Queerness in Photography Exhibition at C/O Berlin

If you ever find yourself at S+U Zoologischer Garten, it’s worth stopping by C/O Berlin, an exhibition space for photography and visual media. Located right next to Amerika-Haus on Hardenbergstraße, the nonprofit organization focuses on presenting works by respected artists as well as supporting emerging talents, and welcomes everyone to discover contemporary visual culture. As a place to exchange new ideas, C/O Berlin organizes Artist Talks, Panel Discussions, Film Screenings and guided tours, offering visitors a place to exchange thoughts on the exhibition program and engage in current debates on visual culture. Their upcoming exhibtion Queerness in Photography (Sep 17, 2022 – Jan 18, 2023) examines the representation of identity, gender, and sexuality in photography in three complementary exhibitions.

If you happen to find time during your first week here in Berlin, there’s two more amazing artists being exhibited at c/o until Sep 07, 2022.

Susan Meiselas

The exhibition Susan Meiselas . Mediations is the first retrospective in Germany of the Magnum photographer’s over 50-year oeuvre—from her early portraits of neighbors to intimate shots of strippers to her iconic photographs from crisis and war zones.

Bieke Depoorter

In her solo exhibition A Chance Encounter, Bieke Depoorter presents Agata and Michael, two series that begin with chance encounters. Personal relationships with the people featured in her photographs, which were developed over the course of several years, significantly influence Depoorter’s artistic practice.

When? September 17 - January 18, 2023.
Where? C/O Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 22-24, 10623 Berlin

Picture Sources: https://artviewer.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Paul-Mpagi-Sepuya-at-Document-6.jpg; https://curamagazine.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Darkroom-Mirror-_2050021-2017-archival-pigment-print-10×13-framed-dimensions-21×24-1.jpg; Pebbles with Enzo and Tina at the Carmine Street pool, Little Italy, New York, 1978 © Susan Meiselas . Magnum Photos; https://www.kulturausflandern.de/media/CACHE/images/22/03/Artikelbild_Bieke_Depoorter_Agata_Paris_November_2_2017/30f9f976423ee51814638d688d57ccd6.jpg

Berlin Art Week (Sep 14-Sep 18 2022)

Source: https://www.handelsblatt.com/images/galerie-koenig/25011532/2-format2020.jpg

As part of Berlin Art Week hundreds of galleries in Berlin will be presenting new artistic positions. This event has the intention to show how versatile Berlin’s art scene really is and how it always redefines itself. For the first time there will also be panel discussions with artists, collectors, gallery owners, museum directors and art lovers from all over the world. 

When? September 14 - September 18, 2022.
Where? At participating galleries all over Berlin.

Tips on how you make the most of your study abroad Berlin experience

Source: https://d3iso9mq9tb10q.cloudfront.net/magefan_blog/b/r/brandenburg-gate_banner_1.jpg

Put in real effort to learn German

40 basic German phrases and sentences you should knowWith our intensive language classes you will naturally make quick progress, but don’t miss to put in some extra work outside the classroom. Force yourself to speak German when you are out and about in a restaurant, at the cash desk of a grocery store or at your favorite coffee shop. Obviously, this will not work right away, but you don’t have to form complete sentences on the spot, you can also just throw in some individual German words that you’ve learnt. Trying to communicate in German in the „real“ world will make you comfortable with the language vernacular and intricacies. Unfortunately, Berlin will make this extra difficult for you. Being an international hub, you’ll find people fluent in English on every corner of the city. Still, don’t give up. Learning a language always takes time and your efforts will be appreciated by the people you are talking to.

Stay on top of your course work

Do not forget that your classes are an important part of your studying abroad experience. There is obviously value in the act of living abroad by itself, but in the best case your classes allow you to grow in your believes, opinions and knowledge. Studying abroad can put a whole new perspective on familiar issues. Some tips on how to stay motivated for your course work can be found on our blog here. 

Don’t travel too much

Especially if you have never been to Europe before, it might be tempting to spend every weekend in a different city. Understandably, you want to make the most of your four months in Europe (so little time), but don’t let this take over your Berlin/Germany experience. You made Germany your home base, so go out and explore the country that you are calling your home for the next foreseeable time.

This issue is exactly what one of our former FU-BESTers experienced and here is what she had to say about it:

What makes Germans so orderly? - BBC Travel

I wish that I had explored Germany more! I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to spend most weekends in Berlin. To truly live abroad for a semester, you need to learn your city and discover what it is like to be a true Berliner! I do feel like I spent a good deal of time in Berlin, but not enough throughout the rest of Germany. While I traveled to places like Paris and Rome, I missed Schloss Neuschwanstein and Hamburg. There are so many wonders located right in Germany a mere train ride away, and I wish I had been able to see them all during my time in Berlin; however, I have decided that I simply must go back and see everything that I missed.

Travel enough

Having said this, Berlin’s central location makes it perfect for a quick getaway to France, Italy or Spain and you should definitely take advantage of this. Just pick the destinations you are most desperate to see. This way you can still spend quality time in Berlin and will also keep your budget in check.

