BERLIN - Hamburger Bahnhof Gallery

I recently went on a four day trip to Berlin. I met up with Australian artist Jane Lush and we endeavoured to find as much contemporary art as possible. We learned very quickly, you really need to do alot of research on underground art before you leave on such a short stay as just finding you bearings takes time. Approaching the gallery Hamburger Bahnhof Gallery was a building site - building work is continuous in this city.


After a lengthy reconstruction by architect Josef Paul Kleihues, the Hamburger Bahnhof reopened on 2 November 1996 as the Museum for Contemporary Art.
 The building was erected in the mid-19th century as one of the first terminal stations of the rail system.

 In the early 20th century, the structure was converted into a museum of transport and construction. The station's architecture, its impressive Neoclassical façade, flanked by two towers and the grand industrial hall of the entrance area.

'Mine' by Rauchenberg

This was a print / painting that got my attention. The bare, raw canvas square in the middle suggests
a space for the self, a place of respite. It also suggested a window, a void. 

Joseph Beuys fat appears to creak open and is constantly restrained and contained
by the steel belt with which it is harnessed.

Keiffers led plane is laden with books on the wings. A powerful and thought
provoking image. For me it conjurs up thoughts of 'the burning of the books'
during WW2. or is it the need to be more learn-ed and reconsidering options eg. warfare.

fat lays around like huge armchairs of cheese -  wheeled out for the occasion

Keiffer - small childrens clothes and dolls clothes are
embedded within the kaos of ash,led and tragedy.
This is a landscape of death and disaster and things left.

The detail of Keiffers large work -
the placing of imagery over the top of one another
and the glazing and glueing and texture



Andy Warhol - vast screenprinted flowers

Warhol - Mao. The colours are extraordinaryly beautiful. The blue and green mingle
This work is vast in size and towers above ones head. I particulary like the green jacket
and the facial colours. There is something about this that leaves you with the sense
you have been looking at a clown the notion someone is having a laugh.