interview by Janna Shaw
photographs by Pavel Golik

I once dreamt of Luca Magliano. I had no idea what he looked like; he appeared veiled but in no way sinister. In one of Magliano’s earlier video presentations, a poem is recited, a sonnet with lines dedicated to each garment displayed. “Out of Saint Teresa of Avila’s Chanel coat I stole one dollar to gift to my golden Wagner jacket.” After this display of romance, I wandered about my own closet, singing praises sweetly and theatrically to my own favourite pieces. Something poignant to this act.

Luca Magliano’s self-titled fashion brand is described as “Quintessentially Italian” and “An Emotional Anthropology”. Since its establishment in 2016, the brand’s collections have unfolded as a personal reflection of the vast imagination of Magliano, who derives inspiration from the works of artists and filmmakers such as Luchino Visconti, as well as his own emotions, encounters, curiosities, and experiences. We spoke with the emerging designer about his FW 22/23 collection and his celebration of solitude and melancholia. We speak about his love for Italy and my love for Italians, we discuss sleep and what follows it. We don’t talk much about clothes. We decide to let those speak for themselves. Read more.

Marienbad, Zimmer 001, eternally closed and opened the door, installation view of the exhibition Hotel Marienbad at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2008; Photo: Uwe Walter

Joseph Kosuth, Berlin Chronik at Schönhauser Tor as part of the exhibition Joseph Kosuth. Berlin Chronik at Kunst-Werke Berlin, 1994; Courtesy the artist; Photo: Jens Ziehe

Flyer of the exhibition Children of Berlin. Cultural Developments 1989–1999 at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York 1999; design: LSD_berlin

Franz Ackermann, Helicopter Nr. 21 (Flucht- und Befreiungsfahrzeug), 2003, installation view of the exhibition Regarding Terror: The RAF Exhibition at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2005; Courtesy the artists; Photo: Rainer Jordan

Petrit Halilaj, The places I'm looking for, my dear, are utopian places, they are boring and I don't know how to make them real; installation view of the 6th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2010; Courtesy the artist; Photo: Uwe Walter

Cyprien Gaillard, The Recovery of Discovery, 2011; installation view of the exhibition Cyprien Gaillard. The Recovery of Discovery at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2011; Courtesy the artist; Photo: Josephine Walter

Christoph Schlingensief, Bitte liebt Österreich – Erste Österreichische Koalitionswoche, 2000, installation view at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2013; Photo by Uwe Walter

Christoph Schlingensief, Church of Fear, 2003; installation view at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2013; Courtesy Hauser & Wirth; Photo: Uwe Walter

Hanne Lippard, Flesh, 2016; installation view at KW Institute for Contemporary Art; Courtesy the artist and LambdaLambdaLambda, Prishtina; Photo: Frank Sperling

atelier le balto, Archipel, 2017; Courtesy atelier le balto; Photo: Frank Sperling

Lynn Hershman Leeson, First Person Plural, the Electronic Diaries of Lynn Hershman, 1984-96 (in four parts); installation view in the exhibition First Person Plural at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2018; Courtesy the artist; Photo: Frank Sperling

Beatriz González, installation view in the hallway of the exhibition Retrospective 1965–2017 at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2018; Courtesy the artist; Photo: Frank Sperling

Joseph Kosuth, Berlin Chronik at Schönhauser Tor as part of the exhibition Joseph Kosuth. Berlin Chronik at Kunst-Werke Berlin, 1994; Courtesy the artist; Photo: Jens Ziehe

Founded on July 1, 1991 by Klaus Biesenbach, Alexandra Binswanger, Philipp von Doering, Clemens Homburger, and Alfonso Rutigliano, KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V. put down roots in a derelict former margarine factory located on Auguststraße 69 in the Berlin-Mitte district. After organizing the pivotal innovative exhibition project 37 Räume in 1992, artistic director Klaus Biesenbach continued to present ground-breaking exhibitions that won the institution critical acclaim, both nationally and internationally, and in 1996 he initiated the now widely renowned Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art.

In its thirty years, KW has considerably shaped the development of contemporary art by critically examining current tendencies and discourses within society. To mark its 30th anniversary, KUNST-WERKE BERLIN e. V. is is hosting a year-long program of exhibitions featuring artists Renée Green, Leonilson, Michael Stevenson, and Amelie von Wulffen; group exhibitions co-curated by artists Iman Issa and Ghislaine Leung; and a new performance piece by Michele Rizzo.

This series of new commissions, featuring Susan Philipsz’s acoustic work in KW’s courtyard in homage of political activist Rosa Luxemburg on the anniversary of her execution, was created during Philipsz’s residency at KW in 2002; the re-installation of Katharina Sieverding’s monumental print Deutschland wird deutscher (1993) is to be displayed in the entranceway of KW as well as on billboards across Berlin in April-May; and artist Sissel Tolaas will create a limited edition of soap carefully composed from particles she collected at the KW building, a former margarine factory.

Complementing this program, a major two-part art auction, organized in collaboration with renowned Berlin-based fine art auction house Grisebach, will take place in June and December 2021, featuring works by over 60 artists who have significantly contributed to KW’s legacy. The annual program’s key event will be a weekend-long celebration on July 2 – 4, 2021, featuring an extensive program of events, performances, and the launch of the first publication retracing KW’s history.

KW Institute for Contemporary Art’s full 30-year anniversary program can be found here.