In exchange with artists and exciting exhibitions at the KW Institute for Contemporary Art

You recently completed an internship at the KW Institute in Berlin. That sounds really impressive. Tell us more about your internship facility!

I think it is a place where the connection between one’s “manifesto” and actual action is undoubtedly very strong. The facility was founded in the early 1990s by Klaus Biesenbach, Alexandra Binswanger, Clemens Homburger, Philipp von Doering and Alfonso Rutigliano in a disused former margarine factory in Berlin-Mitte. Today it is under the direction of Krist Gruijthuijsen.

During my internship I worked closely with Léon Kruijswijk and Kathrin Bentele, the deputy curators and project managers, Linda Franken, the coordinator of public programs and outreach, and other members of the curatorial team. I got the impression that the team tries to address sociopolitical and anthropological issues while maintaining a thoughtful and gentle approach to contemporary artistic practices, which they mostly succeed in doing. It’s a very progressive, friendly and diverse environment. The company’s mission statement is to ‘maintain a high degree of flexibility in designing its programs and addressing its audiences.’

How did you find out about the internship? How did the application process go?

I’ve been following the KW Institute’s Instagram account for a while to keep up to date with the exhibitions and events. I saw an ad for the position there. Then I found the full description on the website and decided to apply. I sent my documents by email and if I remember correctly, they contacted me a few weeks later and asked me to do an interview via Skype. I spoke to the two deputy curators of the office – it was a very nice, relaxed conversation. After about a week, they called me and asked if I was interested in the position. I said yes immediately – I was very excited.

What did you hope to achieve from the internship? Can you please tell us more about your goals, tasks and fields of activity?

I think my experience was the closest to what I expected before I started. I wanted to get a good insight into the workings of a contemporary and progressive cultural institution, and to the fullest. I think that even though I only interned there for three months, the large number of exhibitions running at the same time and the relatively small size of the team responsible for carrying out all the tasks gave me a very comprehensive and intensive work experience.

My tasks included handling correspondence, answering inquiries, office communication and helping to organize the internal office structure. I was also responsible for managing artists and supporting productions such as “Disproof does not equal disbelief” by Michael Stevenson and “Zeros and Ones” by Lutz Bacher, Jay Chung & Q Takeki Made, Hanne Darboven, Jana Euler, Jef Geys, Tishan Hsu, Ilmari Kalkkinen, Silvia Kolbowski, Pope L., Louise Lawler, Carolyn Lazard, Lee Lozano, Henrik Olesen, Sarah Rapson, Margaret Raspé, readymades belong to everyone, Ketty La Rocca, Stutevant, Otto Wagner, and Martin Wong.

I worked a lot on “Disproof does not equal disbelief” and Michael Stevenson was there almost every day in the month before the exhibition opened to lend a hand and we tried to support him as best we could. I also helped organize various events. It was a big challenge to keep everything running smoothly while complying with all the COVID-19 regulations, but I think we managed it.

What general and study-related knowledge, skills and qualifications were you able to apply in the internship?

I think I was very aware of the importance of the choices made in structuring each exhibition thanks to courses such as “Artistic Practice in Transcultural Context” and “Decolonized: Images, Race and Representation”. The knowledge I gained in these courses helped me a lot to better understand conversations and to become aware of the variety of factors one has to consider in all stages of putting together an exhibition, from contacting the right people, to conception and production, and public programming.

I was lucky enough to also be able to use some of my architectural skills to help lay out the different spaces for the events (we had to carefully calculate capacity, always keeping safe distances and clear routes to emergency exits and toilets for each individual event). I offered to use CAD software to make the job easier for all of us. I also created some 3D models of the gallery spaces with the upcoming exhibitions to see how everything works. I really enjoyed these tasks.

You also recently submitted your master thesis. Please tell us more about it!

I think I can safely say that it is the first time I feel so connected to a research topic I chose for a project. The topic of my thesis is walking and how it connects us to ourselves and our urban environment, especially when viewed as a creative practice. To explore the topic in a fun and meaningful way, I organized the WALKshop (a workshop about walking), which served as the main inspiration and collection of materials on the basis of which I built the platform I submitted as my project. I am interested in building a community of people (facilitators and participants) who want to participate in more “walkshops” and make their own contribution. The workshops will then (hopefully) take place soon.

Which experiences/courses/projects during your studies do you think will benefit you the most in your future professional life?

I would say that the courses I benefited from the most were definitely “Space and Place” and “Autoethnography in the Vlogger Era”. They gave me different tools and perspectives to incorporate into my research practice. I was introduced to autoethnography and psychogeography and understood the importance of incorporating practices of embodiment into a research process.

What advice do you have for (prospective) students who are thinking about studying Visual and Media Anthropology at Media University?

I see it as a very self-directed program, I think. I think one piece of advice that comes to mind is to try to build a strong community with your fellow students (something that has been particularly challenging for me and my fellow VMA students due to the pandemic and its impact on our lives). There is a lot of valuable knowledge to internalize and process, and it is very helpful to have people around you who are willing to engage in dialogue and explore the subject matter together with you – even if this is done virtually.

I was advised to think about what my thesis should be about very early on and that this is a good strategy. I disagree.

Thank you for the exciting insights into your internship. All the best for the future and much success!