Markus Draper

Last chance to see: @neuerberlinerkunstverein :
„Memory is a strange Bell“ – until May 3rd! . „The photograph captioned by Johnson with a reference to the burnt village shows an enchanting night view of the glass house under a full moon, with indirect light in the trees and clouds drifting across the sky. When image and text are so consciously matched, their effect, haunted by Romantic formulas and crackling with the memory of modern devastation, cannot but produce a frisson. It is as if the appeal of the image-perhaps too perfectly fabricated to correspond to an actual impression-resulted from a terrible memory that injects a disturbing ambivalence into every one of its aspects: illuminated as if set ablaze, lost in a pitch-black forest under leaden clouds, the glass house virtually bursts apart as an object.“ . (Quoted from: Kurt W Forster, „The Autobiographical House: Around a Haunted Heart“, in: „Philip Johnson. The Constancy of Change“, Ed. by Emmanuel Petit, New Haven 2009, p.50 . . Image 1-3, 6: Hans-Georg Gaul, Berlin Image 4,5: Philip Johnson, „House in New Canaan, Connecticut“ In: Architectural Review, September 1950, Volume 108, Number 645 . . #theglasshouse #philipjohnsonglasshouse #intheshadowoftheglasswall #memoryisastrangebell #markusdraperstudio #markusdraper

For Markus Draper, houses often serve as a starting point, acting as repositories of complex and contradictory histories. His new work in the exhibition Memory Is a Strange Bell at n.b.k. is based on long-term research into the Glass House (1949), the iconic residence in Connecticut designed by Philip Johnson (1906–2005). The transparent structure consists of a single room containing a large dark-red brick cylinder that accommodates a fireplace and the bathroom. Johnson first revealed the source of inspiration for this unusual architectural element in a 1950 article in Architectural Review, stating that the motif and form of the brick cylinder were based on a burned-down village. In a foreword about Johnson, the architect Peter Eisenman questioned this statement: “Who would build a house as a metaphorical ruin?” Johnson’s work as a war correspondent during World War II and his embrace of fascist ideology are not mentioned in such contexts. Through an installation adapting the iconic building in the two-part work Mitreißendes Spektakel, Studie #1 und #2 and the display of extensive archival material, Draper traces the building’s ambivalent history and Johnson’s contradictory, at times ideologically driven biography. Part of the exhibition Memory Is a Strange Bell Until May 3, 2026 Tue–Sun 12–6 pm / Thu 12–8 pm @neuerberlinerkunstverein Nadja Buttendorf, Markus Draper, Martin Eberle, Noi Fuhrer, Shaun Motsi, Leonie Nagel Until May 17, 2026 Wed–Sun 2–7 pm @kuenstlerhaus.bethanien İpek Burçak, Olga Monina, Ania Nowak, Niclas Riepshoff, Max Schaffer, Alina Schmuch, Antje Taubert, Sergio Zevallos The exhibition is funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion. Neuer Berliner Kunstverein is supported by the Kriket Foundation. Neuer Berliner Kunstverein n.b.k. gGmbH is funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion. © Photos: n.b.k. / Jens Ziehe (1–2, 4–5) / Victoria Tomaschko (3) #neuerberlinerkunstverein #memoryisastrangebell @markusdraperstudio #nbkberlin

Thank you for the review @thecolumbist by Beatrice Sacco: "...The artworks, presented at both locations, reflect on the contradictions that lie in our experience of reality. Reunited under the title Memory is a Strange Bell, borrowed from a letter written by American poet Emily Dickinson, the exhibitions are an exploration of memory as an ambivalent and dynamic space, where good and bad cohabit. Particularly poignant on this matter is the installation at n.b.k. by Markus Draper, dedicated to the Glass House created by the renowned architect Philip Johnson. The building is analyzed through various points of view: from its correlation to the beginning of postwar American modernism to its darkest reflections. The architect, who was in fact linked to Fascism and witnessed WWII in Europe as a war correspondent, cited the ruins of a burning city as the source of inspiration for the house he designed. The terrible reference thus becomes a way to reflect on society’s ambivalence and on the tension it creates. ..." Photography: Jens Ziehe @neuerberlinerkunstverein . . #neuerberlinerkunstverein #berlin #berlinexhibition #artreview #intheshadowoftheglasswall #memoryisastrangebell #modernarchitecture #contemporaryart #markusdraperstudio #markusdraper

