HOUSE TOUR #15, July 2025
Insight in to the Depot
Current House Tour Focuses on Manfred Bartling’s Works in the Stifterraum
This edition of the House Tours at Haus Kunst Mitte is dedicated to our Founders’ Room, where visitors can explore artworks by the artist and patron Manfred Bartling alongside writings by the poet Elisabeth Bartling. On display are watercolor works on paper created in 1983, featuring series of line figures. These pieces are characterized by a deliberately reduced visual language, with the figures composed of abstracted basic shapes such as circles and lines. The artworks depict various scenes of human interaction, with the relationships between the figures shifting from image to image.
Photos: © HKM-Team, installation views, Stifterraum
In one piece, two figures face each other like mirror images, separated by a wall. At times their movements reflect one another, while at other moments they appear to be engaged in a struggle. In other works, the figures come into closer relation, seeming attuned to each other and almost connected through dance, moving in rhythmic harmony. These pieces explore themes of both harmony and tension, and the interplay between these opposites points to fundamental dynamics in human relationships.
Manfred Bartling left behind an extensive body of artistic work, defined by vibrant color palettes, graphic experimentation, and a serial approach to image-making. Currently, 100 of his graphic works are on view at the DRK Clinics Berlin Westend. These exhibited pieces include drawings and paintings of everyday household objects and food items, many of which date back to the 1970s. Bartling grouped this distinctive body of work under the term “Bartling POP,” presenting his unique interpretation of Pop Art.
If you are now curious to see the exhibition, you are welcome to visit at any time, either independently or as part of a guided tour.
We also invite you to our upcoming events. On Friday and Saturday, July 18 and 19, 2025, the Meet the Artists program will take place from 3 to 6 PM. Artists Elke Judith Wagner and Frank Dornseif will guide you through the exhibition and engage in direct dialogue with guests.
The current exhibition series concludes with a special closing event on Friday, July 25, 2025, from 5 to 8 PM. Admission is free. At 7 PM, an Artists Talk on the exhibition FOUNDATIONS will take place with curator Sakhile Matlhare and participating artists Anike Joyce Sadiq and Philip Crawford.
Following the finissage, Haus Kunst Mitte will enter its summer break. From July 26 through August 31, 2025, the space will remain closed. We look forward to welcoming you again in September.