Reconnaissance Art

We welcome artists, scholars and other creative people. Share food and conversation, and connect with interesting and creative people.

DATE: October 26, 16:00-20:00

WHERE: Studio Ross / Tal, Grüntaler Str 7, Ground Floor, 13357 Berlin
(Gesundbrunnen S+U)

Door charge for buffet & non-alcoholic beverages: 7 EUR.  (Bring your own alcohol, if want to drink.)  Your payment helps subsidize these events so we can continue to serve the community.

Reservations are first-come, first-served. We can host up to 45 people but fill up quickly, so don’t wait. And if you must cancel, please do so 48 hours in advance so we can invite people  from our waiting list.

What brings us together is our mutual interest in the arts, and that we can all speak English, either as a native tongue or as a second (or third, or fourth) language.

All English-speaking artists and art-appreciators are welcome to attend, and you are of course welcome to bring along non-English- speaking friends and partners, since many of us also speak German and other languages. Feel free to bring portfolios and business cards, although all sharing and conversation is informal. The focus is on making connections with other interesting people, and on enjoying the food and company.

SPECIAL GUEST: We are privileged, once again to have an official representative of the BBK-Berlin attending the September Salon. BBK is the Professional Association of Berlin Artists, with more than 2000 members, and they are reaching out to English-speaking artists. There will be no formal presentation, but the representative will circulate during the Salon and explain the advantages of BBK membership, including access to subsidized studio space, access to production equipment (printmaking, digital equipment, etc.), workshops and other opportunities.

This month, we’ll be serving serving an eclectic and wonderful assortment of spicy and mild curries from both South and Southeast Asia,  cooling and savory salads, and the usual table of delicious desserts.

MENU

Salty Malaysian Chicken Curry
Fiery Seafood Curry
Pork Vindaloo
Yellow Ginger Vegetable Curry
Cashew Nut Curry
Braised Pumpkin
Lentil Salad with White Grapes and Carrots
Red Hot Rice Salad
Southeast Asian Onion-Tomato Condiment

Carrot Raita
Yogurt and Mint Raita
Mango Chutney
Coriander Chutney
Coconut Semolina Cakes
Cashew Meringue Cakes
Bananas Stewed in Coconut Milk

In August, 2008 I asked photographer Stephen Gerlich to shoot a series of my recent work titled “Short Circuit Stories.”

The canvas for each work in this collection is a discarded piece of computer hardware — a circuit board — a map of reality-driven, mathematically-based thinking that is already compromised by anthropomorphism. (”My computer doesn’t like me! My computer does what it wants, not what I want! Computers make me feel stupid! Computers are a tool of the devil! Computers will save the world! And so on.) The practitioners of Afro-Caribbean religions (Vodou, Santería, Condomble) have already identified the deity who governs computers: Ellegúa/Legba, a capricious trickster, the god who opens the gateways for other gods to enter the physical realm, a figure found most often at crossroads. This god has also been adopted by science fiction writers who have for years been using Legba as a metaphor for the power and double-edged potential of virtual reality. The obsolete, discarded circuit board is a once expensive, once cutting-edge piece of technology that has metamorphosed into “junk,” even though it may still function. It is also dangerous garbage, since disassembly and disposal present serious human and environmental risks. Despite being nominally whole, its existence has become meaningless and malign in a world where “progress” has rendered it not only useless, but often, unintelligible. Repurposing the circuit board within a narrative framework acts as a corrective to the notion of “growth for the sake of growth,” which is the ideology of the cancer cell and might as well be the motto of capitalist societies.

The other images and objects that comprise the work have been collected over a period of almost thirty years. Some are much older than that — costume jewelry inherited from my grandmothers, antiques and oddities. Each has already been the object of careful selection, and final incorporation into a completed artwork is the endpoint of an already lengthy process. There is a deliberate mix of “expensive” (coins, semiprecious stones, collectibles) and “worthless” (advertising, cheap toys, rhinestones, rocks, shells) objects in each narrative frame, because these pieces question the notion of assigned value and underline the point that it is interpretation rather than inherent worth that determines value.

Graphic by Paula Ross

Studio Ross / Tal, Grüntaler Str 7, 13357 Berlin. 

