum clag that clings to that soar on the hushed tones Ape Rites At times like those, a good storyteller low-slung singles such as “Alone, of the supernatural. With each Local bands serve up an evening of lo-fi is worth their weight in gold, and in Omen 3”, there is a sense of new life passing album, Lenker condenses scuzz, driving riffs King Krule and Big Thief, we have in a sound-palette derived from rigor generations worth of lived and catchy melodies two of the greatest songwriters in a mortis. It’s not that Marshall is going experience into the terrarium of with this garage punk triple header. generation. soft on us, but rather he seems more sentiment that only she and her Mar 5, 20:00 at Fans of King Krule will tell you that able to draw on a deeper pool of bandmates alone could propagate. Loophole, Neukölln far from just carrying the weight of experience for his storytelling these In 2019, the band brought out Princess Nokia the world on his shoulders, Archy days. And in doing so, he is emerging U.F.O.F. and Two Hands; the full A formidable rap‑ Marshall seems to relish it. When a from a winter of his own making and length albums were released a scant per with colossal nineteen-year-old Marshall released into a promising new spring. five months apart and both topped stage presence, her his debut album in 2013, it was hard On the other side, there is Big almost every year-end list out there. live shows are an absolute barrage of to match the sonorous voice to Thief. Headed by the frighteningly The Brooklynite quartet has not big-beat incendiary the razor-thin and rakish redhead. prolific Adrianne Lenker, Big Thief been around long, but in that scant hip-hop and female Somewhere between raking gravel are a fan’s dream. Only ever stopping time they have developed a devoted empowerment. Mar 6, 20:00 at and spitting feathers, Marshall’s their round-the-world tours to re- following, and it is easy to see why. Columbiahalle, voice lumbers out of him in a louche cord new music, which they also do Their folk-tinged indie feels as or- Tempelhof drawl and falls onto his songs like a with frenetic pace, Lenker’s band are ganic and as close to the listener as it Jpegmafia brick into a ; a character- storytellers of a remarkably different would if you had made it yourself. It As the post-genre istic plunge. Since then, the gruff kind. Where King Krule’s authentic- is lush and full, and it strolls unop- zeitgeist swallows up indie icon has ascended the ranks ity is bred out of the self-indulgent posed to its crescendos, whispered as the contemporary scene, this outsider to become one of the world’s most neo-noir of a prescient artist dragged they are in gossamer minor-keys. T rap star is one name cognizant storytellers. Often and that will keep your rightly lauded as a singular songwrit- finger on the pulse. ing talent, Marshall daubs his songs King Krule Mar 8, 20:00 Columbiahalle, Kreuzberg | Big Thief Mar 9, 19:00 Mar 14, 20:00 at Säälchen, with the kind of rib-sticking dolour Astra Kulturhaus, Friedrichshain Friedrichshain that could seem excessive if his pro-

32 EXBERLINER 191 WHAT’S ON — Music

Preview The piece aims to find common ground between cultural differences and fuses indigenous sounds of the Andes with unorthodox vocal music (Mar 20, 20:00). Concerts continue on the third night of the festival with Pierluigi Billone’s new composi- tion “FACE Dia.De”, presented alongside Myriam Van Imschoot’s filmLe Cadeau. Performed by BEYOND Vienna’s Ensemble PHACE, Billone’s music divines at the primordial, ritualistic flows of vocal chanting, exploring the physicality of the human voice to its MUSIC very root (Mar 22, 20:00). The highlight of the fes- tival is undoubtedly at the Zeiss-Großplanetarium, where under the vast illuminated dome, visitors can experience Éliane Radigue’s seminal work Trilogie de la Mort in a frankly life-changing setting. Inspired by the Buddhist Bardo Thodol, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and produced between 1988 and 1993, Radigue’s work is a three-hour cycle of mesmeric minimal electronica that remains a milestone of the genre to this day (Mar 23, 19:00). Parochialkirche – Berlin’s oldest Protestant church – is the setting

Camille Blake for Resonanz, a three-part concert that aims to il- luminate the sonic bridges between the ancient and Contemporary big bang the contemporary. The highlight of which is Mark Andre’s “rwh 1”, a stunning score for ensemble and The Art This year’s edition of Maerz Musik electronics, here fittingly played by Ensemble Reso- of Being Human proves the festival’s status as an nanz (Mar 27, 20:00). Finally, The Long Now brings unmissable Berlin institution. Maerz Musik to a close. It is the event for which March 20 – 22 the contemporary sound art festival has become The Festival For Time Issues, aka Maerz Musik, is a synonymous. Over thirty hours, guests at Kraftwerk 10-day-long celebration of contemporary music may sleep in the beds provided and allow time to and sound art that includes concerts, audio-visual become detached from its day to day meanings as performances, film screenings, readings, public con- performances ranging from minimal and ambient versations and an exhibition. Now in its sixth iteration, music to experimental electronics and noise unfurl the 2020 edition asks us to consider the beginning of around them (Mar 28-29, 19:00). In its current form, time itself and unpick the differing philosophies and Maerz Musik is quickly emerging as one of the city’s politics that surround this baffling universal construct. most high profile events, evolving from a platform On opening night at Haus der Berliner Festspiele, for contemporary music to become an unmissable the Bolivian Orquesta Experimental de Instru- fête of sonic happenings and installation art. — DC mentos Nativos explores the complex legacy of colonialism in a collaborative performance with Maerz Musik Mar 20-29 various venues, full pro- PHØNIX16, a Berlin-based experimental choir. gramme at berlinerfestspiele.de

Tips: Classical and contemporary Tips: Clubbing

Mitsuko Uchida Lecken_15 Organise is the motto as Elissa Celebrating 250 years of Beethoven, Uchida’s Suckdog heads the bill of the only party with a solo piano recital combines the seminal com- regular bookclub. Make no mistake though, this poser’s last major piano work with Mozart’s erogenous is a proper staple of the Berlin The Queen “Piano Sonata K. 533/494”. Mar 11, 19:30 at underground scene. Mar 6, 23:00 at Polygon, Pierre Boulez Saal, Mitte Lichtenberg Commanded Him

Gigi Masin and Floating Spectrum Mechatronica x Pinkman to Forget Contemplative compositions and vast sound- With Griessmühle im Exil, Identified Patient and scapes open the Kiezsalon 2020 season with label-head Marsman serve up crunching EBM April 14 – 24 these two towering contemporary artists. and mutant techno at the Rotterdam label’s Mar 25, 21:00 at Musikbrauerei, Prenzlauer Berg regular party. Mar 14, 22:00 at Alte Münze, Mitte

Alfonso Gómez: Perspektiven Move Forward x Portraits Unerhörte Musik offers well-known soloists The last time the Pace Yourself crew rolled into the chance to try something different. Gómez Fitzroy has to go down as a lowkey pick for the show-cases diverse perspectives on contem- night of the year. Expect lushious vibes all- boulezsaal.de porary European piano. Mar 31, 20:00 at BKA round as the Scots run amok with it once more. +49 30 4799 7411 Theater, Kreuzberg Mar 20, 23:00 at Fitzroy, Mitte Französische Straße 33d 10117 Berlin MARCH 2020 33 WHAT’S ON — Music

Interview from the choir. The choir is a pro- tagonist in its own right, and there is this real sense of the crowd being at the centre of the action. They could “In art, you need be baying for blood one minute and be comforting the next. As soon as I saw this theme, I thought to pair real jeopardy.” it with lots of ancient music from different cultures. Reinvere also uses Young Berlin master and RIAS Kammerchor them as a form of vocal percussion conductor Justin Doyle on their upcoming and creates a world of sounds with lots of hissing and slightly disquiet- premiere of The Expulsion of Ishmael at the ing noises. It’s a slightly unusual Philharmonie. By Damien Cummings first half, but everyone will discover something new in that.

Does it feel like a particularly n 2017, Berlin-based Brit Justin How did you know Jüri Reinvere salient time to do a piece like Doyle became chief conductor was your guy for the commission this? There are strong themes of I and artistic director of one of of RIAS’ first 2020 piece? I wanted the outcast, and I think that figure the world’s most celebrated vocal a story that we can all recognise but is always going to be interesting to ensembles, the RIAS Kammerchor, rather than doing ‘Brexit: The Opera’ any artist. That’s partly why I’ve at the tender age of 41. The choir or ‘Donald Trump: The Oratorio’, I programmed the first half the way I are known best for their interpreta- thought it should be something along have. There is music from the court tions of Monteverdi’s sacred works, the lines of ancient mythology or of Alphonso el Sabio, who in the 13th or heavenly Haydn, yet always make the Finnish Kalevala. The composer century held a cosmopolitan court space for something a little bit dif- had to be someone with a sense of of people from different religions ferent. In their first commission of drama, and Jüri Reinvere certainly and cultures as his advisers. Here the 2020 season, RIAS have certainly has an individual voice. He came up is someone who was very aware of edged into uncertain waters. Esto- with telling the Old Testament story how important it is to keep people nian-born composer Jüri Reinvere’s of Isaac and Ishmael. It is a pretty hot together and talking to one another. DON’T MISS The Expulsion of Ishmael makes its topic, but he really seemed to be up We’ve got an Islamic nasheed and a world debut at the Philharmonie this for it. Dari lullaby from Afghanistan, along- month. Presenting the Old Testa- side ancient Spanish monody; it is The Still and Mareike Yin-Yee Lee ment story of Isaac and Ishmael, the Many people might be surprised beautiful music in its own right, and Hypnotic, minimal roots of Islamic and Judeo-Christian to see RIAS tackling a topic like it will speak to anyone. from other‑ thought retold in searing chorus this. In art, you need real jeopardy, worldly planes are promises riveting musical theatre in the sense of a cliff from which you Is there a line between the brought to life in this immersive live one of Berlin’s most august locations. might fall, otherwise there is no sense ‘blood and guts’ emotionality of light installation of suspense, and this piece has the themes and the more spiri- and concert. definitely got that. The Expulsion tual, cerebral source material? Mar 20, 21, 21:00 at Kunsthaus KuLe, of Ishmael is a story about two I think the emotional, the spiritual Mitte mothers, a father, and a com- and the cerebral are very closely munity. It’s a tangible situation bound together. Reinvere’s libretto Bill Lawrence Trio A modern master, and we can shine a new light on is one step removed from the Bible; the Snarky Puppy it. One thing to remember is that he has used the source material keyboardist has very with choral music, we can use text and then gone off with it in his own quickly announced to communicate things in ways way. Some of what he has written himself as one of the chief exponents in that orchestras often can’t. And is designed to make us feel that the the new wave of the voices that we have at RIAS drama is present-day. There is a piano. are real, trained voices. In English line at one point where everyone is Mar 23, 22:30 at , choirs, you often tend to get peo- sitting around waiting for God to do Charlottenburg ple like me, who have just trained something. One of the tenors has to on the job but haven’t necessarily interject, ‘Mensch, ist das langwei- Manu Delago Expect blissed-out got highly technical voices. RIAS’ lig!’ (Boy, is this boring!) And they acoustic ambient singers can do an awful lot more. all start to whistle. It’s a little bit of and fluttering hand‑ a tumbleweed moment, the musical pans as the virtuosic percussionist brings How do you tell a story like theatre way. T his new album The Expulsion of Ishmael Circadian to musically? It’s about that balance the stage. between them and particularly RIAS Kammerchor, Justin Doyle Mar 27, 20:00 at Silent Green, the way they are treated by those Mar 20, 20:00 Philharmonie, Mitte

