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In many ways, the last 12 months were not just the most successful since the gallery was established, they were also characterized by exhibition projects that came about because of spontaneous decisions on the part of the gallerist. This started in November/December last year with The Journey to St. Petersburg, our benefit exhibition for Pussy Riot, and continued with A Tribute to David Bowie HAUPTSTRASSE The Berlin Years 1976 -1978.
The first museum show for Franziska Strauss (at the start of her second solo show in the gallery in January/February of this year), also came about by chance, it was a spontaneous decision to include Winston Chmielinski in the gallery program, and to plan – for this autumn already – his first solo show which, due to the extraordinarily good response, has just been extended until November 9, 2013.
Hence the gallerist found himself once again in a situation that called for another improvisation. The second half of November and the first week of December are still a good time in the gallery calendar, but then the Christmas season starts – all in all not a suitable date for a solo show. But it is suitable for an attractive, exciting, and meaningful group show that would not just be topical in socio-political terms, but would – after Pussy Riot and Bowie – be in a certain respect consistent with the gallery’s program of the past 12 months.
Take A Walk on the Wild Side is intended – with a view to the increase of homophobic and racist attacks unfortunately not just in Russia – to take a stance: against political paternalism, censorship, and the suppression of artistic work, against homophobia and racism. The aim is not, however, to present an exhibition of political art. Rather, the gallerist/curator is interested in existential decisions of people who risk a walk on the wild side and thus risk being socially ostracized, declared outlaws or indeed risk their lives.
We asked the invited artists for works that circle around sex, love, androgyny, around Eros and death, around ecstasy and the Dionysian, the transgression of borders and conventions, around nudity and the human body, and the Other in the self.
The sudden death of Lou Reed on October 27th 2013 is yet another – tragic – aspect of our exhibition. We dedicate Take A Walk on the Wild Side to this extraordinary artist.
