Gropius Bau

Berlin is going through a heat wave. It's not the worst I have experienced, and staying in the shade is still quite nice, but we decided to escape the heat by going to a museum.

Gropius Bau was wonderful. I enjoyed the exhibition by Indian photographer Dayanita Singh. Her little "museums" collections of photos in small folding books format are beautiful and intriguing. I loved her pictures of busy, messy file rooms and the series 'Time measures', featuring bundles of documents that she found in an archive in India wrapped in pieces of red-colored, faded fabric, almost bloody looking, that look the same but unique at the same time. The building was also featuring a piece by Emeka Ogboh, 'Ámà: The Gathering Place', a massive colorful tree sculpture with sonic elements and beautiful seats covered in Akwétè cloths, which are hand-woven textile produced in Igboland, Nigeria.

But the building! The building itself is gorgeous! It was designed by architect Water Martin Gropius (a great uncle of Walter Gropius) and Heino Schmieden. It was severely damaged at the end of World War II and reopened in 1981 after some reconstruction work. Further renovation took place in 1999, and it's beautiful! Some parts show the previous state and the new one, and the space has detailed mosaics and decorations.

Here is a fascinating fact: until reunification, the building stood on the border between East and West Berlin, literally next to the wall. This spectacular renaissance-style building was so close to it that the main entrance on Niederkirchnerstraße had to be moved to a side because the original faced that stupid, horrifying separation. Just another one of those details around Berlin that remind you of its bizarre, cruel history.Read more