Bittersweet Berlin 2017

International Exhibition „Bitter Sweet “ October 4th – October 30th 2017

DRAWING   VIDEO   PAINTING   SCULPTURE   MIXED MEDIA

Shoxxx (JP) multimedia & prints, Kurihara (JP)painting & drawings, Dylan Bakker (NZ)drawings, Maria Persson (S)drawings, Peter Glas (DE) sculptures, Shwan Dler Qaradaki (KUR) shortfilm, Frank Paul (DE) sculptur &paintings, Iván Prieto (ES) sculptures, Michael Dunk (DK)drawings

Autumn is on its way and we open our new exhibition with a bunch of colors, feelings, smiles and maybe even some tears.We have chosen to shine the spotlight on this whole spectrum.

The Japanese artist Shoxxx and Swedish artist Maria Persson take us into a playful and childish world.The sculptures of Frank Paul, Iván Prieto and Peter Glas are characterized by their ironic reflectiveness. Dylan Bakker and Kurihara present lyrical stories of very different mental landscapes. And Shwan Dler Qaradaki hits us right in the heart with his short film about the journey to a new home.

The strength of this exhibition lies in its sensitive versatility, which cannot leave us unmoved.

Takuya Kurihara (JP)
Multi-artist Takuya Kurihara combines the Asian and European artistic language in his artwork and successfully makes it into his very own expression.In his acrylic paintings he investigates the human universe through fine lines and bold colours. His paintings arouse the viewer’s curiosity through their wealth of details, that sends its viewer on a voyage of discovery. Like in a kaleidoscope new shapes and forms constantly appear before the viewer’s eyes.

Dylan Bakker (NZ)
Besides screenprint Bakker works with techniques such as drawing, collage, photography as well as computerised and analog experiments. Bakker’s art is influenced by Pop Art, Surrealism, Dada, psychedelic art, science and nature. Through these influences and his intermedial working method he creates artwork with its very own aesthetic -often figurativ.

Michael Dunk (DK)
Michael Dunk makes art about everyday life. With varying techniques – painting, drawing and installations – Dunk depicts different aspects of society including political issues, globalisation and cultural clashes, with a humoristic, even ironic approach. The artist presents observations of the sometimes harsh everyday reality with a humorous and colourful approach.

Peter Glas (DE)
Peter Glas is a German sculptor, who humorously refers to himself as an “iron bender“. His sculptures, almost continuously in figurine form, individually or in a group, address issues such as guilt, pain, fear or loneliness but also some of the more ironic sites of life..

Hereby Glas does not care about an an excessive aestheticization of his figures. Their physicality is only of secondary importance; they solely form the framework for the message to be transmitted.

Shoxxx (JP)
Shoxxx’s exhibitions display often puppets, prints, drawings, hand-made decorations and installations; composing colorful, funny characters in a pop atmosphere.Though these works remind us of a current contemporary  Japanese style, it derives its originality through cynical humor or extreme nonsense.These installations of her work transport visitors to a SHOXXX’s world, a place for the adventurous to arouse their imagination.

Maria Persson (S)
Through symbolic motifs and expressive lines and colors graphic artist and illustrator Maria Persson explores the conflicts of our modern western society in her drawings. Illustrative and with clear references to Street art, Persson is able to take us with her into a world loaded with positive energy, though always with a critical view on our surroundings.

Frank Paul (DE)
Frank Paul works with bizarre forms and faces painted in very strong colors, sometimes with a dark and dramatic expression. He uses humor and irony to explore everything between everyday life and the more complex questions in life. Paul works with both freestanding sculptures and wall-mounted sculptures acting as paintings. Besides wood, canvas and plaster he also uses unconventional materials, which are converted into imaginative creatures and figures.

Iván Pietro (ES)
Iván Prieto’s work focuses on ceramic sculptures, but he also creates illustrations and installations. In his colourful surrealistic sculptures, Prieto captures certain fragility of humans and life in general, including indications to physical disabilities (such as deafness and blindness), as well as mental imperfections, with each character being inspired by real-life human counterparts. In his artistic work Prieto wants to explore the transgression of physical and mental borders, which are in some way relatable for everyone.

Shawn Dler Qaradaki (KUR)
Kurdish artist Shwan Dler Qaradaki works with a variety of techniques such as drawing,printmaking, painting, photography, installation and video. His artwork addresses issues such as Identity in a multiethnic and multicultural world and the tensions between possibilities, tradition, violation and prejudice. His video „salt kiss“ is a very personal report of 12 years on the road as refugee. Shwan Dler Qaradaki (KUR) lives today in Norway.