It will feature some amazing artworks by our star artists Prost, Niark1 and Alias – who will be presenting some limited edition series on paper as well as other new pieces. We will also showcase some works by new artists we are representing, such as illustrator Philipp Zurmöhle, Rallito.X from Spain and Jakob Tolstrup from Denmark. There will be works by Alexander Clouchard Barbone and SP38 on display too, so expect to see artworks by both fresh faces and renowned artists!

For those of you who wish to join us at Stroke 2011, we have two pairs of free tickets to give away! To enter, all you need to do is “like” West Berlin Gallery on Facebook here, and RSVP to our Stroke 2011 Facebook event by saying you will be attending the event. Two lucky winners will then be chosen at random!
Deadline for entering is Tuesday, October 12th at 6.00 pm.

For more information:

Berlin Postbahnhof – Strasse der Pariser Kommune 8, S-Bahn Ostbahnhof
Friday, October 14th: 1 pm – 11.30 pm
Saturday, October 15th: 1 pm – 11.30 pm
Sunday, October 16th: 1 pm – 6 pm
Entry fee: 8€ / Special student price 6.5€
www.stroke-artfair.com

For those of you who missed the show, Hara Katsiki will be at West Berlin Gallery  tomorrow Saturday, September 24, around 15:00 to hang out and answer any questions about her work. Feel free to stop by!

Hello Hara! What have you been up to lately?

Hi! Well during the past months, I have been working on my first solo exhibition that will take place at West Berlin Gallery. I have also been doing some freelance graphic design, and spending a lot of time in my studio drawing, drawing, drawing!

You’ve won the Illustrative award last year, has it brought you any new opportunities?

It was a big surprise for me to be given this present. If you had asked me two or three years ago, I would never have imagined getting such an award!
I was very happy about it, and it has given me, personally, a lot of power, a lot of hope and a lot of confidence. I got involved in art when I moved to Berlin three years ago, I’m also self-taught, so I just followed my heart but had no idea where this was going to lead me. I still don’t know where my art is going to lead me, but winning the award was definitely a step closer to my dream.

What is your dream then?

My dream is to be a successful artist. I don’t really know what a successful artist is but I want to make art, and I want to be able to live out of it. I also want to be able to travel to get inspiration for my work.
Since I won the Illustrative award, things have definitely improved. I got more promotion within the art scene. I also now have the opportunity to have my own solo show, I received many offers for collaborations and exhibitions…

What inspires you and your work?

Since I started working for my forthcoming exhibition, I have tried to stop looking at other artists’ works, especially those who also do illustration because I do not want to be influenced by other peoples’ work. I am mostly inspired by music, I listen to music non stop – mostly folk music or electronic, minimal music.
I also watch Twin Peaks by David Lynch almost every day, and I am inspired by small trips to the nature. My dreams are also a big source of inspiration: while staying here in my studio in Berlin I can travel all over the world while sleeping and dreaming.

While preparing for your forthcoming show, have you been using new techniques or trying new things?

I have been using gold on black paper, which I had never done before. Also, I did my first paintings on wood using acrylic, as well as illustration on printed photographs.
I have mostly been doing series, for example series of 3 artworks. I tried to stick to only using black, white and gold, and the themes of my works were mostly inspired by nature and strange creatures.

What are you plans after the exhibition?

After this show, I will work with a fashion designer, her label is called Tata Christiane. Together we will make a series of clothes and will take part in the Festival de Hyères, which is an annual fashion event held by the French riviera.
I have always wanted to work in the fashion world, doing clothes or something similar and this is a nice opportunity. I really like her work and I think it is going to be a very nice collaboration.
What I’m going to do is that I’m going to draw on fabric, she will then create clothes with this fabric and I will interfere again at the very end of the process, applying the finishing touch once the clothes are ready.
Another project for this autumn is a porcelain series I am going to do in cooperation with Illustrative. I will do a limited edition series on porcelain, drawing on tableware.

You work in many different fields such as costume design, graphic design, music and so on. Can you tell us a little bit more about those projects?

Well I’m not really focusing on costume design even if it is something I like to do. After the Illustrative forum I made some costumes for a music video for a band from New York. It was very interesting and funny!
I also sometimes design masks. I would like to do more of those but I do so many different things it’s hard to focus on everything, and lately I’ve mostly been doing illustration.
I’m also a DJ, I play different kinds of stuff like jazz & soul, I’m a resident DJ at Tausend Bar in Berlin. Sometimes I also play more minimal, experimental music.

You said you had been trying not to look at other artists’ work while getting ready for your upcoming exhibition, but is there anyone’s work you enjoy at the moment?

I really like Gregory Euclide who does painting & installations. I also like the work of Vali Myers and her drawings, the paintings of Todd Schorr, the very beautiful porcelain dolls of Marina Bychkova, and the music videos of Alex Turvey.

Thank you for your time Hara, we are looking forward to your upcoming exhibition!

You’re welcome!

Through this exhibition, Hara Katsiki plans on giving us a sneak peak into the fantastically romantic inner world of her thought-dreams. Always keen to experiment, this daring artist transcends the boundaries of imagination. Using her dreams as the main source of inspiration, Katsiki was inclined to define/refine her work for this show by using three primary colors: black, white and gold. Hara is also using ink on paper and wood, creating abstract pieces reminiscent of what she describes as “nature’s unspoken beauty”.

From Friday, September 23rd, West Berlin Gallery will feature 33 pieces ranging from black and white paper, to works on wood, as well as drawings on printed fashion photographs. The exhibition will also showcase an installation that is bound to be the highlight of the show!

Through this exhibition, Hara Katsiki plans on giving us a sneak peak into the fantastically romantic inner world of her thought-dreams. Always keen to experiment, this daring artist transcends the boundaries of imagination. Using her dreams as the main source of inspiration, Katsiki was inclined to define/refine her work for this show by using three primary colors: black, white and gold. Hara is also using ink on paper and wood, creating abstract pieces reminiscent of what she describes as “nature’s unspoken beauty”.

On Thursday, September 22th, West Berlin Gallery will feature 33 pieces ranging from black and white paper, to works on wood, as well as drawings on printed fashion photographs. The exhibition will also showcase an installation that is bound to be the highlight of the show!

The opening ceremony will feature a performance by harpist Claudio Cherubin, starting at 19:30. The versatile musician will most definitely make this evening one to remember!

An afterparty will be held at Bar Tausend (Schiffbauerdamm 11, S/U-Bahn Friedrichstrasse), starting at 22:00 with DJs Emil doesn’t drive and Spacelex. The entry is free for everyone attending the opening ceremony!

Opening Ceremony: Thursday, September 22, 2011
Time: 18:00 – 22:00
Location: West Berlin Gallery
Brunnenstraße 56 / 13355 Berlin
You can RSVP on Facebook and/or become a fan here for daily updates!
Contact: +49 (0)30 548 566 29 / info@westberlingallery.com