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Built in 1250, this Franciscan church and monastery is one of Berlin’s oldest monuments. It’s also an important part of its past, as the Gothic structure bore witness to the city’s entire history. In 1945, Allied air raids largely destroyed the building, but 60 years later an extensive restoration project preserved the remaining ruins. In 2018 and beyond, the area around the monastery will be reconstructed according to medieval city plans. An initiative that the Borgman | Lenk art duo doesn’t necessarily see as a good thing, but as a “retrograde approach towards [the] public space.”
Part of the [statement & dialogue] exhibition, their latest sculpture Radiator aims to highlight the failure of even attempting to reconstruct the past. Measuring 10 meters in height, the monumental installation contrasts the ruins. It sits alongside the missing southern facade, completing the empty space. The sculpture features interwoven hollow steel tubes which boast a bright blue paint finish, becoming almost profane in the sacred setting. Thought-provoking as well as visually striking, the installation certainly achieves its goal of opening a dialogue. The [statement & dialogue] exhibition opened on June 8 and runs until October 31 2017. Images courtesy of Borgman | Lenk.
