Lena von Goedeke’s immortalized ice
Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster

Lena von Goedeke’s immortalized ice

In Lena von Goedeke’s studio, it’s only when we take a second look that we realize: nothing here is what it seems! We discover a life jacket made of concrete, blocks of ice made of glass and feet made of plaster. Sometimes it gets even more confusing, for example, there is an arm made of plaster that Lena has painted with pencil so that it looks like metal. Some of the objects are funny, others a bit scary.

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Wie-yi T. Lauw, Artist of Hiding
Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster

Wie-yi T. Lauw, Artist of Hiding

Wie-yi T. Lauw’s studio is located in bustling Neukölln, between playgrounds, bars and workshops – and somehow the city lives on in her studio. Various masks and statues are scattered around the room, for example small Buddhas that Wie-yi bought in a Vietnamese supermarket, and even a real motorcycle stands in the corner!

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In the cabinet of curiosities of kate-hers RHEE
Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster

In the cabinet of curiosities of kate-hers RHEE

The house where kate-hers RHEE’s studio is located is hidden in the backyard of a very large, new building in Treptow. When everything was extensively renovated here, kate-hers and the other artists* fought for a long time that the studios could stay and not be converted into expensive apartments. Luckily, because there is a lot to discover here – kate-hers is a great collector!

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Tomás Saraceno: Dream Dancer and Spider Whisperer
Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster

Tomás Saraceno: Dream Dancer and Spider Whisperer

Tomás Saraceno’s studio consists not of a single room, but of many. In fact, it’s a whole house! It needs the space, too, with all the people who work here. There is a kitchen, workshops, storage rooms, offices and even a laboratory where very special “artists” live. To get to know them, however, we have to be patient for a while.

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Barbara Kruger’s Trampling Boots and Other Futures
Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster

Barbara Kruger’s Trampling Boots and Other Futures

Today is a very special Ephra on the road day, because we are not guests in a studio, but exceptionally in a museum – the New National Gallery. Actually, you don’t have to go inside the imposing building to see the exhibition of the artist Barbara Kruger: Through the huge glass panes, we can already see from outside that the room is almost empty, except for a few screens and thousands of letters that cover the entire floor in red, black and white.

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Jeppe Hein and the art of playing
Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster

Jeppe Hein and the art of playing

In Jeppe Hein's studio, it already smells deliciously like lunch in the morning. That's because we meet in the large kitchen, where cooking takes place for the many people (currently 15) who help Jeppe turn his often crazy ideas into objects or architecture, exhibit or sell them, and keep track of the many projects.

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Of bodies and traces by Nicole Wendel
Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster

Of bodies and traces by Nicole Wendel

Nicole Wendel’s studio is on the outskirts of Berlin, in an old brick factory building with high, long windows and an even higher and longer chimney. But there's not much sign of factory work anymore – today it's much quieter here than in the otherwise bustling city. But the real quiet returns only after we have climbed the countless steps to Nicole's studio. The room is bright and quiet, and that's certainly also due to Nicole, who radiates warmly and speaks thoughtfully, so that you can listen to her well.

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Hearing Stones and Singing Dresses by Ayumi Paul
Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster

Hearing Stones and Singing Dresses by Ayumi Paul

Ayumi Paul is currently working in a special place: the Gropius Bau, where art is not normally created but rather exhibited. Through the basement of the building, she leads us up a long spiral staircase to the very top of her studio. As we enter the bright room, it is filled with violin music. Ayumi has been playing the violin since she was a child, but her concerts are different from those played in large halls in front of many people.

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Painted music by Michelle Jezierski
Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster

Painted music by Michelle Jezierski

Michelle Jezierski's studio smells of oil paint and the floor is so colorful that it also looks a bit like a work of art. Michelle's paintings have very different formats, but they are always divided into individual fragments, i.e. smaller, often strip-shaped units. This looks as if she had painted a landscape, then cut it into strips and reassembled it.

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Helge Leiberg’s bold blobs
Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster Ephra unterwegs Katharina Küster

Helge Leiberg’s bold blobs

When we arrive at Helge Leiberg’s studio, we are greeted by jazz music and dancing bodies on large canvases. He explains to us later that he likes to listen to this music while painting because it helps him get into certain moods. He also likes classical music, but the figures in the many paintings in his studio look more like fast, impulsive and exuberant movements, which goes really well with jazz music.

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In the fabric realm of Claudia Hill
Ephra unterwegs Philippa Halder Ephra unterwegs Philippa Halder

In the fabric realm of Claudia Hill

Many threads come together at Claudia Hill: She does performance art, costume and set design, experimental film, visual art. And above all, she works with fabric. You can see that in her studio, too, because there are beautiful, special textiles to be discovered everywhere.

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On the trail of Ilit Azoulay
Ephra unterwegs Philippa Halder Ephra unterwegs Philippa Halder

On the trail of Ilit Azoulay

Ilit Azoulay comes from Israel and she studied photography. In her studio in Schöneberg, she assembles collages - mainly on the computer - from thousands and thousands of photos, like a mosaic. Sometimes it takes years, that's how elaborate it is. Sometimes Ilit also integrates sound into the collages. 

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Jay Gard, the color collector
Ephra unterwegs Philippa Halder Ephra unterwegs Philippa Halder

Jay Gard, the color collector

Jay Gard's studio is equipped like a well-run hardware store. Sometimes larger, sometimes smaller sculptures are created here. He often builds colorful circles of paint, but sometimes he also paints pictures ... or looks at art books - in search of inspiration.

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That’s how nice it was at the Kusama Kids Studio!
Philippa Halder Philippa Halder

That’s how nice it was at the Kusama Kids Studio!

You didn't make it to the Kusama Kids Studio at the Gropius Bau - or you want to relive the wonderful memories of your visit? Here are a few photos by Mathias Völzke and a follow-up report by Ilka Lorenzen on Ephra's program on the occasion of the Kusama retrospective.

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Usually normal
Ephra unterwegs Ines Berwing Ephra unterwegs Ines Berwing

Usually normal

The studio - no! The Wunderkammer! - Özgür Erkök's studio in Katzlerstraße is crammed with the craziest things. Neon green and yellow tulle hangs on curtains in front of the windows.

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