Wedding Heyde Matthias around them, and that comes

34 EXBERLINER 191 WHAT’S ON — Music

Verbatim MY PLAYLIST

by Justin Doyle

1 - Zoltán Kodály “Dances of Marosszék” A brilliant piece, hardly known; this was a favourite of my father, and I conducted it in concert recently. . 2 - Claudio Monteverdi “Beatus Vir” This is such a positive piece. It

was sung at our wedding 19 Anto Azzopardi years ago and reappears in my head frequently. It’s like being Berlin-based quartet Public Display can possibly be and I think by improvising emotionally bombed. Of Affection’sMadeleine Munk on stage – that can be with movement or explains the collective chaos of their with audience interaction – you keep this 3 - Hoagy Carmichael level of presence among people that come improvised punk-meets-jazz shows. “Georgia on My Mind” to the shows. There is always this sense of I like to listen to jazz as an ‘anti- unknown about the performance and we dote’ to work – and my father- It seemed so intimidating at get to create something beautifully weird. It in-law plays this on the tenor first, the fact that I don’t come doesn’t always work out, but when it does, sax brilliantly! from this musical background. it’s very rewarding, and a bit of a surprise My experience is mostly performance and too. You are surprised by yourself, by each 4 - Peter Warlock bodywork, but I think that it gives the music other and by the people at the show and we “Bethlehem Down” a really different element. It also means find that people really react to it. Us being Such a haunting Christmas carol! that we have to communicate in different more open makes it feel more level in the I know I’m a couple months late ways. Often when we have feedback chats, room. Ours are not the kind of concerts but it popped into my head this the rest of the band will be getting quite where you’re going to sit in the back and afternoon… very special memo- technical with their musicology and I’m judge me, that’s not gonna fly. You’re gonna ries of being a boy chorister. just there talking about moods, colours and fucking get involved, everyone needs to con- aeroplanes or something. One of the big tribute to the chaos. There’s this sense of 5 - Trad South African things about the P.D.O.A. project is keep- everyone coming together and saying ‘let’s “Thula Baba” ing the feeling of the band at a gut level, the affect one another’.” A beautiful lullaby, one of the identity is quite vague but at its core it is a ones we often sing to our boys. live project. We want to be as present as we P.D.O.A. Mar 26, 20:00 8MM, Mitte

Festival International New Drama »Counterimage and Counterpower«

11–22 March 2020

Tickets: 030 890023 www.schaubuehne.de WHAT’S ON — Stage

Search and you will FIND

Editor’s Choice We found the stand-out performances at the Schaubühne’s Ira Polar DON’T MISS international theatre festival. By Nicholas Potter

Kirill Serebrennikov The dissident artist he Schaubühne’s Festi- just two days before Hang killed director and long-time Schaubühne may no longer be val for International New himself, aged just 29. The piece collaborator Milo Rau examines under house arrest, but he still cannot T Drama – or FIND – is a yearly was written in shock at the the construct of the family through leave Russia. This highlight of Berlin’s theatre world. loss of a great artist and friend the real-life case in Calais of a month, two of his This year, it turns 20. Thanks to and premiered at last year’s couple who hanged themselves pieces premiere in Germany: extensive guest performances from Festival d’Avignon. This month, and their two children. In The Decamerone at the Tehran to Ramallah to Beijing, the Serebrennikov’s Decamerone Scarlet Letter (Mar 19-21), Spanish Deutsches Theater Schaubühne is perhaps Berlin’s also opens at the Deutsches dramatist, director and performer on Mar 8 (with English surtitles on most international theatre. Thomas Theater. That two of Berlin’s most Angélica Liddell, who was also Mar 28, 29) Ostermeier and his team are incred- prominent theatres are giving invited to FIND in 2017 and 2018, and Outside, ibly well connected, searching the the persecuted Russian director a imagines a dystopian society Mar 13-15 at globe on tour and finding a crop stage is a vital political signal and a hostile to art. The piece takes both the Schaubühne’s FIND (with English of headline names and under- testament to their integrity. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel of surtitles). the-radar talent that make for a Another highlight is the first Thai the same name and Ray Bradbury’s thrilling festival programme of nine production in FIND history: Uthis Fahrenheit 451 as its cues to explore Measure for Pleasure Gorki regular and guest performances, two in-house Haemamool’s Pratthana – art’s potential to break free from 2018 actor of the premieres and a repertoire piece. So A Portrait of Possession (Mar totalitarian structures. year (Theater what stands out this year? 21-22). Directed by Japanese rising This year’s FIND will also unveil heute) Benny Outside Claessens looks at Kirill Serebrennikov’s star Toshiki Okada, whose The an experiment: French literary sen- well-known and (photo, Mar 13-15) is a sure-fire Vacuum Cleaner at the Münchener sation Édouard Louis has teamed forgotten represen‑ highlight. The acclaimed Russian Kammerspiele has been invited up with Thomas Ostermeier to tations of women director and artistic director of to this year’s Theatertreffen, the create a performative reading. Last with the performers Rob Fordeyn and Moscow’s Gogol Center has been piece offers a panorama of artistic year’s Who Killed My Father (Mar Teresa Vittucci at persecuted by authorities at home, counterculture in Bangkok through 20-22) offers a tender, nuanced per- HAU. In English allegedly because of corruption, the eyes of a young artist from the spective on Louis’ difficult relation- and German. Mar 7-8 although there is no evidence of countryside. Expect drug-fuelled ship with his father. This is the first this – and his pro-LGBTQ views and excesses and gay porn scenes in this time the author has performed one Aisha and Abhaya stance against the annexation of dramatic study of a corrupt political of his texts and the Schaubühne has London’s Rambert perform Israeli Crimea are unlikely to have won him system’s collapse. cautiously labelled the performance choreographer any comrades in the Kremlin. There’ll also be some familiar as a “try-out”. That doesn’t make Sharon Eyal’s latest In Outside, Serebrennikov looks faces: in Familie (Mar 17), produced it any less exciting, though – grab piece, directed by Kibwe Tavares and at Chinese photographer Ren Hang, at the NTGent in Belgium, Swiss your tickets quick! T set to music by Ori also a victim of state oppression, Lichtik in a Geman to examine the rebellious spirit premiere at the of a new generation in China. FIND Festival Mar 11-22, all plays with English surtitles or in English Haus der Berliner Festspiele. Serebrennikov was due to meet Schaubühne, Wilmersdorf Mar 11-13 with Hang about a collaboration

36 EXBERLINER 191 is methodtohismeta-madness. is bothsurprisinglyfaithful anddaringlyinnovative. There certainly change!” Overall,Weise deliversarefreshing, self-reflexive piecethat to epicemo-chords oncommandwheneverLiesauyells“genre delivers amasterfulsoundtrack that flipsfrom eerie xylophonescores exaggerated Berlinerdialectwith icks andjutsaplenty. JensDohle with Gorki-standard out-of-character rants,here caricatured inan and Svenja Liesau’sHamlet,whoreplaces Shakespearean soliloquies are AramTafreshian’s stonecold,intenseperformance asClaudius a metatheatrical and historicallysymbolicact.Particularhighlights esque experience.Ofcoursethiswallisbroken severaltimes,itself perspectives andprojected backontothestagefaçadeinanIMAX- audience, as scenes are filmed on a painted film set full of distorted is certainly the wall: a literal barrier that separates the action and not definitive,andthat playstothepiece’sstrength. Another attempt cul-de-sac attempt at enrichingthismeta-narrative. It’sassociative, Ruth Reinecke in her last premiere performance – is just one ironic, appears tobethespectre of KarlMarx–playedbyGorkiveteran exactly, even he’snotquitesure. That Hamletishauntedbywhat hopes tomake someprofound statement aboutGermany. What from NewYork, isdirecting anavant-garde Hamletfilminwhichhe it amust-seeproduction. Horatio, anartisticallyfrustrated student interesting approach to Shakespeare’s most-performed play –making It’s astylisticallyambitious,playfullypostdramatic andintellectually Christian Weise’s Hamletbreathes fresh life intoanoverdone tragedy. D: ChristianWeise Method tometa-madnessHamletatGorki Unter 3,30Staatsoper (Staatsballett Linden March den Mitte Berlin), advice wouldbetoarriveduringthebreak. star performance –buteveryheadlinerneedsitswarm-upact.My that rounds off thiseerilysublime aesthetic.Onitsown,aclearfive- misty stageandsubduedlightingmake for anominousatmosphere post- soundscape that is at times reminiscent of . A depth than its predecessor, adopting a melancholic ambience and hyperrealistic movements.Yet Strong alsodeliversmore emotional from the collective of the ensemble through almost mechanical, beating heartof thepiece,towhichsoloistsemerge andretreat successful Strong continuesinthesametechno-tingedveinaslastyear’shugely a much-neededchangeof paceinthesecondhalfof theevening. the stage.Thankfully, theIsraelichoreographer Sharon Eyal provides dancers dressed inChewbacca-like costumesroly-polying across seating –reality of thisperformance consistsof otherwisetalented artist CharlieLeMindu.Thedisappointing–nottomentionnau According totheprogramme, Ekmanwasinfluenced bythehair reography set to pop classics from John Lennon to Talking Heads. production for theStaatsballett: acomical,bordering onsillycho no exception. The former piece is the Swedish choreographer’s first combination of Alexander Ekman’s LIBandSharon Eyal’s Strong is proven to be a challenge for Berlin’s Staatsballett and the most recent Finding therightmatch intheircontemporarydouble-billshas Ekman,Sharon Eyal D: Alexander Hair andflairEkman Maxim GorkiTheater, 3,4,with EnglishsurtitlesMaxim Mar Mitte Reviews Half Life: OriLichtik’selectroacoustic score provides the WHAT’S ON FEBRUARY 2020 | |

