galerie gerken (closed)

In 2004, Tanja Gerken opened galerie gerken in Auguststraße; 2013, after having been successfully established over nine years, the gallery moved to Linienstraße in Berlin-Mitte. At the end of October 2019 Tanja Gerken ended her work as a gallerist. She will work as a curator in the future and the former gallery rooms in Linienstraße will continue to be used for exhibition purposes for the art collection of Museum Schlössle (Baden-Württemberg).

The showroom of former galerie gerken extends over two floors: the ground floor is 240 square meters in size and is accessible through a glassed wall corner entrance. The rooms are specifically equipped to suit an art gallery: underfloor heating facilitates an undisturbed observation of the artworks, exchangeable lightning fixtures and a modest interior design makes it possible to present each artist and artistic inclination individually.

The main curatorial aim of the galerie gerken was an equal mix of contemporary paintings, sculptures and installations and trying to find a balanced ratio between more classical genres and new mediums. Young, new positions and already established artists were equally present in the exhibition’s program. The combination of young artists with established position allowed a complex dialog, which gave information on the development of contemporary art of the last 50 years as well as fundamental questions concerning the medium and content of artistic expressions. Individually arranged events took place during the exhibition period, which offer a deeper insight into the artists’ works to the viewer.

Since the gallery was founded in 2004 the promotion of young talents was a personal concern of Tanja Gerken and was a central aspect of the gallery program. Every second year, the gallery organized an exhibition for students from different art academies to promote new talents. Since 2014, gallery gerken published a national call to colleges and universities for participation at the ArtStudents (ASA) exhibition. The main focus was the promotion and professionalization of the participants as well as the opportunity to network between students of the exhibition and others involved in the art world. By followed exhibitions and projects, fair participations and further mediations perspectives in and around the gallery should be shown. The extensive program was intended to offer the artists a platform for exchange and experimentation.

The gallery was a member of Landesverband und Bundesverband Deutscher Galerien (LVBG, BVDG: regional and national union of German galleries) and of the Federation of the European Art Galleries Association (FEAGA).

 
Vernissage & Exhibition Tegene Kunbi & Werner Pokorny

Exhibition natural space

Image caption cover external view: galerie gerken – artstudents Vernissage – All photos: Andreas Baudisch

ART at Berlin: Art Gallery in Berlin galerie gerken