own use

In the visual arts, Berlin is not only a production location for many internationally active artists, but also home and, last but not least, a source of inspiration. Thanks to the upheavals after the fall of the Wall, a sustainable structure of studios, workshops and project spaces has grown in the city since the early 1990s. The Uferhallen in Wedding are such a place that stands pars pro toto for the many spaces of opportunity and their worrying repression. They form a unique artistic sociotope that has grown over more than a decade. In 2017, a group of investors bought the area including studios. Kick-off for an artistic initiative, with more than 65 participants, most of whom work on the site themselves. How can a city ensure long-term spaces for the social-changing potential of art? And what artistic strategies do we need for a sustainable society? The 2019 group exhibition Eigenbedarf discussed these questions with works by John Bock, Monica Bonvicini, Maria Eichhorn, Valérie Favre, Heiner Franzen, Asta Gröting, Katharina Grosse, Miriam Jonas, Fabian Knecht, Peter Knoch, So Young Park, Lois Weinberger and many more.

Own requirement, the book, combines detailed background information on the project and installation views of the exhibition and shows the Uferhallen artists in their studios. With texts by Klaus Lederer, Isabelle Meiffert and Hansjörg Schneider as well as an accompanying discussion between actors in art, politics and cultural funding on maintaining the location.