into the pill - Issue 11
Cluster
[scroll down for the interview]
video by Christine Woditschka
Abseilen (Wohnhaus Neukölln Berlin 2005),
2:20 min, 2005
***
For Cluster answered Barbara Buchmaier.
Interview by Vassiliea Stylianidou for Into the pill
"Cluster" is an exhibition space founded in June 2006, run by nine artists who have decided to share a common working and presentation structure.
"Cluster" shows their works in solo and group exhibitions. Additionally selected curators, scholars and art critics are invited to initiate discussions about their work. There are also exchange projects with artists and artist groups from Germany and abroad.
"Cluster" is situated in a 75 square-meter former factory space in the Osram Höfe in Berlin-Wedding, in the same neighborhood as Guido Baudach and Max Hetzler galleries.
Art historian and critic Barbara Buchmaier, who also works at the commercial gallery Galerie Barbara Weiss in Berlin, has overseen project management of "Cluster" since its inception.
"Cluster" does not aim to become a commercial gallery. It is a place for experiments, self-reflection, discussion and networking. (Naturally, sales requests are not discouraged.)
As the meaning of the term "cluster" expresses, the people who work under the name "Cluster" see themselves as a kind of loose community sharing a common platform and infrastructure. It does not mean that everyone does the same thing under a common name; rather, it is a useful instrument for the group.
What would you change about the artistic reality of the city?
It would be nice to have a bit more financial support for artists in the city (e.g. in the sense of scholarships or other kind of monthly support). We would also like to see more state-subsidized artist studios (subsidized by the German Senate), which are becoming more and more rare. Due to gentrification and privatization, an ever-increasing amount of affordable studio spaces and artist residencies, especially in and around the city center, have been eradicated.
"Cluster" is financially supported by the German federal state Schleswig-Holstein. The artists are financially responsible for their rent and their production costs.
Cluster has no set concept. The artists work with different artistic media and styles. They develop curatorial research and practice in loose configurations, often in collaboration with the project manager, with a critical view of their own exhibition practice and presentation strategies.
Over the last several years, Berlin has become increasingly saturated with diverse contemporary art events and exhibition spaces. However this situation may be judged, it challenges us to find ways to stay visible and attractive within the scene.
Current “Cluster" artists include Stella Geppert, Gehrd Grothusen, Matthias Krause, Ulrike Mohr, Anette Rose, Thea Timm, Bernd Trasberger, Christine Woditschka and Birthe Zimmermann.
For more information, please contact:
Barbara Buchmaier, tel. +49 (0)160 960 74 111,
e mail
cluster
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