Made in Berlin©     “Berlin is once again the city where trends are put in motion. But it is also a city of history, shaped by creativity, turmoil and tradition. History has etched itself upon Berlin, the city's creative muses have smoothed the edges.”     Berlin lives, breathes and eats art: with its finger on the pulse of the times, the German capital has become home to an emergent and vital new art scene. It now is a city with a unique variety, density and quality of art; a city that attracts artists and creative minds from across Europe, the Americas and Asia. The cultural landscape of Berlin is characterized by a high degree of ingenuity and innovation and has gained great international recognition.     This rapid development started with the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, when an enormous wave of enthusiasm and a spirit of big changes spread throughout the city. The beginnings of structural change in East Berlin and the mystique of its unformed condition functioned as a magnet to artists and other cultural forces. Berlin gave the outward impression of an extremely lively city:  its concentrated and dramatically effective history, the newly gained independence, and the diversity of approaches for reorientation drew many artists in. They mostly came because in Berlin they felt a profound sense of opportunity, freedom and liberation. Concerning the arts there was no rules - everything was happening, open and inspiring.     However, there was another reason for moving to Berlin: the great quantities of available and affordable spaces. The rapid decay of Berlins industrial sector and the specific urbanistic situation in East Berlin after the collapse of the GDR opened up various niches that could be used for all kinds of ventures and were especially appealing to people that were eager to experiment. This means that they did not only come out of curiosity, to occupy abandoned spaces and to passively watch the city change, instead they were very active. Artists initiated numerous projects, they organized exhibitions and events, and they transformed many of the occupied spaces into venues, studios, galleries and cultural institutions. The city was remodeled under the influence of the arts, and more and more Berlin's creativeness was noticeable around the globe.     Fueled primarily by the energy of a new city rising on the western edge of what was Eastern Europe and the low cost of renting apartments, Berlin has become within an incredibly short time, one of the most important cultural metropolises worldwide. Many commercial galleries opened up branches in Berlin, art associations and institutions were established here, well-known art auction houses settled down, big art fairs were founded and art festivals like the Berlin Biennale were organized and successful. Despite this boom and achieving the status of the greatest gallery location in Europe, Berlin has never been a big market for buying art, but more an arena for producing it. The city's reputation is one of a huge and groundbreaking producer market with an art scene that is characterized by its great variety and high dynamics - it is said to be eclectic, young, energetic . . . and very cool.     The artists that poured into the city of Berlin in the last two decades, originate from many different parts of the world and have varying cultural, political, generational and artistic backgrounds. Here they combine their energies and form a new and exceptionally creative contemporary art scene, one that breaks through the dust of history.     Sorting through this patchwork puzzle and recognizing that the puzzle itself is the main strength of the Berlin art world, curator Jason Benedict has put together an exhibition that is equally eclectic and multifaceted. In the same way we meet different artistic approaches, methods and histories in Berlin, we encounter a mixture of complex styles and techniques in this exhibition.     Benedict has assembled a variety of powerful and enigmatic new artwork, that has been produced in Berlin in the last few years. They are strong examples of the city's inspiring atmosphere which continually encourages such creative output. Many of these pieces by renowned international artists have never been shown to the public before, therefore this exhibition in Kaliningrad, Russia bears the mark of a world premiere.     The chosen artists can all be considered emissaries of the art metropolis Berlin, emerging legends of tomorrow who live off of little except the freedom and energy of this vibrant city.  Together they form an absorbing exhibition and a felicitous mixture of art forms: painting, sculpture, video, installation, photography and letterpress printing.     However different the exhibited contemporary creations are they have one thing in common: they all are evolving from the inventive atmosphere of Berlin, the city where there are no rules for art, where every form is valid and welcome. And what has been produced in Berlin is throughout the world treated like a leading brand – Made in Berlin© –  the label of creativity. -Christina Hilmer, Master of Arts (Cultural Sciences)
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