Fairs
Berlin 2024: The Director’s Cut
Discover highlights from Affordable Art Fair Berlin (12 – 14 April 2024) as chosen by our Fair Director Oliver Lähndorf.
Hannah Weber-Heidenfels
Wednesday 3 April, 2024
With the very first edition of Affordable Art Fair Berlin approaching, we caught up with Fair Director Oliver Lähndorf who shares his personal highlights and the artists he’ll be looking out for during the fair.
This inaugural edition promises an impressive showcase of the creative minds of local and international artists. With a curated selection of galleries, you can expect a wide range of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, photography, and prints, all priced to encourage affordability and accessibility, whilst remaining at the forefront of cutting-edge, contemporary art.
As we open the doors next week, we invite experienced and Next-gen art collectors alike to immerse themselves in this new art experience in the city of Berlin. With a high standard of 1,000s of artworks alongside special exhibitions and a monumental new installation suspended in the fair’s entrance by Berlin-based Tomislav Topic, it’s hard to choose my highlights, but here are a few that are a must-see during your visit…
Christoph Rode | Uhlig Gallery
Presented by one of our longstanding German galleries, Christoph Rode was not only chosen to be our campaign artist in Berlin, but his large-format oil paintings are definitely on my list of works I don’t want to miss during the buzz of the fair.
Combining both abstract and realism, his multidimensional works are full of fragmented content. In the collage-like paintings, such as ‘Erster Ansatz’, all parts are considered whilst simultaneously left open to give us a wide freedom for our own unique interpretations.
Jenny Schäfer | Kleine Gegenwart
As a former Emerging Artist at our Hamburg edition, I’m drawn to following Jenny Schäfer’s continued success as her career spans new showcases of her work throughout Germany. This particular piece, ‘Atlantis #3 (self portrait)’, is a c-print and collage mixed media artwork from Schäfer’s „Jede Hand ein Oxtopus” collection, which demonstrates her expert balancing of a haunting and humorous aesthetic. I’m really looking forward to seeing a presentation of her work at Kleine Gegenwart’s booth. You’ll find them at C5 alongside Franziska Opel’s elegant sculptures.
Johann Schäfer | Affenfaust Galerie
Finally, I’m looking forward to seeing Affenfaust Galerie’s presentation of Leipzig-based Johann Schäfer’s everyday objects. He takes the traditional canvas and turns it into a representation of video tapes, CD-ROMS, and cassettes, to name a few. Gaining art prizes internationally, Schäfer is known for his symbolism and semantics, inspecting the absurdities of modern life with nods to pop art and surrealist movements. Head to booth B7 to be drawn in by his maximal vision.
Darko C. Nikolic | Paul Roosen Contemporary
Geometric shapes, clear lines, and vibrant colours are the pinnacle of Nikolic’s constructions. They’re artfully ideated and have a materiality that reflects his passion for thoughtful composition. Watch ‘Crossing C F’ being installed at Affordable Art Fair Hamburg in 2023, as each piece slots together to create a cohesive sculpture. Nikolic will have a solo show at booth A1 with Paul Roosen Contemporary. Don’t miss his two-dimensional acrylic pieces that play with perspective, such as ‘SIJYH II’.
Tomislav Topic | artnow Gallery
Tomislav Topic creates universally understandable installations that enable the viewer to experience art in a true and direct way. They challenge us to perceive the environment with expanded senses. Whether painting or installation, his art has the ability to resonate worldwide as an internationally valid form of expression and also to unite people of different cultures in art.
As well as inviting Topic to create a site-specific installation at the entrance to our fair, his static, “domesticated” images on canvas will be available at artnow Gallery’s stand, booth B1.
Jonas Büßecker + Jana Schumacher | Emerging Artist Exhibition
With his sculptural works, Jonas Büßecker speculates with our expectations. Every single element of his work has made a bet; among themselves, with each other; but above all: against us, who look at the works and are in the room with them. It is a bet of the elements: which one can withstand the longest – to hang, to pull, to fix, to condition, to chain, to strain, to hold together, to balance.
Jana Schumacher’s focus is on drawing, printmaking and installation work. Her artistic priorities are abstraction as well as site-specific sculpture. Within our theme of ‘Spannungsverhältnisse’, I’m sure to see an inspiring presentation. You can see both Büßecker and Schumacher’s work at our Emerging Artists Exhibition.
Thanks so much to Fair Director Oliver Lähndorf for sharing his highlights. All of these artists’ work will be available to browse and purchase at Affordable Art Fair Berlin, 12 – 14 March at Arena Berlin. Book your tickets and start planning your visit to be a part of our first edition.
