Diving into the World of Urban Artistry: The Endless Multitasking and Creative Evolution of a Dynamic Duo.
Embark on an artistic journey with Various & Gould, prominent figures in Berlin’s urban art scene for nearly two decades. They draw inspiration from and create within the public space, whether through poster series, murals, or interventions. Known for their distinctive collages that celebrate human diversity, Various & Gould bring a unique and playful approach to addressing pressing social issues. Join them in celebrating the vibrant and diverse urban art culture they’ve helped shape in Berlin.
About the speaker
Various & Gould: Celebrating Diversity Through Urban Art
The art duo Various & Gould has been an integral part of the Berlin urban art scene for almost twenty years. Public space is both the source of inspiration and the setting for their art, whether in poster series, murals, or interventions.
âWe participate and add something to the city,â Various & Gould said in a recent TV documentary series (ARD, 2022) on graffiti and urban art.
In different series of works, the duo deals with socially relevant issues in a playful, unconventional way. For their literally multi-layered collages, Various & Gould disassemble a wide variety of faces into individual parts and reassemble them completely anew into collective heads. Essentially, the artists are concerned with celebrating human diversity and striving for equality in times of racist and queer-hostile controversies.
In 2014, Various & Gould began creating large-scale paper impressions of public monuments. In 2018, they further developed the concept into âMonumental Shadowsâ, an ongoing participatory art project on colonial traces in today's culture of remembrance. To kick off the project, Various & Gould collaborated with Colonial Neighbours (SAVVY Contemporary) and other artists in 2021 to wrap Berlin's Bismarck National Monument in paper over the course of weeks and then symbolically remove this paper cast from its pedestal.
Various & Gould graduated from the Kunsthochschule Berlin-WeiĂensee (KHB) with Prof. Alex Jordan. Their works can be found in collections such as Urban Nation â Museum for Urban Contemporary Art (Berlin), BLMK - Kunstmuseum Dieselkraftwerk (Cottbus), and Museum fĂźr Gestaltung (Zurich).
Links:
Currently Various & Gould are part of the following exhibitions:
- THE VERSUS PROJECT IV, collaborative group exhibition @ Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles, until 28th of October 2023.
- TALKING ... & OTHER BANANA SKINS, group exhibition @ URBAN NATION Museum, Berlin, until December 2024.
- BISMARCK-DISPUTE, themed exhibition at Zitadelle Spandau, until 01st of April 2024.
- BAU KUNST! #2, group exhibition @ Galerie Borchardt, Hamburg, until end of February 2024.
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