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sophiensaele.com WHAT’S ON — Stage

Interview sense within this story? How can they not feel like taboos? What’s been so satisfying, and maybe a “I want the show to little bit surprising, is that this bal- ance has worked. If you read what happens on paper, these scenes feel like a party.” might sound shocking, but this isn’t a show that people generally walk out of. I suppose there might be an Queer performer Lucy McCormick lays out her element of shock to some of these riotous, club-influenced, pop-tinged take on the scenes but on the whole, people really get it. New Testament. By Nicholas Potter You come from the queer club ucy McCormick blends stand- to transpose them onto my body to scene. What influence has per- up, performance art, music see how they make sense. But pop forming in this environment had L and dance to deliver blistering culture and imagery also play an im- on your work as a performance mixed-genre shows that have thrust portant role. In a way, they have been artist in theatres? I think it has her from a cult following on Britain’s my own form of religion. I developed inspired me to be very visual with queer club circuit to mainstream the show through club performances my work, because you can’t get away acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe and cabaret and so I was also looking with having loads of text in clubs. It Festival and beyond. Born in 1986, at the nightclub as a church. also helped me to be quite eco- McCormick studied drama nomical and get straight to the before finding her feet in point. It wasn’t easy making DON’T MISS the world of performance something that started out as a art and queer cabaret. Since club piece into a theatre show. then, she has performed It still has those club influenc- The Gloop Show at London’s Southwark es – like the loud, beat-driven The British-born, Berlin-based drag Playhouse, Soho Theatre and music, sections of dance and performance artist Gate Theatre. This month, sweaty bodies. I want the show Oozing Gloop brings the Schaubühne has invited to feel like a party. What I love their idiosyncratic evening show to her 2016 show Triple Threat about club contexts is that it Sophiensaele. to its annual FIND Festival, really feels like the audience Expect psyche‑ directed by Cabaret legend owns the night. You really have delic visuals, sassy semiotics and an Ursula Martinez – an X-rated to go out and win them over alternative account re-enactment of the New – and that’s great training. It’s of human history. Testament, accompanied a good place to out your Mar 13-14 by her backing dancers, Girl ideas because you better get Le Coup Squad. the crowd on board or they’ll It’s fight night at turn around and torture Chamäleon and a The name of your perfor- each other. crew of acrobats from Australia are mance is Triple Threat. Where Speaking of transposing these competing for the does the title come from? It stories “onto your body”: there’s The performance is directed by audience’s favour stands for a few different things. a lot of nudity in Triple Threat. Cabaret legend Ursula Martinez. with show-stopping tricks. Grand Father, The phrase triple threat comes from Is that not somewhat blasphe- How did you get her on board The Blunt Objects musical theatre and describes a per- mous? The New Testament is a very for the project? I’d met her a and more pro- former who can sing, dance and act bodily story anyway. But it’s also a couple of times and she had seen vide the bluegrass – and we use all three mediums in patriarchal, male narrative. I felt that some of my work, so I immedi- soundtrack. Through Aug 16 the show. There are also three of us using my naked body in the perfor- ately asked her when I decided to on stage. And the number is a recur- mance provided strong imagery, a work on a show for the first time Fabian oder Der Gang ring theme in the show because it’s a counter-narrative. But coming back under my own name. It’s a great vor die Hunde Living legend Frank re-enactment of the New Testament, to these pop-cultural references: my collaboration. My ideas tend to be Castorf sinks his so it also refers to the Father, the naked body is a way of me reap- quite conceptual and image-based, teeth into Erich Son and the Holy Spirit. propriating that imagery by finding whereas she’s very good with text Kästner at the Berliner Ensemble. agency within it. and also as a cabaret-performance Make sure to bring The New Testament seems like art crossover artist. And she’s very enough Club Mate an unlikely source of inspiration The show also has some sexu- blunt. That’s a very good quality and snacks for what is sure to be a six- for a queer performer. What do ally explicit scenes. How have in a director. T hour-plus intertext- these old Bible stories mean to audiences reacted to these? A ual rollercoaster. you? The show is a feminist, queer key question with this project was And perhaps a re-telling of the New Testament. It’s how we can use performance art Triple Threat Mar 13, 14, 21:45, in dictionary, as it’s in German only. about trying to understand these sto- and some of its tropes without scar- English Schaubühne, Wilmersdorf Mar 28-29 ries in the present, about attempting ing people off. How can they make

38 EXBERLINER 191 GIG

LISTINGS THE Your guide to ENGLISH concerts & events this month COMEDY and beyond. NIGHT

Mosaic of cultures Hyphen Hyphen 09.03.20 | Kantine am Reinvere, Schubert, von Bingen Russell Howard Chef' Special 14.03.20 | Urania 20 March 2020, 8 pm 16.04.20 | Privatclub Philharmonie Berlin, Pokey LaFarge Kammermusiksaal 26.04.20 | Roadrunners Paradise Algiers Ensemble Resonanz 27.04.20 | Lido Justin Doyle Conductor Jeb Loy Nichols 27.04.20 | Kantine am Berghain L'Épée + Friedrichstraße, Oranienburger Tor Box Office T + 49.(0)30.20 29 87 25 25.03.20 | Festsaal Kreuzberg The Lone Bellow [email protected] 10.05.20 | Privatclub Black Belt Eagle Scout 18.05.20 | Burg Schnabel Scott Matthew 23.09.20 | Lido

Say Yes Dog Ziggy Alberts 06.11.20 | Festsaal Kreuzberg 08.04.20 | Kesselhaus WEDNESDAY 25.03.2019 GIGI MASIN FLOATING SPECTRUM Bon Iver Caribou 20.04.20 | Mercedes-Benz Arena 15.08.20 | Zitadelle Spandau Musikbrauerei Greifswalder Strasse 23a MUSIKBRAUEREI kiezsalon.de WIN TICKETTSICKE UNTSD UNINFOD INFOS: SCHS: ONEBERGSCHONEBERG.DE .DE FREE GIG

TIX!Sign up for the Exberliner newsletter at www.exberliner.com WHAT’S ON — Art Julian Charrière, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2019 / Courtesy Nils Petersen

Outdoors indoors

Editor’s Choice Get outside the city and soak up rural landscapes – at a gallery, without getting wet or cold! By Anna Larkin

ART NEWS pring is just around the corner, artists, the show offers depictions Places explores locations, and a but if it’s still too dreary to ven- ranging from the more obviously large part of the show is dedicated Hitler at the Museum The German Sture out into the real outdoors, “unreal”, such as Shirley Wegner’s to his rural landscapes. Expect to see Historical Museum Berlin has a wide variety of exhibi- apocalyptic skies whose billowing winter and summer scenes of rivers, has acquired the tions to transport you there from the clouds are fairly easily discernible as fields of wheat and red poppies, 1944 painting “Cain or Hitler in Hell” by comfort of a warm and dry gallery. cotton wool balls, to Julian Charri- cliffs, poplar trees and rolling hills the artist labelled Here’s the ones you shouldn’t miss ère’s sublime and immaculate misty alongside a number of his infamous “Cultural Bolshevist this month. mountaintops. Thomas Wrede’s renderings of waterlilies. Number One” by the Nazis. Georg Think of landscape in art and “Haus im Gebirge” (2007) is one of If you don’t mind something Grosz described it invariably the picturesque paintings the most intriguing to try to fathom a little less sunny, there’s always as “Hitler as a Fascist of the 17th, 18th and 19th century how it was made: a tiny Swiss style the ever moody Monk by the Sea, monster, or as an come to mind – and it’s these de- farmhouse sits at the edge of a mossy on permanent display at the Alte apocalyptic beast”. pictions of the natural world that ravine, a massive outcrop of rock Nationalgalerie. This epic seascape Maps Hack Beate Gütschow subverts in her hanging overhead. Accompanying the by Caspar David Friedrich (1774- Berlin-based artist photographic series LS at Berlinische exhibition is an excellent publication 1840) is arguably one of Germany’s Simon Weckert caused non-existent Galerie. Standing for Landscape, the (in German and English) that delves most famous Romantic landscapes. traffic jams in the title is an acronym that deconstructs deep into the theme with more work Ostensibly a picture of the sea, it is city last month with the word, much like Gütschow has from the five artists and a host of 80 percent darkening sky with the a very analogue hack of the app: using done to the canon itself: the four others creating photos of not-so-real tiny figure of the monk on the beach 99 mobile phones photographs in LS are composites, nature. It also offers an insight into turned away, looking into the coming in a little trolley, he fictional landscapes made from parts how some of them are made and how storm. Its unconventional composi- registered a false of analogue photos taken in parks the genre is placed within art history tion was met with criticism at its build-up of traffic. and farmland, manipulated digitally – an invaluable read. first showing in 1810. However, a Colonial Past to create one image. The result is For an even more romanticised swift clap back was delivered by king The Berlin pristine and speaks to the fiction- trip into the wilderness, Museum Friedrich Wilhelm III who purchased Senat has an‑ nounced a five‑ alised, romantic ideals of nature. All Barberini is hosting a vast retrospec- the work. And this is one painted year programme unframed, the white space around tive of over 100 works by everyone’s piece of the outdoors you can take of events and each photo is interrupted with text favourite French Impressionist, home with you, just don’t forget to exhibitions to take place across the relating to technical information, a Claude Monet (1840-1926). As the exit through the gift shop for a print, city confronting the purposeful display of the origins of exhibition title suggests, Monet: keyring, mug or tea towel. T benefits Berlin felt their “unnatural” fabrication. from Germany’s colonial era. It will Playing on reality and fiction is start in August with also the theme of the current group LS Through Mar 30 Berlinische Galerie, Kreuzberg | Models of Nature in Contem- the International exhibition at the Alfred Ehrhardt porary Photography Through Apr 26 Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung, Mitte | Monet: Day for the Stiftung, Models of Nature in Places Through Jun 1 Museum Barberini, | Monk by the Sea On perma- Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Contemporary Photography. nent display Alte Nationalgalerie, Mitte Its Abolition. Showcasing 12 large prints by five

