Two is better than one, but what about when one becomes four? Four of Berlin’s coolest gallerists – Eva Morawietz, Katharina Maria Raab, Anahita Sadighi and Anne Schwarz – have come together to launch Studio 4 Berlin, a platform for contemporary art, antiques and design. Formed in response to an art market in transition, Studio 4 closes the aesthetic gap in the representation of different cultures, epocs and media. Launching with a spotlight on the colour blue, we spoke to the girls about how they came together, Berlin’s post-Covid art scene and all things blue.
What gave you the idea for STUDIO 4 BERLIN?
STUDIO 4 BERLIN sees itself as a creative answer to an art market in upheaval, closing an aesthetic gap in the presentation of different cultures, epochs and media. The selection combines, for example, ancient Asian art with contemporary Scandinavian art, photography from Iran, Munich jewellery design, Italian furniture, Chinese fashion and Japanese sake to foster a holistic lifestyle dedicated to aesthetics and art. The idea is to present the selected artworks and objects in a new and unconventional light.
What is the cultural scene like in Berlin, and how has it changed since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic?
Berlin has been a cultural hub over the centuries and keeps on being an incredibly exciting, inspiring and culturally rich place. The crisis caused by COVID-19, however, has had a severe impact on the artistic community in the last months. The spirit of human solidarity through the arts plays a more important role than ever. For us, the enrichment art brings to our lives is vitally important and we want people to understand that the positive energy and power art can offer should not be underestimated.
What made you focus on the colour blue?
A lot can be said about the colour blue, of course. It is an incredibly beautiful, complex colour with a rich cultural history that is worth exploring. We find the idea of focusing on certain colour concepts for our specific exhibition formats intriguing, especially in regard with our online platform – you will be able to see the extended, complete selection on www.studio4berlin.com. This specific colour approach is also unusual and new. However, in our new showroom in Charlottenburg we present changing exhibitions, which only at times will be dedicated to a comprehensive colour concept.
What else are you planning together?
We are already preparing for our next shows at the new showroom and also for Berlin Art Week. September is going to be a busy and exciting month. We will also curate a group photo show for European Month of Photography (EMOP). For the upcoming photography show, we will bring together work by three artists from different corners of the world. Different generations, aesthetics, and cultures enter into an inspiring dialogue. We have a lot of ideas in the pipeline and will focus on elaborating these ideas. We communicate in German, English, French, Italian, Chinese, and Farsi. In other words we don’t only want to focus on the German market.
What are your plans and hopes for the future?
We are very much looking forward to the new chapter STUDIO 4 BERLIN and the cooperation with our Berlin and international partners from China, Finland, Iran, Italy, Japan, Morocco, and Poland. With our intercultural and cross-thematic exhibition approach we would also like to pave the way for further projects and initiatives. Surely our project will also have a positive impact on our respective individual gallery program.
