Art spaces in Berlin & Beijing

…artists come from all over the world here. And they often have links to, or are connected with, or … managed other kinds of experimental or alternative, temporary project spaces all over the world. So there’s a linkage. A certain kind of nomadic pattern that comes up, where artists kind of go to. They have a basis in ways to exchange and move around. And they also bring a certain degree of continuity in terms of practices and activities and approaches because of those exchanges.

…the market value, I think is much easier understood here in general. The general public understands when you are making some kind of profit with what you do. And if not, it’s really questionable and almost sneaky.

Yeah, I think most of the friends that I have, most of them got attached to the city, they like the work environment. It feels energetic. Things are happening here. Things are on move. it’s cheap. Also, a lot of American artists just decided to stay here. They got sick of New York. I think there is also maybe a group of artists that- I don’t know, that can play the artist here, but that would never make it in New York.

We really just have to look out for ourselves. The thing about 798 is, even from the beginning, it was never a community. It was like people in the same neighborhood. It was artists moving here- it was NOT the East Village, or the Yuanmingyuen, or these kind of artists communities that have popped up throughout art history in China. It was much more- a very loose confederation of individuals drawn by nice space and cheap rent. And the idea that 798 in and of itself stands for something is totally a fiction.

OK, I’ll tell you my secret. I’m a romantic. I love objects. And artists make objects. Like that photo, I love it. I want to take it to bed with me and just hold it. I love to have things. I love to look at things…I know people talk about that, but I think that’s more theoretical thinking, it’s more academic thinking in my opinion…It’s a virtual art fair you’re looking at it online. Boring! I want to see, smell, touch it. I want to see what a photo looks like, or the painting or sculpture. And you can’t do it without a space. I think spaces are fantastic. Yeah, I love it. I love to have a space.

[It’s about the] mobility of this space, not this permanence. ‘Oh, what's going to happen? It's going to fall down!' [in different voice] It won't fall down. The space is Mely and me working on it. It's not the physical walls, you know?

When we rented these two rooms, this one was a tofu shop. So it was all made of white tiles. We kept only one wall in memory of the tofu shop. It was everywhere like this. And the ceiling was closed. So, it was like a kind of stinky white cube.

Artists are the group, if they want something, they are going to get it no matter what. I think they have the least problem with information. Comparatively, of course. They’re not the good kids, you know? Official, very, do-what-I-tell -you-to-do-kind of kids.