40 EXBERLINER 191 Whispers ofurbanexistence nuances ofurbanexistence. thanshoutingistestament rather pering to themanycomplex thisbodyofwork’sit thetimedeserves, poetic qualityofwhis snapshotsofcitylife.However,collection ofephemeral ifyougive makesubjects here iteasyto mistake thisexhibitionassimplya towards white Germany’s saviour culture. find a reading thatdoesn’t relay thegraffiti artist’spalpableanger fitied withaspeechbubblesaying it’shard “fuckyourmoney”, to shot ofaWelthungerhilfe help)billboard. Graf (worldhunger ever, someworkstake amore tangiblestancesuchasaside-on nodtowardsgently thanwildlypointat it. somethingrather How images ofcities,beachesandtheirarchitecture andinhabitants . Thispoeticapproach isfeltthroughout and,onthewhole,his Dry are soldtogether, saying andtheGhanianNigerian SeaNever to reference thesethings that inGermany Akinibiyi’sobservation Photography, Tobacco, Configurations , a Sweets,Condomsandother played indiscrete titlessuchas thematic rooms grouped under inthegraffiti. of disenfranchisement andtheraw ofadvertisements roartised andsmoothpersuasion layerTheir words belyanother ofthe fabricofthecity, thesani slogans, signsandgraffiti foundonurbanstreets and architecture. andregularly thesolesubject ofpictures areAlongside them the animated, sometimessimplywalking away from thecamera. snatchedshow portraits ofpeopleoncitystreets, sometimes Kottbusser Tor really is. formatphotographs Largeandsmaller why he’sinterested ‘dangerous’ initorruminatingonexactlyhow around hissubject,explaining deftlymoving andatothers camera into inthemiddleofathronging citymeditatively peering er his It Akinibiyiashephotographs, follows sometimesaquietobserv display working process isavailable intheexcellent filmon documentary hannesburg, andhishometown, Aglimpseinto Dakar Berlin. this Jowalks through metropolises includingLagos,Chicago,Athens, incitiesacross theglobe,createdand undramatic moments ashe day.present Akinbiyi’sblackandwhite photographs capture quiet rooms andlooksbackonworksstarting inthelate 1970s upto the Akinbode Akinbiyi(born1946), thisexhibitionissetoutacross six together photographerGathering Berlin-based 130printsby

The sheer volume of work, the miles covered andbreadth of volumeofwork,themilescovered The sheer None dis are individuallytitled,butrather oftheworkshere Highlight in city scenes from around theglobe. in cityscenes fully intheTaut poeticobservations Airoffers Akinbode Akinbiyi’sSixSongs,SwirlingGrace- I Wonder asIWander artistandwriter by EmekaOkereke.

Martin Gropius Bau,Mitte 17Martin Through May WHAT’S ON — AL MARCH 2020

— Art - - - -

- - - verbunden überGrenzenBriefeDieZeitzeugenRadio Das StudioMeinungsfreiheitSchreibmaschineheimlich wachung KurzwelleBeobachtungabgefangeneBriefe wachung KurzwelleBeobachtungabgefangeneBriefe Westsender hörenBriefevorlesenUnterdrückungDieZentrale Westsender hörenBriefevorlesenUnterdrückungDieZentrale BBC SicherheitSchreibmaschineOstBerlinFreitagAbend BBC SicherheitSchreibmaschineOstBerlinFreitagAbend Radio hörenBriefeschwärzenfreieMeinungDiskussion Radio hörenBriefeschwärzenfreieMeinungDiskussion Demokratie LesenSchreibenHörenMeinungsaustauschAlltag Demokratie LesenSchreibenHörenMeinungsaustauschAlltag Anonymität VertrauenLieberMr.HarrisonDasBriefarchiv Anonymität VertrauenLieberMr.HarrisonDasBriefarchiv Inhaftierung BBCLondonerRundfunkKennwortKontrolle Inhaftierung BBCLondonerRundfunkKennwortKontrolle Briefkasten IdentifiBriefkasten Identifi zierung DeckadressenDasZuhause zierung DeckadressenDasZuhause Briefe DieZeitzeugenRadioWeltMittelwelleVerfolgung Briefe DieZeitzeugenRadioWeltMittelwelleVerfolgung Schreibmaschine heimlichverbundenüberGrenzen Beobachtung abgefangeneBriefeDasStudioMeinungsfreiheit Die ZentraleÜberwachungKurzwelleSchreibmaschine 2005 Westsender hörenBriefevorlesenUnterdrückung Bamako, Sicherheit SchreibmaschineOstBerlinFreitagAbend Akinbiyi, Briefe schwärzenfreieMeinungDiskussion Schreiben HörenMeinungsaustauschAlltagRadiohören Akinbode Lieber Mr.HarrisonDasBriefarchivDemokratieLesen Londoner RundfunkKennwortKontrolleAnonymität Identifi zierung DeckadressenDasZuhauseInhaftierungBBC Zeitzeugen RadioWeltMittelwelleVerfolgungBriefkasten Schreibmaschine heimlichverbundenüberGrenzenBriefeDie Beobachtung abgefangeneBriefeDasStudioMeinungsfreiheit Unterdrückung DieZentraleÜberwachungKurzwelle verbunden überGrenzenBriefeDieZeitzeugenRadio Das StudioMeinungsfreiheitSchreibmaschineheimlich Hauptsponsor Dessau. Bauhaus Stiftung der und Galerie Berlinischen der mit Kooperation in Hannover Museum Sprengel des Ausstellung Eine Alte Signatures. without Letters 20 March – 11 October 2020 March –11 20 GDR (hi)storiesonBBCradio www.mfk-berlin.de

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Umbo, Ohne Titel (Selbstporträt), Detail, um 1930, © Phyllis Umbehr/Galerie Kicken Berlin/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020, Repro: Anja E. Witte Welt Radio WHAT’S ON — Art

Interview “It’s like you can layer time.” Anna Barriba courtesy of

Artist Anna Barriball explains her working process and what to expect from her first Berlin solo show. By Anna Larkin

ritish artist Anna Barriball ing – it reminds me of plays with time: she likes a seascape. When you Bto pick apart its layers and are in the room the render them in film and intricate shadow surrounds you, works on paper. Her drawings are it goes from one screen more than just your average sketch: to the next. It has this odd presence. coloured powder, a . I apply through the application of pressure Each video has colour added onto it to the paper with cotton wool in and materials including wax, pig- it, which rises, shifts and changes thin layers, building up the colour. ment and pencil, she creates direct the entire time. So, when you are And then I pull the paper with the DON’T MISS impressions of objects including looking at it, nothing is still. The pastel colours through hot melted windows, tiles and fireplaces. Bar- colour is inspired by early cinema wax. So the colour is within the wax riball’s films continue this oblique where sections of film were tinted and then I put the paper over the Umbo. Photographer The German way of representing subjects, her to signify a time of day or mood or textured glass and push the paper photographer and latest, Fade, follows the shadow of an atmosphere. And essentially colour into it. Bauhaus graduate unseen wind turbine. This immer- projections of nature are coloured known as Umbo (1902-1980) gets his sive three-channel video installation light – I find that fascinating. What is it about the wax that first major retro‑ forms part of her first solo show in appeals to you? I love the material, spective in over 20 Berlin opening at Kindl this month. It sounds very sculptural for a that it has this sort of change within years at the Berlinische Galerie. film, is that also the case with it, that it becomes this incredibly See 200 of his Your installation Fade shows the your drawings? Yes, for a long time hot liquid. It’s a bit of a nightmare unconventional shadow of a wind turbine. How now I’ve been making quite physical to use and there’s an anxiety about black and white did you make the work? I shot the drawings. Things like the frame of it which I quite like. The process of photographs from 1926-56. footage near the town where I grew a drawing are very important parts pulling the paper through the wax, Through Mar 25 up in Launceston in Cornwall. So, of the work in that they change there’s this moment when you can the work is rooted in some kind of from being something two dimen- lose it. You can’t control it entirely. Musée sentimental de l’ours de Berlin memory, having a specific relation- sional into an object. At Kindl, for And the wax also has the capac- Artists Nschotschi ship to this space. At the edge of the example, I’m showing a few window ity to hold something within it, to Haslinger, Sathit town is a relatively new wind tur- works. I’ve made a lot of works preserve things. It’s like you can Sattarasart, Anna Virnich and Jasmin bine and if you are standing nearby from window glass where the frame layer time. Werner’s artworks it casts this incredible shadow of the window becomes part of create a temporary across its immediate landscape. the work. So the frame isn’t just a In the description of one of museum to the So, I took footage of three differ- functional object, there to protect Berlin Bear in the these works it says the glass is city’s former bear pit ent views of the natural landscape the drawing. It’s a thing that will be ‘found’. Do you go skip diving? in Köllnischer Park. that was tracked in a way, by this hung on a wall, it’s where a window I’m always on the look out! Archi- Through May 3 shadow. It struck a chord, this me- might be. tectural salvage and the surfaces I Christo and chanical shadow interrupting every use often are from my own spaces, Jeanne-Claude shot. On one hand it’s marking time You also use wax in making but for the works at Kindl, I found Palais Populaire is and has this odd presence, it is these works, don’t you? Not in the glass. It has a skin-like quality, showing a retro‑ spective of the artist quite disturbing. all of them, but the more recent coming back to that element of inte- couple who in 1995 works are made with this process rior meeting exterior, that boundary covered the That effect is heightened by the I’ve developed using wax. They’re between internal and external. T Reichstag in silvery fabric. With a focus fact you don’t show the actual all made slightly differently, the on their larger-scale turbine. Yes, you don’t see anything earliest two I’m showing have layers projects, the apart from the natural landscape. of paper with wax on them. Initially Anna Barriball Mar 22 – Jul 5 Kindl exhibition will also Each shot has natural movements I pressed the paper onto textured Centre for Contemporary Art, include rarely seen earlier works. within it like leaves shimmering window glass with a wooden tool. Neukölln Mar 21 – Aug 17 or trees moving almost in a swell- At the moment I’m using pastel

