Out of the Cold | The ACUD Kunstverein Gallery

A small group has gathered outside the  Serendipity Gallery in Mitte. Only a couple of minutes, they're told, until everyone is allowed in after waiting outside in the cold. Why the wait? Because behind closed doors, the last touches are being added to Anders Zettelmann's art performance revolving around the theme of “coldness”. Zettelmann, dressed to look like a hypothermic homeless man, approaches a case of stairs carrying a large bowl of hot water. He sits at the foot of the stairs, cuts open his socks and warms his feet in the water.

The other artists from the collective aren't present today, but have contributed installations, photographs and paintings, different interpretations that center more or less on the “coldness” issue. It was important to the makers of the exhibition to show the artists' thoughts on the topic through different media and individual perspectives. It seems logical to associate coldness with the winter, but according to gallerist Anders Kamp, “the seasonal association is just one aspect of it. Social coldness is another important one, so you could basically say that 'coming in from the cold' is a beautiful utopia for a warm togetherness in our society.” The walls of the gallery underline Kamp's statement. There are pictures of a frozen over lake, a “coldness” Nazi experiment, and a portrait of a woman crouching in a corner by herself.

The artists already received positive reactions on their work from peers within the collective. “Everyone in the collective supports each other,” says video artist Grit Lindau, “that's worth more than if you just bring a finished piece into a gallery and nail it to the wall.”

“Aus der Kälte – out of the cold” will be running at the Serendipity Gallery until March 10. (ihe)