club tropicana was curated by esben holk and maansi jain at dadapost in berlin, de from aug 25, 2019 to sept 14, 2019
​
featuring work by: Anastasia Muna and Geovanna Gonzalez, Antochrist, Bad Art Presents: Anna Chotova and Thomas Coates, Clusterduck, Francesco Petruccelli, Hedda Grevle Ottesen, House of Killing ft. Esben Holk, Hugo Hutchins, Ida Dorthea Thorrud, Maansi Jain and Lemia Monet
​
tunes at the opening party by No Shade's Grinderteeth, Perifaflex, Folly Ghost with support by Samuel Gieben, Camilla Rae Lutz, and Tarrou
 
food by biri bibi
 
event photos by luca cerciello & maansi jain

//

Inspired by myth and utopi(a)oid crisis, found, for our intentions ‘n purposes, in Wham’s
1983 hit classic; Club Tropicana, and later George Michael’s career revitalizing Careless Whisper, we
create a group show concerned with synthesizing happiness even at the end of summer...an inquiry in
contemporary, mainstream, manic productions and depictions of the eternally-”soon-to-be-available”
utopia capitalism promises it's many believers.

Beyond aiming at lofty goals of making you happy despite yourself, Club Tropicana is a pool party.
DADAPOST is a (last) resort: imagine a sunny but abandoned hotel in Reinickendorf, with a
mail-ordered wellness pool brimming with magnesium sulfate to de~constipate your bowels, DJ’s
spinning fresh tracks and food and drinks available for purchase! A utopian place where there is
(imagined) luxury enough for everyone, and all you need to do to get it is to consent to the unilateral,
radical radiating ultra-must-do collectively marshaled positivity!

Bring your own swimsuit and towel (#BYOSNT) and take a dip in the wellness pool and feel your bowels
unfurl while ur fingers prune thanks to the epsom salt filtration system ! Lay back and listen to the tunes
of a wilting summer and feel the breeze of air churned by airplanes returning tourists back to Tegel from
their escapist discount trips to sunny beaches. Lounge amidst sculptures in the sun! Take a drink and
peruse the multi media productions of a collective idealisation: be the sharpest stock photo version of
yourself and come forget that summer is about to end- and that the bar (and the money in your pockets)
will eventually, likely,,,,,... run out!!!!

club tropicana @ dadapost, berlin, de 

50 cm x 70 cm; acrylic glass

this piece is here bc sex sells, as a symbol of whatever sells, its sex here but it could be your attention, it could be hotcakes, it could be your labor. it could be form and no content at all, but the algorithm favored it bc clickbait strategy means noticing your eyeballs’ movement. and human nature is further disfigured by its own proclivities. the metaphorical reciprocal hug tightens. 

is it possible to free your mind from the desires of the body; is this a liberated and civilized society?

//

shown at exgirlfriend gallery November 2018 and September 2020 during Berlin Art Week

gooey cum hands (2018)

paranoia is a show by berlin based artist maansi jain presented in the kiez-y watering hole and pub das Gift’s Giftraum (which translates to p o i s o n room speaking of reasons 2 be nervous.) the interactive installation explores how an individual is implicated in communally held fears.

the viewer must enter the gallery under a hot light through a narrow hallway; overhead robotic and human voice alternate in a blaring sound installation— encouraging vigilance against pickpockets as one enters the exhibition space.

in the middle of the room is an unspoken invitation* to touch and contribute to a blank square of indian burlap on stretcher bars with various red hues of paint, a visual nod to joseph albers’ homage to the square in red, and the artist’s missing period. the painting acts as a gathering place not dissimilar to the public square, animated by those who choose to “paint the town red” and join in the making of the work “only thieves get caught red handed!”

nearby, a distorted surveillance mirror hovers, acting as an interpretative surface for the interactive painting. titled (public safety/visual aid), the mirror is an anchor point between the installation at das Gift and the satellite installation ONE NIGHT STAND at ex-girlfriend where the artist is presenting conceptual photography and sculpture that was inspired by months spent in front of a similar mirror in brooklyn. thus, the artist reimagines the relationship between the two venues hosting her work as the relationship between poison and ex lover, a meditation on paranoia itself.

*the artist invited members of Berlin’s art community: Nika Fontaine, Alice Jones, Margaret Kollmer, Divina Kuan, Nathan Ma, Turiya Maddireddi, Anastasia Muna, Alexander Norton, Alexander Ost, Linnea Palmestål to participate as secret “influencer painters” and start the communal painting on Nov 2, 2018 at das Gift.

Paranoia at das Gift: 119 Donaustrasse, berlin 12043, nov 2 to nov 11, 2018 and ONE NIGHT STAND at exgirlfriend: holsteinstrasse 18, berlin 12161, nov 3, 2018

paranoia (2018)

 25 x 35 cm, digital print on paper, wood frame 

presented at GALLERY SKE’s booth at the 2020 India Art Fair as part of their 15 work group installation, colloquially referred to as the “constitution wall,” which was curated by Skye Arundhati Thomas in solidarity with those currently protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act throughout India using the constitution

preamble (2020)

ingredient~LIST=

1. sample of payoji maine ram ratan dhan payo by lata mangeshkar
2. sample of audre lorde reading her poem 'litany of survival,' and describing a poem sale
3. sample of alex christensen & berlin orchestra remix of rhythm is a dancer (which topped german pop charts the week the artist was born, though this remix was discovered summer of 2019)
4. adobe premiere's video effect list lol
5. berlin 
6. black shorts courtesy anuschka hoevener 

directions:

wie (ja,genau) funktioniert man
ohne referenz ¿ ¿ ¿
      (beep,,beep,,beep)
,kein3 symbolische bilder malen (wiederholen) nicht dürfen / erlaubt¿ 
~s~o~l~l~e~n~? sei „original“ sagt dein Stress, als ob du eine chance hattest ! 
(auch das--hast du aufs ne mauer gesehen)
        was fur subtext gehört ‚derivativ‘ 
im diesem land wenn ich als
                    '"aus"~~sen'~~wohnere, aberhier~gebürtiger,
nichtmal ein Resident Alien genannt war,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
sondern, die haben mich direkt als
~künstlerin~gegrüßt,,,, (nett euch wieder zu sehen, x
                  melden muss ich trotzdem weil die lokalen immer noch angst haben 
             von was genau? das kann man sich nur 
         v      o    
              r        l     e
        s    t     e    l 
                              n    (¿)


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