Surprising selection of older work... on view from now on @skd.museum : "Kunstkammer Gegenwart III" – Schenkung Sammlung Hoffmann in dialog with the collection of Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden. (my work contributed by @kupferstichkabinett.skd ) "...You are looking at works that explore the many different paths of abstraction. Their reference to the world of objects remains visible. Some works play with references back to figuration, while others leave us wondering whether they are art or rather utilitarian objects of unclear purpose. Yet others, such utilitarian objects — water taps, rubber hoses, or caviar — are used to create abstract compositions. Some works employ the method of cartography to create an abstract representation of the concrete world, be it bodies, a city, or processes." With works from Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragest, Isa Genzken, Keith Haring, Georg Herold, Olaf Holzapfel, Franka Hörnschemeyer, Julie Mehretu, Sigmar Polke, Thomas Scheibitz, Jorinde Voigt, Christopher Wool a.o. . . #schenkungsammlunghoffmann #markusdraperstudio #markusdraper

For Markus Draper (*1969 in Görlitz), houses often serve as a starting point, acting as repositories of complex and contradictory histories. This new work is based on long-term research into the Glass House (1949), the iconic residence in Connecticut designed by Philip Johnson (1906-2005). Johnson is considered one of the most important architects of the postwar period, and the house he designed for his own use became an icon of American modernism. The transparent structure consists of a single room containing a large dark-red brick cylinder that accommodates a fireplace and the bathroom. Johnson first revealed the source of inspiration for this unusual architectural element in a 1950 article in Architectural Review, stating that the motif and form of the brick cylinder were based on a burned-down village. In a foreword about Johnson, the architect Peter Eisenman questioned this statement: "Who would build a house as a metaphorical ruin?" Johnson's work as a war correspondent during World War II and his embrace of fascist ideology are not mentioned in such contexts. Through an installation adapting the iconic building in the two-part work Mitreißendes Spektakel, Studie #1 und #2 and the display of extensive archival material, Draper traces the building's ambivalent history and Johnson's contradictory, at times ideologically driven biography. . . "Memory Is a Strange Bell" with works by Nadja Buttendorf, Markus Draper, Martin Eberle, Noi Fuhrer, Shaun Motsi, Leonie Nagel. . Mar 14 – May 3, 2026 Opening: March 13, 2026, 7 pm @neuerberlinerkunstverein . . #neuerberlinerkunstverein #kuenstlerhausbethanien #memoryisastrangebell #intheshadowoftheglasswall #philipjohnsonglasshouse #markusdraperstudio #markusdraper

Please feel warmly invited to the opening of the exhibition “Memory Is a Strange Bell” on Friday, March 13 at 7:00 pm nbk where I will be presenting a series of brand-new works. ------ United by an engagement with societal, political, and historical questions, the artists critically reflect on power dynamics, norms, and ideologies. Spanning a broad spectrum of aesthetic approaches and media – including video, sound, photography, painting, drawing, installation, and performance – the works negotiate diverse, and at times contradictory, realms of experience and reality. They address the visible and invisible power structures that govern individual and collective perception in physical and digital space alike, and determine how knowledge and cultural expression are canonized. Other works revolve around the phenomenon of memory – its processual nature, its fragility, and its inherent ambivalence. This theme is echoed in the exhibition title, which borrows a line from a letter by American poet Emily Dickinson (*1830 †1886) to a close friend: “Memory is a strange Bell – Jubilee, and Knell.” Through the metaphor of a ringing bell – signaling both joy and loss – memory is framed as an ambivalent, dynamic process rather than a static state. Simultaneously, the quote evokes a present defined by paradoxical tensions, a perpetual oscillation between multiple crises and the pursuit of progress and growth. Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Chausseestraße 128/129, 10115 Berlin Duration: March 14 – May 3, 2026 Artists: Nadja Buttendorf, Markus Draper, Martin Eberle, Noi Fuhrer, Shaun Motsi, Leonie Nagel Curator: Lidiya Anastasova Image 1: Martin Eberle, "o.T." from the series "Hi Schatz", 2003 (detail) Image 2: Markus Draper, "Reading Philip Johnson", 2026, (detail) #upcomingshow #markusdraper