Go grocery shopping and buy what you usually would not buy at home

Maybe you are the adventurous shopper when it comes to food anyway, but if not, try to get out of your comfort zone. Can you spot food that you usually never buy at home? Now is the time to try stuff. Look for new German inspired recipes that are worth trying. Pinning down a traditional German food is hard, but we would confirm that Germans do like their potatoes. So we suggest trying this recipe.

Go cold turkey on Starbucks & Co

This goes along with our previous point about trying new things. You get accustomed best if you shop and eat locally. And although you will definitely find a Starbucks or McDonald’s easily, it is so much more fun to test local coffee shops (for example Five Elephant in Kreuzberg, which is also famous for the best cheese cake in town!) and local burger joints (for instance Kreuzburger in Kreuzberg and other locations).

Berlin: Inside Five Elephant's New Mitte Cafe

Do not get sucked into the international bubble

This is an easy trap to fall in to. Since you are being surrounded by international fellow students all the time, you can easily get lost in your international bubble that might prevent you from having a true living abroad experience. You can find our attempt to give you a little ‚how to‘ (get out of the international bubble) on our blog here.

Get to know the Berlin way of life

Or better: get to know and be open to a new way of life that you will be living abroad that sometimes might be less comfortable than what you are used to. This sounds like an obvious given, but some students are still surprised by how much they need to adjust to their new environment.  For instance, a common complaint is the „commute issue“: most students in Berlin have a pretty long commute. One hour from door to door is nothing out of the ordinary. It is not ideal, but accepted by everyone. Living close to campus is not the reality for most students, since the vast majority prefers to live at more central districts. In Germany, and Berlin specifically, life does not happen on campus, but in the city itself. This might be different from how things are going at home, but don’t stress about your daily commute. Take it as an opportunity to ease in to and out of your day, read, listen to podcasts, observe Berliners, … .

Don’t stress yourself and have fun

We think it is a good idea to be aware of all of these points and also maybe implement one thing or the other in your daily life in Berlin. This being said, stressing about any of these issues would have quite the opposite effect. You have decided to study abroad, because you want to have an experience. This experience will most likely consist of both ups and downs, which is part of studying abroad. This lets us believe that the best tip of all is not to stress yourself out too much and go with the flow of living abroad.

Picture Sources: https://d37sy4vufic209.cloudfront.net/website/_next/static/dynamic/ada4effa7514c4cd238c2f3359658d32/700.jpg ; https://ychef.files.bbci.co.uk/live/624×351/p08fgqkq.jpg ; https://sprudge.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF3390-2.jpg ;

Check out Berlin’s open-air cinemas

Source: https://www.visitberlin.de/system/files/image/Freiluftkino_Friedrichshain_c_Pfiffl%20Medien%20GmbH_DL_PPT_0.jpg

Summer in Berlin means many things. It is also the time for outdoor cinemas (in German ‚Freiluftkinos‘). The season is from May to September, which means all Fall FU-BESTers will defnitely be able to catch a movie under the starlit sky.

To make your life a little easier, we have put together a list of the best outdoor cinema opportunities in Berlin.

Freiluftkino Kreuzberg

Berlin’s oldest open air cinema is tucked away behind the Kunstquatier Bethanien, which makes for a very special atmosphere. The pro tip is to buy tickets beforehand online and come early, so that you can grab one of the sun loungers available and safe yourself the perfect spot on the grass in front of the screen. If you snooze, you will lose. So don’t be late. Most movies that are shown are originals.

Where: Mariannenpl. 2, 10997 Berlin

Freiluftkino Friedrichshain

This one is located in Volkspark with bench-style seating options. If you prefer to spread out, you can bring a blanket and sit on the grass. They mostly show dubbed movies, so pay attention to their program.

Where:  Landsberger Allee 15, 10249 Berlin

Freiluftkino Rehberge

Rehberge is a lovely park in Wedding, which provides a very peaceful location for watching a movie. Probablyt the only thing you will hear whilst watching the movie will be the whistling of the trees around you. They have seats available for up to 1500 people. Again, pay special attention to their program to see which films are in English or German.

Where: Windhuker Str., 13351 Berlin

Freiluftkino Potsdamer Platz

This is by far the open-air cinema with the most urban feel setting in this list. It is not as intimate as some of the other suggestions, but for those who want an opulent city view to come with their movie experience it is perfect. From indie films to blockbusters, this cinema shows originals with German subtitles.

Where: Matthäikirchplatz 4, 10785 Berlin

Freiluftkino Hasenheide

Going back to a more cosy cinema experience, Freiluftkino Hasenheide comes to mind.  It’s a charming open-air space with a sizable screen. The bench style seats can be a little hard on the bum though, so you might wanna bring your own blankets or cushion.

Landsberger Allee 15, 10249 Berlin

Kulturfabrik Moabit

Last but not least, here is a tip for a free cinema experience. The Kulturfabrik, which usually serves as a concert hall, music venue, art house theatre, to name but a few things that are happening here, hosts free open-air movies in the courtyard, on Fridays and Saturdays at 10pm. Most of the films shown are in German.

Lehrter Str. 35, 10557 Berlin

Gereral-open-air-cinema-advice: Do not make the rooky mistake and be fooled by the warm weather. After the sun goes down it still gets pretty chilly, especially when you are sitting. Bring layers!