42 EXBERLINER 191 WHAT’S ON — Art

Reviews installation of objects and writing. Set across three rooms, a multitude of assemblages on the floors and walls have been created from newspapers, magazines (there’s even a copy of Exberliner in here), shoes, books, gloves, hats, records, carpets, statuettes, figurines, relief carvings, ties and much more collected in Berlin and Benin. The groupings German Premiere resemble ritualised mind maps or mood boards and included in most is a painted sort of cartoon Frisky & Mannish strip. Designed by the artist and then executed by a PopLab traditional West African sign painter, these narrative  . &  . . works cover subjects ranging from archaeological Tickets .   // www.bar-jeder-vernunft.de objects from Benin in a German museum, to Christian faith. A labyrinthine show that requires commitment

Courtesy of Elisabeth Frieberg Courtesy of and some French to get the best from it. — AL Barbara Wien Galerie, Mitte White Black Death Gold Through Apr 4 In one of Berlin’s oldest townhouses, Swedish painter Elisabeth Frieberg (born 1977) presents her first solo exhibition in Germany. On display across all three floors of Kewenig Galerie, the show is a series of 16 colourful abstract oil paintings on linen exploring her experiences Berlin Premiere with nature, divinity and death. Set inside frames intri- DOMINIQUE cately gilded in gold or copper and varying in scale, the HORWITZ paintings showcase a breadth of style: precision and & THE „ME AND THE DEVIL“-BAND restraint in those made using tape alongside freehand The Beggar’s Opera 2071 brush strokes in others. There are echoes of a colourful .  . to  . . & . to ‰. .

Bridget Riley in the more geometric works, however supported by: the paintings all have very definite narratives and are Tickets 030. 39 06 65 50 // www.tipi-am-kanzleramt.de often drawn from the strangest corners of Frieberg’s life: “Blue Grid, God, Palm (Portrait)” (2019) references a relative’s dream in which they stumbled upon God sitting in a palm tree and “White, Black, Death, Gold (Left Hand)” (2019) was created using only the artist’s left-hand following a bike accident. A fascinating tour of the artist’s left-field thinking and symbolism that’s well worth a visit! — Matthew Berks Kewenig Galerie, Mitte ND 2018 Still

It Will End in Stars Through Apr 26 This fairly short artwork is part of an initiative by the THE TIGER LILLIES Julia Stoschek Collection and Acute Art to bring art- One Penny Opera ists together to create works using new  . to . . such as virtual reality. Fully immersive with a great big supported by: VR helmet, it was made in 2018 by two Berlin-based Tickets 030. 39 06 65 50 // www.tipi-am-kanzleramt.de Swedes: Nathalie Djurberg, a visual artist known for her simultaneously sweet and disturbing stop mo- tion films and Hans Berg, a musician and producer. The work requires you to sit wearing the helmet on a chair in the gallery’s upper lobby; a friendly invigila- tor chaperones you like a spirit guide in your ear as

Courtesy of Georges Adéagbo Adéagbo Georges Courtesy of you swivel and wave your hands about to navigate. The artists have successfully created a spooky set of “L’Abécédaire de Georges Adéagbo: fairytale and post-Internet landscapes, characters and la civilisation parlant et faisant voir soundscapes to interact with. Expect to light a wolf’s la culture”..! cigarette, fly up through a giant’s vagina, and as the title Through Apr 18 suggests, end in a very disorienting flight into the stars. CARRINGTON Roughly translated, the title of this exhibition is “civili- Djurberg’s imaginative characters save this work from -BROWN sation speaking and showing culture” and Benin artist sliding into novelty and leave you wanting more. — AL TURNADOT Adéagbo certainly fulfils this promise with his sprawling Julia Stoschek Collection, Mitte a Brexit-Operetta Ž to ‘. . MARCH 2020

Tickets 030. 39 06 65 50 // www.tipi-am-kanzleramt.de WHAT’S ON — Calendar HuNa Productions Calendar March 2020 Picks, highlights and can’t-miss events for this month in Berlin. Dustin Condren Above Wed 26 Below Thu 05 Enter Achilles 11mm Film Fest

Left Fri 20

Boris Breuer Maerz Musik Hugo Glendinning

Right Mon 09 Big Thief Der Letzte Mieter Knam Theatre Above Wed 11 FIND Festival

Above Mon 23 EXBlicks

SUN PVRIS – Pop Only KNM play diverse duets by the Kouyate’s pulsating redefined mission for Europe’s foremost frontwoman Lynn Gunn likes of John Cage, Simon Steen- the boundaries of Malian blues. choir, Estonian composer Jüri could01 ever make grungy synth-pop Andersen and François Sarhan at Starts 20:00. Reinvere’s The Expulsion of Ishmael sound this good. The sparkling the Konzerthaus, giving life to the makes its world premiere at the Massachusets trio are playing Lido age-old truism that it takes two to WED FIND Festival – Theatre Philharmonie. Starts 19:30. tonight. Starts 20:00. have a conversation. Starts 20:00. 11 The Schaubühne’s annual Festival for International New Drama Maerz Musik – Contemporary The Filmbörse – Flea market This is SUN International opens with the premiere of resident Bolivian Experimental Orches- the destination for cinephiles looking 08 Women’s Day – Demonstra- writer and dramaturg Marius von tra for Indigenous Instruments for rare and vintage film trinkets as tion It’s Frauentag, an official Berlin Mayenburg’s Die Affen, showing with combine with Berlin vocal col- well as movies in all sorts of formats. holiday as of last year! Join the an- English surtitles. Festival through lective PHØNIX16 at Haus der It takes place at Tegeler Seeterras- nual demo against sexism, racism Mar 22. Starts 20:00. Berliner Festspiele to open Berlin’s sen’s Palais am See. Starts 10:00. and capitalist exploitation starting most important contemporary at Leopoldplatz. Well-behaved SAT St. Patrick’s Festival music festival. Through Mar 29. THU Berlin Feminist Film cis-men welcome. Starts at 14:00. 14 – Festival Three days ahead Starts 20:00. 05 Week – Film Held at the of the actual date, St. Patrick’s BUFA Campus, this festival chal- King Krule – Alt Unique is often Festival allows you to spend the Letters without Signature – Exhibition lenges the patriarchal domination a word too lightly thrown but in weekend watching the Six Nations opening The Museum for Commu- of our screens. It opens with Haifaa Archie Marshall’s gruff jazz punk final and enjoy Irish stews, beers nication shows anonymous letters al-Mansour’s Venice Competition- it finds a genuine paragon. Catch and live music at Birgit & Bier. from the GDR as they were sent premiering The Perfect Candidate. him at Columbiahalle. Starts 20:00. Through Mar 15. Starts 14:00. to the BBC and read out on-air Through Mar 9. Starts 20:00. between 1949 and 1974 to give an MON Big Thief – Indie The THU Spy on Me #2 Festival insight into everyday life in the East. Enter Achilles – Dance The London- Brooklynite quartet’s – Stage HAU’s interdisciplin- Stories of senders, Stasi intervention based Rambert perform Lloyd quiet09 shoegaze is an exercise in ary19 festival on our digital present and original recordings included. Newson’s acclaimed choreography the power of restraint. Vocalist returns. Don’t miss dgtl fmnsm’s Through Oct 11. Starts 9:00. on British pub culture 25 years after Adrianne Lenker’s stifled screams opening performance Hot Mess: an its original premiere at the Haus ooze with gut-wrenching Americana interactive installation inspired by SUN Anna Barriball and der Berliner Festspiele. Again on at Astra Kulturhaus. Starts 20:00. the chaos on our desktops. Free Dirk Braeckman – Art opening Mar 6 and 7. Starts 20:00. entry. Through Mar 29. Starts 18:30. This22 double-bill shows the British TUE Bassekou Kouyate artist and Belgian photographer’s FRI The Art of Dialogue 10 – Blues Tonight at ufaFab- FRI Rias Kammerchor approaches to the surface and their 06 – Contemporary Ensemble rik: A true master of the ngoni! 20 – Classical A special com- fascination with impressions on

44 EXBERLINER 191

WHAT’S ON — Calendar

paper. It opens with a reception at Berlin Graphic Days – Fair Head to onstrated against “housing market Kindl’s Maschinenhaus M1. Through Alte Münze to browse and shop madness”. Today the march against Jul 5. Starts 17:00. unique posters, t-shirts, books and gentrification, privatisation and real more from local and international estate speculation is back, gathering MON EXBlicks – Film Join designers, illustrators and screen at Potsdamer Platz. Starts 13:00. 23 us for an exclusive preview printers. It’s first picks at tonight’s March Programme in English screening of Gregor Erler’s debut Art Night Market. Through Mar 29. Earth Hour – Global action Make a state- feature Der letzte Mieter (The Last Starts 19:00. ment and show climate awareness 4.+6.3. / HAU2 MUSIC Tenant), a thriller revolving around by participating in this one-hour the eviction of a Berlin apartment Hannah Arendt and the 20th Cen- global blackout. Berlin landmarks The Pentacle house. At Lichtblick Kino, as usual. tury – Exhibition opening Be among the including the Rotes Rathaus, Bran- Eine Konzertinstallation Starts 20:15. first to see the German Historical denburg Gate and Funkturm will Jan Jelinek / Jasmine Guffond Museum’s new show dedicated to also be switching off their lights. Driftmachine / Golden Diskó Ship THU 11mm Film Fest – Film the political theorist’s crucial work Starts 20:30. The world’s biggest football on totalitarianism, the situation of 26 7.+8.3. / HAU3 PERFORMANCE film festival returns to Babylon refugees, racial segregation in the SUN The Bagpiper Schwanda Kino. Expect great documentaries USA, zionism and more. Through – Operetta premiere The Ko- and a focus on women’s football. It Oct 18. Starts 10:00. mische29 Oper continues its focus on Benny kicks off with German documentary the Jewish-Czech composer Jaromír Men Of Hope. Through Mar 30. Berlin Oranienplatz Weinberger with a festival – climax- Claessens SAT Measure for Pleasure – Starts 20:00. – Theatre premiere Ninety years ing with the premiere of his 1927 after28 Döblin wrote Berlin Alexander- global hit Schwanda, here directed Another Period Piece German Premiere FRI Evicted By Greed – Confer- platz, Hakan Savaş Mican’s troubled by Andreas Homoki. Starts 18:00. 27 ence Disruption Network Lab protagonist takes a look at contem- explores how speculative financing porary Kreuzberg at the Maxim Gorki MON Chick Corea: The Trilogy 11.3. / HAU1 DIALOGUE drives the current housing crisis. Theater. With English surtitles. Again 30 – Jazz One of the founding fa- Don’t miss the opening keynote by on Mar 29. Starts 19:30. thers of latin , the legendary “El estado Christoph Trautvetter (page 18) at pianist leads a superb trio supported Kunstquartier Bethanien. Through #Mietenwahnsinn – Demonstration Last by Christian McBride and Brian opresor es un Mar 28. Starts 16:00. year around 40,000 Berliners dem- at Konzerthaus. Starts 20:00. macho My Perfect Berlin Weekend violador” FRIDAY 18:00 I go check out an opening at C/O From Chile to India and Ger- Berlin (Hardenbergstr. 22-24, Charlottenburg), or the many – Stories about Woman Newton Foundation (Jebensstr. 2, Charlottenburg), or and Violence / With Christina Clemm, a vernissage at Camera Work (Kantstr. 149, Charlot- Prasanna Gettu and LASTESIS tenburg). 20:00 Dinner at Le Petit Royal (Grolmanstr. 59, Charlottenburg), where the team knows that I want 12.–14.3. / HAU2 THEATRE my entrecôte as fatty as possible. Those evenings tend to be wine-soaked. 23:00 A quick walk over to Paris Bar (Kantstr. 152), for some Averna and cigarettes. She She Pop Canon / Repertoire SATURDAY 10:00 Slow start reviewing photogra-

