This past year, my girlfriend and I traveled to Germany on vacation. She's a native german who lived in NYC for 3 years, and I'm a born and bred New Yorker. We're both art-minded, but neither of us would call ourselves artists just yet. (High standards and all, you know...)
Earlier in 2008 prior to the vacation, we heard a lot about Berlin being the new art capital of the world; the new New York. Berlin has been culturally and artistically rich for a long time, but it was peculiar how many people here were talking about it.
We came across numerous NYC "artists" who claimed to have an "artist friend" in Berlin whenever they learned of my girl's homeland.
It was pretty annoying actually, hearing these privileged, out of city transplants essentially bragging about their alleged "friends" abroad as if this reflects their own status as an artist. My girlfriend was thoroughly unimpressed, and so was I, but I didn't really know what to think.
During our visit to Berlin later on in the summer, we went to a grim looking, graffiti-ridden artist complex called the Tacheless. It was full of so-called artists and their art, none of which were Berliners.
That's not to say that everybody in there was from New York City, but some of these art nomads have definitely lived here, speaking fondly of their empty little rent-controlled NYC alcoves.
While there, we were told by the artists themselves that Berlin was at that time undergoing a transformation into
the art capital, pretty much confirming Berlin as what my girlfriend calls, "the New York of the 80s."
For the travelers, artists or art-minded out there, is Berlin really the new New York?
Comments (7)
That depends. Several artists are moving there, sure, but does experimentation flourish, is the attitude towards artistic experimentation somewhat permissive, is there anything about the city that is unusually inspiring, besides the fact that up until 20 years ago it was separated into two parts by a wall placed by the aftermath of a war begun by a madman? It may not be the new arts capital, per se, but it might be blossoming into a center of culture and artistic influence.
I so want to go to Berlin!
I love the way the word "Berlin" sounds. My ancestors came from this region 300 years ago.
i think it might get close to being the "new" new york but i'd never actually really be the "new" new york
i dont know if that statement just made any sense haha.i hope it did though
i'd like to travel to berlin one day
Berlin is quite cool!
Berlin "want-a-be artists"
Rent the off beat DVD called "Antagonist Movement" from NexFlix. It is about a NYC artist group that call themselves the same as the title, Antagonist Movement and a trip to Berlin to put on a art exhibit. Interesting and off the wall.
From the movie Berlin looked like alot of graffiti everywhere, dirty, and somewhat trashy and "artist want a be's". Reminds me alot of the '60's and the hippie movement. To each his own. Just not sure I would want to go there and I AM a professional artist, by that I mean I actually sell art, teach classes and have my own studio and gallery.
My son is a professional fine art photographer and is living in Berlin for 3 months to see if he would like to move there. His version is "Berlin is the New Paris". That coming from a Texan not a New Yorker.
Guess everyone has to be somewhere!
Why can't Berlin become something else, besides the "new New York?" Must we always compare everything to the US?