Wohnkomplex. Kunst und Leben im Plattenbau. Kuratiert von @kitonedo und ausgestellt in @dasminsk Verwendete Arbeiten von Künstlern: @markusdraperstudio Karl-Heinz Adler @kurkhaus_mueller @sabine_moritz_r Musik: Einstürzende Neubauten - Architektur ist Geiselnahme Foto & Stopmotion: @fogg_films

… with a full scale set into the new year… . . . . #upcomingshow #newwork #miniatureset #landscapemodeling #intheshadowoftheglasswall #memoryisastrangebell #modernarchitecture #markusdraperstudio #markusdraper

Please feel warmly invited: Markus Draper in conversation with art critic Jennifer Allen. January 8th, 2026, 7:00 pm @dasminsk on the occasion of the exhibition „Wohnkomplex. Kunst und Leben im Plattenbau“, curated by @kitonedo . In 2015, Jennifer Allen titled an interview with Markus Draper „Das Gleiche und das Andere“ (“Uniformity and the Other”) for the publication „Inge zu Fuß zur Arbeit“ („Inge goes to work on foot“) @spectorbooks , produced in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name at the Kulturhistorischen Sammlungen Görlitz. Both the exhibition and the publication featured the works „Grauzone“ and „Zeitungsmeldungen“, which are now presented together again for the first time in Potsdam. Ten years on, Allen and Draper return to these works to reconsider architecture as an instrument of social ordering, and to reflect on the intergenerational ruptures of the 1980s—shaped by divergent life models—that became catalysts for transformation. At the core of this renewed dialogue lies the question of whether truth can ever be more than a construct of history, or of multiple, entangled histories. Admission to the artist talk is free; advance seat reservation is requested. Please note: a guided tour of the exhibition with curator Kito Nedo will take place at 5:00 pm. The exhibition will close shortly before the artist talk at 7:00 pm. . . . . #wohnkomplex #plattenbau #artisttalk #markusdraperstudio #markusdraper

Inge. Zu Fuß zur Arbeit by Markus Draper At @dasminsk , the exhibition Wohnkomplex features Markus Draper’s cast-zinc models of East German housing blocks, many of which are included in INGE. ZU FUSS ZUR ARBEIT. The book traces the artist’s mother’s daily walks to work through the built environment of the GDR — an intimate history unfolding through architecture and memory. We have also published his titles HAUS IN DER NÄHE EINES GROSSEN HAUSES and MORE THAN A STORY. Concept & editing by Markus Draper & Kai Wenzel @goerlitzer_sammlungen Design by @adriaan.vanleuven @markusdraperstudio @dasminsk @dza.druck @vertreter_rei @ava_verlagsauslieferung @interartparis @artbook @tbs_book_society @twelvebooksdist @perimeterbooks #IngeZuFussZurArbeit #MarkusDraper #Wohnkomplex #DasMinsk #Plattenbau #SpectorBooks #ContemporaryArt #ArtBooks #DDRHistory #VisualCulture #IndependentPublishing

We are delighted about this full-page review by Peter Richter on the exhibition “Wohnkomplex” (Residential Complex) @dasminsk curated @kitonedo in today's edition of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Not least since his work “Der Plattenbau als Krisengebiet – Die architektonische und politische Transformation industriell errichteter Wohngebäude” (Precast Concrete Buildings as Crisis Areas – The Architectural and Political Transformation of Industrially Constructed Residential Buildings), Peter Richter @paterrichter has been someone who attempts to approach the subject in all its complexity. . . . . . . #wohnkomplex #plattenbau #sueddeutschezeitung #contemporaryart #markusdraperstudio #markusdraper

Now at your local news stand: great preview about the upcoming show "Wohnkomplex" @dasminsk #potsdam in @art.kunstmagazin . . . #sybillebergemann #wolframebersbach #markusdraper