phers’ work to see if they could be a good fit for one 13.3. / HAU3 DIALOGUE of my Fotografiska museums.12:00 I flip through Tip magazine, picking up ideas for my shopping list. 13:00 Workshop Stop by at Neungrad (Gipsstr. 2, Mitte) a wine shop that has a great stock of German wines. 13:30 Then I with walk over to Do You Read Me (Auguststr. 28, Mitte), my favorite magazine shop. 20:00 I like to watch the LASTESIS sun set from the big at Holzmarkt, followed “Un violador en tu camino” / by a long dinner at Kater Schmaus (Holzmarktstr. 25, “A Rapist in your Path” Yoram Roth Yoram Friedrichshain). 23:00 Stay for a long night at Kater Registration required by 6.3. via , 52, is a Berlin-born Blau, especially if Chris Zippel is spinning deep house [email protected] Yoram Roth on the Heinz Hopper Floor… But once Clärchens photographer and international Ballhaus reopens I’ll be there. 19.–29.3. / HAU1, HAU2, HAU3 culture entrepreneur who owns FESTIVAL several photography museums SUNDAY 9:00 I love cycling on my bike I got from Prêt à Vélo (Fehrbelliner Str. 17, Mitte). I go on a Spy on Me and the publishing house Go City power-ride across the city: good tunes, a casual nod Media (tip/Zitty). As of last year, to the red lights. 13:00 If the weather is right I like #2 he’s also the owner of Mitte insti- to look for curiosities at the flea market on Straße Artistic Manoeuvres for the des 17. Juni. 18:00 Sunday nights end at Francucci’s tution Clärchens Ballhaus (page 8), Digital Present / With James Bridle, (Kurfürstendamm 90, Charlottenburg) with their Lina Dencik, dgtl fmnsm, doublelucky produc- which he is promising to lead into a Pizza Jacomo Ferraristi. It has mozzarella, rosemary tions, Gudrun Gut, Mette Ingvartsen, Vladimir swinging future. ham and parmigiano – and a special place in my heart. Ivkovic, NewfrontEars & Oozing Gloop, Patricia Reed, Thomas Ryckewaert, Kareth Schaffer, Jonas Staal & Jan Fermon, STO Union & Carte Blanche, Kat Válastur a.o.

MARCH 2020 45 ž www.hebbel-am-ufer.de ADVERTORIAL — The Berlin Guide THE BERLIN GUIDE Looking for something uniquely Berlin and need inspiration? The Berlin Guide is your key to discovering new local tips around the city’s vast array of RESTAURANTS, CAFÉS & BARS, SHOPS & SERVICES. Updated monthly! All locations English-language friendly!

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RESTAURANTS CAFÉS and BARS HOPS & BARLEY – Bar Serving home-brewed pilsner and dark beer, this is the place to go to get that proper brew-pub vibe in Friedrichshain. Cider and wheat beers are also on tap. Part brewery, part bar, the interior is beautifully decorated with antique tiles. Wühlischstr. 22-23, Friedrichshain, Tel 030 29 36 75 34

CARAVAGGI NATURWEIN BISTRO ZEROSTRESS PIZZA – Restaurant / – Cafe A welcoming, cosy ambience Winery A non-traditional Italian food where you can enjoy a top-quality experience in the heart of Kreuz- selection of Italian natural wines, in berg. After 3 years of success in Fried- the heart of Helmholtzkiez. Taste our richshain, our pizza restaurant has delicatessen: cheese and salumi from launched a new location, topped up independent producers, and typi- with a wine bar. Get inspired by the cal Italian pasta, meat and vegetable friendly staff of Zerostress to have BARETTINO – Cafe Barettino means “small bar” recipes. Come enjoy our weekly live the best pairing of tasty pizza and and in our case it is a unique combination of ev- jazz nights, drinking Italian natural top quality wine. Eat wine! Drink erything which makes you happy between dawn wines and savouring ! pizza! Lausitzer Platz 10, Kreuzberg, and dusk. A huge breakfast choice & fine coffee, Lettestraße 3, Prenzlauer Berg, Mon-Sun from 12, Tel 030 84 51 59 52 lunch & dinner made fresh and with love, plenty of Tel 030 28 70 44 11, closed Mon delicacies, toasted paninis and homemade cakes, Italian aperitivo and holy spirits. Join the Barettino family! Reuterstr. 59, Neukölln, Tel 030 2556 3034 CAFÉ NULLPUNKT– Café / Restaurant Nullpunkt offers a scrumptious selection of lunch and breakfast options, organic, mostly vegan, gluten-free. Besides tea and expertly brewed coffee, you can have homemade banana bread and buckwheat pancakes. Don’t mistake it for a daytime-only spot though: every Thursday night, the café hosts after- work drinks with live music from the resident ‘Songband’. Friedrichstraße 23b, Kreuzberg, Tel: 030 84 71 09 23 www.cafenullpunkt.com

MONSTER RONSON’S ICHIBAN KARAOKE – Nightlife The original – the best! The world’s craziest karaoke club, DOLORES – Restaurant Founded 10 years ago as a street food pioneer in with 14 private karaoke cabins and a the German capital, Dolores serves excellent -style burritos, big stage! MultiSEXual BOXhopping Mondays: Queer + Friends, Mix + Mingle! tacos and quesadillas – inspired by San Francisco’s Mission district. Every Tuesday: The House of Presents’ Recommended by Time Out, New York Times and Lonely Planet. THE FUTURE BREAKFAST – Restaurant Once a Drag Show. Doors at 9, pre-show at Voted #1 value for your money by Exberliner readers. mobile breakfast truck, these guys have opened 10, main show at 11. Wednesdays & up a joint on Böhmischer Platz, serving hearty Sundays: BOX HAPPY HOUR. All and wholesome vegetarian and vegan Aussie Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 7, Mitte, Tel 030 28 09 95 97 brunch dishes. The food is organic, seasonal cabins half-priced from 7pm - midnight. Bayreuther Str. 36, Schöneberg, www.dolores-online.de and comes with top-notch specialty coffee. Warschauer Str. 34, Friedrichshain, Böhmische Str. 46, Neukölln, Mon-Fri 8:30-17, www.karaokemonster.de Sat-Sun 9:30-17, closed Wed, www.thefuture- breakfast.com

46 EXBERLINER 191 ADVERTORIAL — The Berlin Guide

BASTARD – Restaurant From Bastard with love: whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, this res- taurant is not just for those who were born out of wedlock. Choose from the changing seasonal menu created with love for fresh ingredients and fine food. Our tip: try the homemade stone-oven bread! Reichen­berger Str. 122, Kreuzberg, Tel 030 54 82 18 66, closed Tue-Wed

LA BUVETTE – Restaurant For a good KNÖDELKÜCHE RUNDE SACHE ONE COWORKING – Coworking With One glass of wine, a romantic or business – Restaurant At Knödelküche you’ll find Coworking you can work from Berlin’s dinner, a wine tasting or a birthday the best Knödel in town! This delicious best coworking spaces with one single party... come to La Buvette Weinbar. pop-up shop specialises in traditional membership. For a fixed price starting A cosy French bistro where all wines German dumplings, keeping you warm from €49 a month you get access to all come directly from France and the food and satisfied in the winter months. the workspaces, get a free coffee, tea or is like mama’s . Try the famous Dishes vary from all-time classics to water and take part amazing community ‘steak-frites’ with a glass of Bordeaux, fancy exotic options, all made with events and meet ups. One Coworking also or come on Sundays for ‘moules-frites’! regional and locally sourced produce. offers team plans with special features to Gleimstr. 41, Prenzlauer Berg, Tel 030 From cheesy seduction to vegan plea- manage your remote workforce. 88 06 28 70 sure, we have something for you. Knödel www.onecoworking.com – convert or newbie – come check us out! Schönhauser Allee 184, Mitte, Mon-Thu 11:30-21:00, Fri 11:30-22:30, Sat 14:00-22:30 SWING KITCHEN – Restaurant Do you crave a juicy, sizzling burger? Served in a crispy ciabatta, with a juicy patty, filled with veg and covered in a tasty sauce, you won’t even notice everything is vegan and cruelty-free. You might #swing2vegan because you’re curious SHOPS and about the taste or also because it’s time NO HABLO ESPAÑOL HUMBOLDT-INSTITUT – Restaurant The best California- to be CO2 operative and do something SERVICES – Language Whether style Mexican street food joint in Friedrichshain. total beginner or advanced learner: the Hum- Delicious freshly made burritos and quesadillas for your environment. Whatever the boldt-Institut has the right German course for served by a collection of fun-loving international reason, you can find us in Mitte at everyone. Small classes with intensive training people. Once a week, challenge the NHE team to Georgenstr. 201, Mitte, Mon-Sun 11-22 ensure swift and effective learning. Or simply a game of rock-paper-scissors and win a half-price Rosenthaler Straße 63, Mitte, Mon- choose a part-time course during the evening or meal! Kopernikusstr. 22, Mon-Sun from 12, Sun 11-22 on Saturdays. Individual lessons also available. awww.nohabloespanol.de Invalidenstr. 19, Mitte, Tel 030 81 45 37 61 - 0