Reservations are on a first-come, first served basis. We fill up quickly, so don’t wait. And if you must cancel, please do so 48 hours in advance so we can invite people from our waiting list.

SPECIAL GUEST: We are privileged to have an official representative of the BBK-Berlin attending the September Salon.  BBK is the Professional Association of Berlin Artists, with more than 2000 members, and they are reaching out to English-speaking artists.  There will be no formal presentation, but the representative will circulate during the Salon and explain the advantages of BBK membership, including access to subsidized studio space, access to expensive equipment (printmaking, digital equipment, etc.), workshops and other opportunities.

The August salon was a great event, with over 40 people in attendance. Among our number were painters, sculptors, conceptual artists, new media artists, filmmakers, photographers, opera singers, comic book illustrators, gallerists, curators, and many more.  They included established artists and those just beginning their professional careers. Conversation was lively, people networked, and at least a few collaborations were born.  We’re very excited about the next salon on 28 September.

What ties us together is our mutual passion for the arts, and that we all speak English, either as a native tongue or as a second (or third, or fourth) language. All English-speaking artists and art-appreciators are welcome to attend. Feel free to bring portfolios and business cards, although all sharing and conversation is informal.

The Caribbean menu at the August salon was a real hit, especially the sweet potato pie and the dulce de leche candies. Quite a few people tried callaloo stew for the first time and were surprised and pleased by the unusual mix of flavors.

This month, we’ll be serving authentic Ashkenazi cuisine, which has its roots in the Jewish shtetls of Russia and Poland.  My Ashkenazi recipes were passed on to me by my grandmothers — each of them cooked in a different style.  My maternal grandmother was first-generation American, and so her recipes are closer to the original versions.  But my paternal grandmother (a fabulous baker) was 4th generation American and introduced me to the New York version of Ashkenazi classics. For those who have never tried this cuisine, it’s rich and satisfying, tart and sweet, fresh and full of flavor.  I haven’t found wonderful New York Jewish food in Berlin yet, so I’ll do my best to fill that gap.

On the Menu

• Whitefish salad
• Beef borscht with sour cream
• Chopped chicken liver
• Spring salad
• Tsimmes (beef and sweet potato stew)
• Ground lamb knishes
• Potato knishes (baked onion filled potato pastries)
• Spinach and smoked salmon knishes
• Lukshen kugel (noodle casserole with apples, raisins and apricots)
• Kasha, lentil and roasted vegetable casserole
• Matzoh brei (scrambled matzoh and eggs, traditionally served with butter and/or strawberry jam)
• Fresh horseradish sauce
• Challah (braided egg bread)
• Almond Macaroons
• Raspberry hamentaschen cookies
• Black & White Cheesecake
• Lindy’s Strawberry cheesecake

We suggest a 7 EUR voluntary donation to subsidize the food costs.  For the first 4 months we suggested 5 EUR, but we found that wasn’t coming close to covering our expenses.  With 7, you’re still being subsidized, but Paula and I won’t go broke and will be able to keep hosting you month after month.  Larger donations are of course happily accepted.

Photographer Steven Gerlich and his assistant Jessica Gellweiler took photos of my most recent collage work. You can see the new images in my Short Circuits gallery. Here’s one of them:

The Notion of Emptiness Generates Passion

Our July salon was a smashing success, with about 35 people in attendance.  We enjoyed meeting new people as well as hanging out with our old friends. We’re looking forward to the next one!

When: August 24, 16:00-20:00

Where: Studio Ross/Tal, Grüntaler Str 7, 13357 Berlin

Transportation: Gesundbrunnen U+S

This month we’re enjoying the summer with a Caribbean theme, so expect the food to be as bright and colorful as the company.  As always, we ask for a 5 EUR contribution to cover food costs.  This time, though, since attendance is getting so high, we ask that you make a reservation so that we can make sure there’s enough food.

Bring your own alcohol. Other beverages will be provided.

See you there!

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Paula and I are both back in town and would like to invite you to our monthly artist salon, a chance to meet new and interesting people, eat good food, and connect with new and old friends.  Berlin’s summer weather is nothing if not changeable, so the Mexican menu will either be in concert with or in opposition to whatever it (the weather) decides to do that afternoon & evening.

