La Ventana

For the second edition of Exit Friedrichstraße, urKultur commissioned the Berlin-based artist Sol Calero. In this site specific art work, Calero uses tiles for the first time to recreate scenes from Los Roques, an archipelago north of Caracas, Venezuela where she grew up. The installation presents two views of the same scene: a window looking out to the mountains and the sun; and a view from the outside of the house looking inwards. Los Rocques bears the legacies of colonialism, and the picturesque houses – such as the one depicted here – present a combination of European, indigenous South American, and Afro-Caribbean influences. Calero uses the hybrid architecture and luscious setting to create a vision of paradise in the middle of Berlin; a tantalising vision created in the midst of the Covid pandemic. The fragmented image, with its vivid and alluring colours and hints of recognisable forms, is destined to remain a puzzle, challenging us to decipher what we see and desire. This edition of Exit Friedrichstraße was realised in cooperation with Villeroy & Boch and Weltkunst magazine.