SCHWARZES CAFÉ – Restaurant Since the 1970s, Schwarzes Café on Savignyplatz has been a cult favourite among artists, anarchists, foreigners and Charlottenburgers. They’re open 24/7, have English menus and serve organic meat. Try our favourite: the black tortellini with salmon filling and lobster sauce for only €11.80! Kantstr. 148, Charlottenburg, Tel 03 03 13 80 38

GOURA PAKORA – Restaurant is a BOUTIQUE CHÂTEAU CALISSANNE YUN – Service Yun is an innovative, satvic-VEGAN and ayurvedic inspired BERLIN – Shop Take a short detour Korean eyewear brand offering qual- restaurant. Satvic-food means food of just around the corner from Ku’damm ity, timeless design. They champion a virtue. It promotes clarity and peace of and discover our wines, specialties minimal concept in both their design mind. We offer different dosas, stir-fry from Provance, and exquisite olive and price. Beautiful, simple frames start currys, Thali plates, wraps, deep-fried oils directly from the wineries Château at just €99. Have your chosen frames Pakora, rich salads, juices and sweets. Calissanne AOP Coteaux D’Aix en or sunglasses ready in 20 minutes with Almost all of our food is gluten-free. We Provence and Clef de St. Thomas AC 3 SCHWESTERN – Restaurant Housed in a for- their state-of-the-art at their hope that we inspire you to get into the mer hospital-turned-art centre, this spacious Châteauneuf du Pape. Inquire when flagship Berlin store! And you can even higher taste of Goura Pakora! Krossener restaurant with big windows overlooking a the next wine tasting party or special watch your new frames being created Str. 16, Friedrichshain, Tel 030 98 36 44 lovely garden serves fresh, seasonal German theme evening is on! before your very eyes! Rosenthaler Str. 40, Wed-Sun 12-23:00 and continental dishes at reasonable prices. Fasanenstr. 33a, Wilmersdorf, closed 11, Mitte, Tel 030 27 57 78 20 Breakfast on weekends and holidays. Live music Sun, Tel 030 88 70 88 78 and parties start after dessert. Mariannenplatz 2 (Bethanien), Kreuzberg, Tel 03 06 00 31 86 00

MARCH 2020 47 ADVERTORIAL — The Berlin Guide

TIB-SPORTZENTRUM – Fitness At Berlin’s old- est sport club you’ll find sports for young and old. Baseball, softball, ultimate frisbee, tennis, dance and more. Their sport centre has a gym, sport courses, eight badminton and two indoor tennis courts, and a sauna. Columbiadamm 111, Neukölln, www.tib1848ev.de Ciro Marchetti Ciro MONSTERKABINETT – Theme Park MAGICUM – Museum Berlin Magic EVERYONE CAN DRIVE A CAR! – Service You Join us on a trip to Berlin’s under- Museum carries you into the origins of own a driver’s license, but you are ground art scene! A unique theme magical thought and ancient wisdoms, scared, hesitant or don’t understand park inhabited by automatic, singing, from ancestral forms of worship and the German driving law. Set up for a dancing monsters. Your guides: our interpretations of the future, and to the driver like you, the training will help performance artists from Transylva- power of intuition. Explore the labyrinths you out! A highly experienced driving nia. Visitors of all ages are invited to and marvel at exhibits from an impres- instructor will help you approach driv- enjoy an invaluable art event where sive range of cultures and continents! ing without stress. Unsure if this is for technology comes to life! Expect the An interactive magical experience at you? Book a trial session for only €25. unexpected! Rosenthaler Str. 39, Hackescher Markt. Große Hamburger www.jederkannautofahren.com, Tel Mitte, Wed-Thu 18:00-22:00, Fri- Str. 17, Mitte, Tel 030 28 87 56 35, Mon- 015 17 05 19 530 Sat 16:00-22:00, (closed Sun-Tue), Sun 10-20:00, www.magicum-berlin.de www.monsterkabinett.de

SCREEN PRINTING AT SDW – Workshop We are SDW – An open screen printing workshop recently relocated to Tabor- straße 3 in Kreuzberg, open Wed-Fri from 10-18! We offer beginner courses TO PLACE YOUR as well as assistance to those with basic AD HERE CONTACT: to advanced skills in the realisation of their art projects. Interested in learning more? Schedule a slot and print with us! BGKW LAWYERS – Service We specialise in labour, ADS family, private building and insolvency law. The [email protected] @EXBERLINER.COM legitimacy of dismissal is the main subject of Taborstraße 3, Kreuzberg labour disputes. In divorce, legal representation is mandatory. We give legal advice in cases of construction defects and insolvency proceedings. Markgrafenstr. 57, Mitte, Tel 030 20 62 48 90

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LPG BIOMARKT – Supermarket Your all-organic neighbourhood super- market supplies fruit and veggies, vegan groceries, meats, cheese and even cosmetics. They offer a colossal selection of local and regional products, preferably from within 200km of Berlin. your with freshly baked bread and treat yourself to a selection of homemade sweet and savoury goodies. Found already in eight locations in Berlin to offer you the fairest, cleanest and most delicious products nearby, from nearby. Kreuzberg, Mehringdamm 20-30 and Reichenberger Str. 37 Prenzlauer Berg, Kollwitzstr. 17 Mitte, Alt-Moabit 98 Friedenau, Hauptstr. 78 Steglitz, Albrechtstr. 33, Charlottenburg, Kaiserdamm 12, Treptow, Bouchéstr. 12, www.lpg-biomarkt.de

ENGLISH TRADERS – Shop Not a “British PILATES-ROOM-BERLIN – Fitness Shop” – but a kind of mini department Pilates in small groups with a classically store stuffed full of beautiful, unusual and trained teacher! At this friendly, cosy useful things gathered from all over the Prenzlauer Berg studio, Angela Roczkov world. They support a plastic-free Berlin helps you strengthen your back and core, and carry a full range of reusable food align your body, and maintain a flexible and drink containers. They also stock spine. In combination with stretching over 80 unique tea towel designs. You’ll exercises, you’ll learn to connect mind find a useful gift for almost anyone here! and body for a stronger you! All ages Weisestr. 58, U-Bhf Boddinstr. U8, / and fitness levels welcome. Tempelhofer Feld, Tues-Sat, 12:00-19:00, Dietrich-Bohnoeffer-Str. 11, englishtraders.de Prenzlauer Berg, Tel 017 93 99 70 49, [email protected]

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MARCH 2020 49 COLUMN— The Gay Berliner Jens Spahn and the crystal ceiling Why the Gay Berliner may not be modern enough for a gay German chancellor.

elcome to Konrad got HIV-preventative medication Crasshole’s Political PrEP covered by the Krankenkasse – W Notebook, er, Walter both things important to “modern” Werner’s Political Corner, er, fuck gays. But that doesn’t mean we it. Anyways, last month, a head- need him as head of state. I know line caught my and many fellow what you’re thinking: we don’t need homosexuals’ eye when Bild On- the conservative, pro-capitalist, line asked “Is the CDU modern pro-arms manufacturing CDU enough for a gay chancellor?” The in that position. I don’t think so headline is referring to Jens Spahn, either, but Germany has been led Germany’s current Minister of by either the CDU or SPD (with a Health, prompted by the regional nine-day exception) since the end vote debacle in Thuringia which of the Second World War. Looking ultimately led to the resignation at the polling numbers of the SPD, of current national CDU head An- the likelihood that the CDU will negret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the continue for a stretch after Merkel presupposed successor to Angela is pretty high. Merkel. As it stands, the CDU has no In the end, this is just the sort of obvious leader. And Bild wanted to sideshow politics that a tabloid like remind you gay men Bild would seize can climb Mount upon, looking west The hype queens of Everest, too. But to the US where, will the CDU have it? although not guar- Reichenberger Straße To be honest, aside anteed, gay can- from Merkel, AKK didate Pete Butti- Jane Silver visits the food scene’s and gieg has a sizeable latest darlings: ChungKing Noodles (technically CSU chance at winning and Mama Shabz. anyways), Spahn is the Democratic the only CDU name Party nomination, s the ancient Sean Bean proverb goes, one does I recognise - not that Walter Crasshole and trying to ignite not simply walk into ChungKing Noodles. No, I put much thought a tiny flame here in A to partake in Ash Lee’s Chongqing-style xiaomian into who heads the on queer Berlin the land of milque- requires careful preparation. One must budget time CDU. If you’re not toast politicking by for a 20-30-minute wait, either in the scrum of people gay or not really pay- injecting a newly leaning against the wall or outside with a Späti beer. ing attention to German news, held grasp of identity politics: “Ger- One must gird oneself for dollhouse-sized stools and you’re most likely to remember many has already broken the glass cacaphonous acoustics. One must wear dark clothing Spahn from 2017, when he bitterly ceiling, but what about the crystal to head off the inevitable chilli oil stains, and one must complained in the Neue Osnabrücker ceiling?” Germany’s the most lib- not plan any kind of vigorous activity – clubbing, yoga, Zeitung that there’s too much Eng- eral Western democracy of them sex, whatever else might interfere with digesting half lish spoken in Berlin. Maybe the all, right? Riiiiight. And that’s why a kilo of carbs, cabbage and capsaicin – for the rest question should be whether he’s there’s no need for #MeToo and of the evening. And then one does it all over again, modern enough to be gay. It also up- we have economic parity here. The because these noodles are worth it. sets him that Muslim men shower headline is a shallow challenge to Back in December’s food issue I named ChungKing in their underwear at the gym. I the CDU, while floating the idea to and its Reichenberger Straße neighbour Mama Shabz have to be fair to him though. Since the German public. as two of the year’s most promising newcomers, but taking up his position as health Having a conservative represen- privately, as a critic who’s never met a hype bubble I minister in March 2018, he has done tative always spells doom for any didn’t want to viciously puncture, I had my doubts. a couple notable things on behalf sort of progressive movement. If it Did these restaurants – both run by young, spice- of the gay community at least: comes to Jens Spahn, maybe I’m not loving women who’d started out on the street food last December he set into effect modern enough for a gay chancellor. scene before opening Kreuzberg brick-and-mortars a complete ban on the disgusting Just because someone’s gay, doesn’t within blocks and days of each other – really deserve practice of gay , mean I have to support them. But all the praise that had been so breathlessly heaped and three months before that he I may have to live with it. T upon them, including my own?

