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Swedish artist immerses himself in the art scene in East Berlin in 1988

Topic: Private Contacts
Periods:
  • 1988
Artists:
  • Mikael Eriksson
  • Klaus Killisch
  • Sabine Herrmann
  • Susanne Rast
  • Beata Palucka
  • Hartmut Beil
  • Wilfriede Maaß
The Swedish artist Mikael Eriksson seeks encounters with the young artist scene in East Berlin in 1988
Interview with Mikael Eriksson in the studio of Klaus Killisch in Berlin-Pankow, 09.08.2022

Mikael Eriksson (born 1955) sought contact with artists in East Berlin out of interest in contemporary art. He spent several months in East Berlin in 1988 and experienced the fall of the Wall there. His encounters during this time moved him to stay and inspired him to create his own works and an appropriation in his series of works under the pseudonym Matthias Elsmann. Matthias Elsmann had exhibitions at Kollwitzstrasse 53 in 1989 and at the Haus der Jungen Talente in January 1990.

Eriksson lived in the squatted house Knaackstrasse 90 in the early 1990s and was actively involved in the eponymous gallery Knaack 90. He also organised exchanges between Berlin and Stockholm. The workshop of the ceramist Wilfriede Maaß was also a place of contact for Eriksson with other visual artists. Personal networks clearly shaped the artist Mikael Eriksson and his perception of East Berlin.

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  • „Zeitgeist“ über Grenzen hinweg
    Periods:
    • 1986
    Private Contacts
    The painter Klaus Killisch graduated from the Weißensee School of Art in 1986 and has been working freelance in Berlin ever since. In the interview, he talks about personal contacts and international influences on his work.
    Artists:
    • Klaus Killisch
    • Sabine Herrmann
    • Mikael Eriksson
    • Susanne Rast
    • Beata Palucka
    • Wilfriede Maaß
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