When: Sunday, 20 July; 2-8 p.m.
Where: Grüntaler Str. 7, Erdgeschoss, 13357 Berlin (Please ring bell marked “Studio” and we will buzz you in.)
How: Gesundbrunnen Station

We see these events as opportunities for us to widen our horizons as artists and provide a space for things to happen for ourselves, our artist friends, and those who are interested in art, stimulating conversation, and great food.  We hope you can join us.  And if not this time, next time!

If you are coming, please RSVP (our email addresses appear below) so that we can plan accordingly. We ask a 5 euro contribution per person for the food, which those of you who have attended previous salons already know is fabulous!.  We will provide water, juices, coffee, and tea.  And please feel free to bring your favourite form of alcohol.

Kali Tal and Paula Ross

About fifteen people attended our June 15 brunch, and I was delighted to meet new friends as well as to visit with old friends.  In August, though, we’ll try an event later in the day, since Berlin is just not a morning town… especially on Sundays.  There was great conversation and good food, and we look forward to continuing this community building effort.

I’m excited to have completed a new body of assemblage work. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be putting together a catalog and looking for a local gallerist to display them. I think they represent a significant step beyond the previous work I’ve done with recycled computer parts and found objects and I’m looking forward to hearing what people think of them. After the photo shoot I’ll post images for you to see.

My friend and fellow artist Kathryn Conway is visiting from the States, and has promised to teach me some silk screening techniques, so I hope to add those skills to my repertoire.

Our first Salon at STUDIO ROSS / TAL was such a success that we decided to hold them monthly.  We had over thirty guests at our opening; most came early and stayed late, enjoying the food, the art and the conversation.  Paula and I were delighted to bring our friends and colleagues together and to watch new relationships bloom.  We hope that our Salons can become a regular point of meeting and exchange for the people in our community and we plan, in the future, to expand our calendar of events to include movie nights (we have some film series in mind), poetry readings, and workshop weekends.  Paula is in the States this month, so I will be hosting solo — we agreed we didn’t want to lose the momentum from our first event.

Date:  15 June 2008
Time:  11:30-16:30
Address: Grüntaler Str 7, 13357 Berlin
Public Transportation:  S+U Gesundbrunnen
Phone: 0178 1376825
Food: There will be a brunch buffet, since I enjoy any excuse to cook. It won’t be *quite* as elaborate as the opening night event, but I can promise it will be delicious, attractive, and satisfying.  Non-alcoholic drinks will be provided. You are welcome to bring alcohol to drink and to share. Suggested donation for the meal is, as usual, 5 EUR.
RSVP: Appreciated but not strictly necessary. If you’re going to bring a crowd, though, do let me know.

I was especially proud to have the food I prepared praised (and devoured) by a well-known food stylist from the New York Times! The friend of a friend, he was a surprise and welcome guest.  We were pleased to be introduced to some new people, and hope that when you come to future Salons, you will bring along folks who you think will make good additions to the group. As always, feel free to forward the invitation to friends and colleagues you think might enjoy the event.

Pardon the construction going on in front of the studio. Please ring the bell and we will buzz you in the front door of the house.

Looking forward to seeing you on 15 June!

Tags: salon

Another image roughly based on a public domain photo from the 1930s, in the Farm Services Administration collection.  The images of economic privation and of a modern society that can no longer support its citizens seem very pertinent to me in light of the collapsing economic system of the United States.

I’d never lived in a big city before moving to Berlin, and one of the things that really awed me was the gargantuan size of the public buildings here. They’re built on a scale that is meant to make people feel small and inconsequential beside them. I’d only experienced this sense of radically diminished importance in relation to natural landscapes — the canyons and deserts of the southwestern United States, or the heights of the Rocky Mountains.

But unlike the immensity of natural wonders, a gargantuan human landscape has an alienating effect on me. I feel not only unimportant, but impotent; reduced to ineffectual protest in the face of inexorable institutions. It’s the feeling of being simultaneously dwarfed and disaffected that I tried to capture in this digital painting, loosely based on a public domain image captured by a Farm Security Administration photographer in the 1930s. Most of the work was done in Painter, with multiple layers and custom brushes. The image was then printed, hand painted with acrylics, and scanned again.