50 EXBERLINER 191 BERLIN BITES Fanette Guilloud For once, yes. Back to the noodles: Unfortunately, the prices reflect that. they’re homemade with organic flour, €11-13 is okay for noodles of this caliber, 1. – 8.4.2020 compulsively slurpable, and put up but beer drinkers can only wash them just the right amount of fight when down with a €5 millennial-pink can you bite into them. They arrive in of pale ale, specially brewed by Motel a thick slurry of broth, chilli oil and to complement Lee’s food. Which it Sichuan pepper, topped with coriander, admittedly does, but would it hurt to scallions, Spitzkohl and your choice of throw in a cheap pils? protein. Most go for free-range ground Less of a whole production, if lighter pork, but there’s also braised beef; on the culinary fireworks, is Mama an exemplary vegan version with soy Shabz. At Shabnam Syed’s Pakistani meat, yellow peas, and finely minced café, the opening hours are more for- shiitake mushroom; and a chicken giving, the queues short to nonexistent gizzard special on Wednesdays. It’s and the brightly colourful, cushion- easy to see why the place is so overrun festooned space far better designed with food obsessives, many of whom for a leisurely lunch. Portraits of Syed’s remember Lee from Chi Fan, a sup- female relatives hang on the wall; her per club focused on the cuisine of her mother, from whom the London-born native Shanghai, or from the string of chef learned many of the traditional sold-out pop-ups that preceded her recipes she serves here, occupies the اﺣﺪث restaurant’s opening. There are other top spot. The mains change weekly good Chinese noodle bowls in Berlin, but always include one meat and one اﻷﻓﻼم .”but for the ingredient quality, vegan- veggie option, plus the “dal of the day friendliness, and non-condescending When I was there this included chicken اﻟﻌﺮﺑﺔ heat level (it starts off manageable and qorma, two tender drumsticks braised in builds to a sinus-emptying crescendo a cumin-forward yogurt-tomato sauce by the end – they’ll tone it down if you with just enough of a kick to keep things ask), ChungKing is it. interesting, and a somewhat blander okra masala. Both small portions came Jane Silver with naan and salad, but no rice – a bummer, as even a desultory scoop would round out the meal and make this one of the area’s top bargains. Instead you’ve got to order it on the side for €3, bringing your total to a highish €10 or so. My advice? Skip rice and go for the snacks. Syed’s slogan is “Peace and Pa- kora”, and you shouldn’t leave without trying the fluffy, crispy potato frit- ters in question (€4 for two). There’s also the grilled cheese paratha (€4), a flaky cheddar-filled gut bomb livened up by a squeeze of tamarind sauce, and the street food classic gol guppe, hollow dough spheres served with chickpeas and chutney for DIY filling. Between these and a rich cup of chai, served with a traditional rusk biscuit, you could very happily while away an afternoon beneath Mama Shabz’ hanging houseplants. Or come back on a Saturday for the nihari, a 12-hour lamb stew that I hear is spectacular, but haven’t tried yet. Worth the hype? 11th Arab Film One can only hope. T Festival Berlin

CHUNGKING NOODLES Reichenberger Str. 35, Tue-Sat 18-22 | MAMA SHABZ Reichenberger Str. 61a, Wed-Fri 10:30- 21, Sat 11-17 www.alfilm.berlin

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MARCH 2020 COLUMN— Astrology

planets afraid of commitments if you’re ever going to in with a knowledgeable source to be sure that branch out. While Berlin can make it unappeal- your stability and rights as a renter are pro- ing or unnecessary for one to grow up, it’s time tected. Talking to your friends and colleagues, The Berlinoscope to commit to your future self. Maybe this is online and offline, can help you get the infor- your time to look into getting a mortgage for mation you need to be organised. While you’re Resident astrologer Randon that Altbau you’ve been dreaming of? focused on ironing out your home life, your Rosenbohm on what’s up social and dating life are active, so get out while CANCER (June 21 - July 22) You have you can. Once the end of the month rolls around, in Berlin’s March skies. your hands full with appointments, it’s back to a strict daily routine. emails and commutes. You have places to go and people to meet. Just be sure you’re not SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - caught on the U-Bahn without first validating December 21) Your ambitions have your ticket (especially at the beginning of gotten you far, but there is nothing wrong with March). Once spring begins you are more wanting some recognition for your accomplish- concerned with your reputation. Maybe going ments. You’ve made progress and cultivated a into debt from BVG fines isn’t what you want skill set, which does not deserve all the self- to be famous for. Take this month to not only criticism either. An important project reaches redefine your public image but to be familiar completion, so give yourself a pat on the back with your mission statement or understanding as you move onto the next step. With the new the philosophy behind your CV. Mietendeckel law, it would be wise to get famil- iar with your rent contract and move forward LEO (July 23 - August 22) Something with any revisions which need to be made. clicks and you’re more money moti- vated. Not calling you materialistic, but you CAPRICORN (December 22 - January simply have material needs (and appreciate the 19) If your current flat situation isn’t odd flashy accessory). Figure out what you working for you, it becomes clear what you have already have, and what you can trade in for an to do in order to be happy. Do something about upgrade – the Free Your Stuff Berlin group on it. Invest in a yoga mat or a pull-up bar. Some is your friend. By putting your face, quality cookware, or even a cooking class is or even your voice out there, you attract more appropriate for this weather. Branch outside of ARIES (March 21 - April 19) Aries, attention from those who can help you get what your bubble to return with souvenirs. A trip to you can stand up for yourself, and this you want. Speaking of which, you are getting and beyond can inspire stories to month asks you to do so not only in your own serious and no longer have time to waste on share. Or maybe you’re broke right now. Getting interest but for your community. You refuse to any relationships that won’t go the distance. real about what you need to sacrifice in order be scammed and you can see through tricky, to support yourself financially is a big theme deceitful language. Not everyone has your unique VIRGO (August 23 - September 22) for the next three years. perspective. Use your strong will and love for Reflecting on past relationships gives your friends to stand up for a cause. Why not you a new perspective on how you define your AQUARIUS (January 20 - February join the #Mietenwahnsinn demo on the 28th ideal dynamic. Maybe you didn’t get it right 18) After much confusion comes clar- to fight gentrification? This month begins a new the first time around, but now you have space ity. Logical fallacies become clearer, and you three-year period of building a movement! to correct any mistakes. Surround yourself with can move forward with more wisdom. It is a crowd of people who inspire you to be your- frustrating to repeat yourself, but on the bright TAURUS (April 20 - May 20) Align self. Avoid any clubs where you don’t know the side you can finally perfect it having practised. with your core values, whether it’s lineup to be sure you’re around the people who Bring your personal values into your home beauty, patience or dedication. While Taurus make you feel good. Or just be a hermit and go space – you’ll be happier for it. Whether that is known for its penchant for art, music, and to the hammam – totally up to you. manifests as switching to pea-based milk or food, you know that aesthetics are more than getting a more efficient recycling system in surface-level. Self-expression and inspiration LIBRA (September 23 - October 22) place, commit to something which reflects the come from your personal experience, which is Change is afoot. Your relationships (pla- world you’re interested in building! nothing superficial. Sign up for the next Drill- tonic, too) become more intimate as you look er Queens workshop and learn how to make at your shared assets with a discerning eye. PISCES (February 19 - March 20) your home reflect your unique style. It will What can others offer you on a material level? Relationships, even friendships, experi- ultimately earn you the attention of guests To build friendships and bonds which last, there ence a mega climax – a turning point, if you will. you’re trying to impress. If you can’t make it must be a fair balance of give and take. It feels Find a good location to have ‘the talk’, to fi- to a workshop, don’t worry, no one’s ever too amazing when someone else buys a round of nally smooth things out, like a neighbourhood cool to call their mum. Mexicaners, so imagine how amazing it must bar or restaurant with loud music, where no one feel to be the one paying for it, too. We have to else can eavesdrop on sensitive topics. Or strike GEMINI (May 21 - June 20) It’s going learn how to love giving and how to look after up a conversation on a long walk along the canal. to require a little more determination ourselves first. Through conversation it becomes clear to see to organise your thoughts about your future how your interpersonal dynamics operate. You and where it’s headed this month, but patience SCORPIO (October 23 - November can even understand a different, hidden part of and persistence are key. Going the distance 21) It’s wise to review your rental con- yourself that has gone unnoticed. Meditation requires dedication and sacrifice. You can’t be tract with regards to the Mietendeckel. Check and journalling are helpful at this time.

52 EXBERLINER 191 Exberliner_2017.qxp_Layout 1 18.12.19 17:07 Seite 1 British Shorts Film Festival 16.–22.1. / HAU Hebbel am Ufer (HAU2), Sputnik Kino, Acudkino, City Kino Wedding, Kino Zukunft,

Silent Green Kulturquartier ➞ www.britishshorts.de GOB SQUAD I Love You, Goodbye (The Brexit and Beyond Edition)

THEATER PERFORMANCE HAU Fri 31.1. / HAU1 ➞ www.hebbel-am-ufer.de Spy on Me #2 Artistic Manoeuvres for the Digital Present Festival with James Bridle, Lina Dencik, dgtl fmnsm, doublelucky producti- ons, Gudrun Gut, Mette Ingvartsen, Vladimir Ivkovic, NewfrontEars & Oozing Gloop, Patricia Reed, Thomas Ryckewaert, Kareth Schaffer, Jonas Staal & Jan Fermon, STO Union & Carte Blanche, Kat Válastur a.o.

19.–29.3.2020 HAU ➞ www.hebbel-am-ufer.de