“The Backstabbers”

Here’s the piece I did for 7 Year Itch, the Strychnin anniversary show in Berlin, Germany.

7 Year Itch. Anniversary Show featuring over 70 artists – “Best of Strychnin Gallery“. Opens February 12th at 7 pm.
Celebrations are in order: it is Strychnin Gallery Berlin’s 7th birthday this year and over 70 artists who have exhibited here previously have been invited back to participate in an exciting group show, bringing different media ranging from painting to photography, assemblage, etching, digital painting, sculpture and drawing to light engraving to Berlin. Featuring some of the best pop surrealism, neo-baroque, urban art, and fantastic realism today, Strychnin Gallery is proud to present the following artists:
Leslie Ditto, Wee Flowers, Lisa Mei Ling Fong, Annie Bertram, Seymour, Mimi S. Jason Limon, Richard Kirk, Beth Robinson, Raf Veulemans, Sophie Bastien, Edith Lebeau, Tim Roosen, Ver Mar, Miraschi, Squp, Gothic Hangman, Scott Holloway, Chris Peters, Jan Czerwinski, Boris + Natascha, Tim Conlon, Till Krautkramer, Alexander Sterzel, Francois Escalmel, Daniel Van Nes, Kristen Ferrell, Bethany Marchman, Jon Jaylo, Marmite Sue, Damon Soule, Christian Rothenhagen, Virginie Ropars, Suzzan B, William McDermid, Wayne Martin Belger, Lesley Reppeteaux, Nicoletta Ceccoli, KRK Ryden, Manuel Cortez, Christina Graf, Dirk Larsen, Ansgar Noeth, Elmer Presslee, Scott Radke, CANTWO, Zaelia Bishop, Chris Bonobo, Guillermo Rigattieri, Mayo, Cliff Wallace, David Hochbaum, Mark Verhaagen, Gene Guynn, Benjamin Vierling, Chrisitee, Diva, Martina Secundo Russo, Marcus Poston, Aaron Board, Daniel Elson, Carole Bielicke and others

7 Year Itch. Anniversary Group Show featuring over 60 artists

Opens February 12th at 7 pm.
Exhibition runs until March 7th.
Opening times: Thursday – Sunday 12 noon – 6 pm

Strychnin Gallery Berlin – 7 Year Itch

Opens February 12th at 7 pm – runs until March 7th

Celebrations are in order: it is Strychnin Gallery Berlin’s 7th birthday this year and over 70 artists who have exhibited here previously have been invited back to participate in an exciting group show, bringing different media ranging from painting to photography, assemblage, etching, digital painting, sculpture and drawing to light engraving to Berlin. Featuring some of the best pop surrealism, neo-baroque, urban art, and fantastic realism today, Strychnin Gallery is proud to present the following artists:

Leslie Ditto, Wee Flowers, Lisa Mei Ling Fong, Annie Bertram, Seymour, Mimi S., Jason Limon, Richard Kirk, Beth Robinson, Raf Veulemans, Sophie Bastien, Edith Lebeau, Tim Roosen, Ver Mar, Miraschi, Squp, Gothic Hangman, Scott Holloway, Chris Peters, Jan Czerwinski, BORIS + NATASCHA, Tim Conlon, Till Krautkramer, Alexander Sterzel, François Escalmel, Daniël van Nes, Kristen Ferrell, Chris von Steiner, Bethany Marchman, Michael Page, Marina Bychkova, Jon Jaylo, Shohei Otomo, Marmite Sue, Damon Soule, Christian Rothenhagen, Virginie Ropars, Suzzan B, William McDermid, Wayne Martin Belger, Lesley Reppeteaux, Nicoletta Ceccoli, KRK Ryden, Manuel Cortez, Christina Graf, Brian Horton, Marc Janssens, Dirk Larsen, Ansgar Noeth, Elmer Presslee, Scott Radke, John Santerineross, Natalie Shau, Chris Sickels, Catalina Estrada, Chet Zar, Zaelia Bishop, Chris Bonobo, Guillermo Rigattieri, Gene Guynn, Oksana Badrak, Jennybird Alcantara, Mark Verhaagen, Ali Eckert, Adele Mildred, Naoto Hattori, Mayo, Jason Jacenko, Cliff Wallace, David Hochbaum, Madeline von Foerster, Benjamin Vierling, Michael Ryan, Melissa Forman, Aunia Kahn, Maxim, Ray Caesar, CANTWO, Soviet & Rams, Chase Tafoya, Diva, Martina Segundo Russo, Chrisitee and others.

The escapes of the Bethke brothers

I was watching The History Channel this morning and caught part of a show featuring the escapes from East Germany to West Germany. The stories of the Bethke brothers were pretty amazing.

In 1975, Ingo Bethke served as a soldier for East Germany. He grew fed up with the regime and wanted to see the world. Since he was stationed along a portion of the border, he knew what he was up against to escape. On the night of May 22, 1975, he had cut a small hole in the border fence. He passed the minefield by using a wooden block to check the ground in front of him. Finally, he inflated an air mattress to swim across the Elbe river, avoiding patrol boats.

Holger Bethke, Ingo’s younger brother, escaped the GDR on March 31, 1983, using a steel cable and wooden pulleys. Holger and a friend managed to shoot an arrow pulling the cable from the attic of a five story apartment in the East across the Berlin Wall, where Ingo was waiting in a house in West Berlin. The pulleys didn’t get them all the way across and they had to shimmy along the wire hanging over the Berlin Wall’s “Death strip”.

A few years later, the two brothers flew into the East Berlin from the West to pick up their youngest brother, Egbert, around 4 am on May 26, 1989. They painted two ultralights with Soviet markings and dressed in military uniforms with microphones. One brother landed in Treptower Park in East Berlin to grab their brother hiding in bushes, while the other brother circled above watching for danger. They videotaped the whole ordeal.

I tried to find video online but it was all in German. If you have a chance check out Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall on The History Channel.

Berlin Wall Family Day photos

This was funny and a little bizarre, but it was cool. The wall painting part was a free for all, but I got to teach a lot of visitors/tourists about graffiti and help to start some new aspiring writers. I don’t have photos of the classroom sessions yet, but I’ll post them later.

Berlin Wall Family Day

Yep. This is for real. And should be pretty interesting to say the least…

Berlin Wall Family Day
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall at the Newseum with fun-filled activities and events for the entire family.

What: Berlin Wall Family Day
When: Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009
Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More info here.