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Demolition Ruin Palace of the Republic of the GDR in East Berlin at the Spree River, Berlin, 2008

(© GL Gabriel)

The German Consulate invites you to an exhibition by German painter G. L. Gabriel, entitled "Berlin At The Wall".

Using the "Skia Photography" Method developed by Dieter Kirchner, G. L. Gabriel has painted the torso of the partially demolished Palace of the Republic in Berlin. She is the first visual artist to make use of this method, which uses high-resolution photographed panoramic images on barite photo paper as a basis, over which she paints a thin layer of color, thus producing the emotional effect of a painted landscape mixed with the precision of a photograph.

The Palace of the Republic, an enormous building, measuring 607 x 262 x 105 ft. (185 x 80 x 32 m), was once the seat of parliament for the German Democratic Republic (GDR)—and with coffee shops, bowling alleys and a concert hall, it also staked its claim as an open house of encounter for all citizens of the GDR.

It stood on the former grounds of the historic Stadtschloss (City Palace), Berlin's foremost founding structure, which was demolished on ideological grounds to erect the Palace of the Republic. Most citizens of the GDR held emotionally fond memories of the vitreous new Palace, even though they tended to shun the patently undemocratic parliament that convened there.

From 2006 to 2008, the building was dismantled and demolished after its core had been removed – a demolition in slow motion. G. L. Gabriel's painting portrays this stage. Leading right up to its controversial destruction, the cored and breathtakingly rugged torso was used to host several concerts and avant-garde theater events that resonated with audiences around the world.

Opening Night: Paintings Meet Music - An Artistic Happening

The music of Rainer Oleak meets the paintings of G. L. Gabriel. On the opening night of the exhibition, this interplay of images and music creates a space for free association. For several years, both artists have pursued the common project Paintings Meet Music. association. They are both united in fascination over the same symbolic structure in Berlin: the Palace of the Republic. It was torn down over the course of three years, right in front of their eyes.

Soundscapes from the Palace

Rainer Oleak's music draws on original recordings from the Palace: a choir song, a Beethoven concert, various atmospheric sound clips from different years to produce sound collages. Oleak plays the recordings on old tape recorders to reinforce the authentic aura. In a second step, he mixes the sounds into his composition, creating an associative journey from the past fullness to the present emptiness of the space.

Rainer Oleak grew up in the GDR and is among the most recognized contemporary East German composers of film, entertainment and stage music. 

Artist websites:

www.glgabriel.de
www.oleak.de