HOK presents: Danielle de Picciotto in West End
‘Music Saved My Life’
Friday 27 September till Sunday 6 October
What’s it like to be at the beating heart of Berlin’s underground? For a fortnight starting Friday 27 September HOK Gallery takes over WEST END project space at Westeinde 58 in The Hague with ‘Music Saved My Life’, a solo exhibition by Berlin-based American artist Danielle de Picciotto.
Celebrating the happy art of rebellion, artist-musician Danielle de Picciotto brings homage to her muses. For this HOK expo, there is a series of scratchboard portraits of underground musicians from all over the world, whose lifepaths have crossed hers in Berlin. Among them singer, musician, producer, and label director Gudrun Gut; the New Orleans hurdy gurdy and autoharp buff Dorothy Carter; former Cramps, Gun Club and Bad Seeds member and present-day Pink Monkey Bird band leader Kid Congo Powers; and the paintings-knitting, book-writing singer-drummer for the Lolita’s, Françoise Cactus. This portrait gallery is set against a collection of ink on paper drawings from Danielle de Picciotto’s graphic novel We are gypsies now, picturing the decade-long nomadic life she has led with her husband Alexander Hacke, co-founder and musical director of Einstürzende Neubauten.
Which makes this HOK expo an autobiography in tableaux of sorts, from the life of this multifaceted artist, who in so many ways has played a key role in Berlin’s ever-changing cultural landscape ever since initiating the first Berlin Love Parade and the Clubart Movement in the late 80s, early 90s. A singer and musician, a writer, a fashion and stage designer, the interior decorator for the hippest clubs, a documentary film maker, a curator and cultural ambassador: Danielle de Picciotto has been it all and more, besides following her idiosyncratic path as a visual artist. “I am obsessed,” she explains.
Adding sound to vision, at the vernissage on Friday 27 September Danielle de Picciotto will do a musical performance with Alexander Hacke, as the avant-garde duo hackedepicciotto. Now, ain’t that a very special encore to the Einstürzende Neubauten concert just a couple of days earlier, on Tuesday 24 September in Tivoli, Utrecht. Not for the masses, but for the happy few.
Continuing a well-established HOK tradition, Danielle de Picciotto also made a wonderful Sta. Anita prayer card in remembrance of the singer, writer, and painter Anita Lane. Originally coming to Berlin with Nick Cave, with whom she was together for a long time, Anita Lane was an utterly unpretentious person in spite of having the magic aura of a real star. The prayer card has a scratch drawing portrait of Anita Lane by Danielle de Picciotto, with a devotional text by Alexander Hacke.
And there is the zine release of Danielle de Picciotto in HOK. A limited edition Riso-printed edition, and HOK’s 25th zine already. Featuring an in depth interview about music saving Danielle de Picciotto’s life, literally. And about being torn between the music scene and the art world, between living in Berlin and being born in America. About being a nomad.
‘Music Saved My Life’ Solo expo by Danielle de Picciotto
A HOK expo at West End project space
Westeinde 58, The Hague
Vernissage during Hoogtij, Friday 27 September 7-11 PM
With a musical performance by hackedepicciotto at 8 PM
On the spot, you can also have your exclusive Danielle de Picciotto inspired tattoo set by HOK’s darling tattooist Eva Elaine. Look Mom, there’s skin, there’s ink, there’s needles, but there’s no electricity.
Opening hours:
Friday 27 September 7-11 PM
Saturday 28 September 1-5 PM
Sunday 29 September 1-5 PM
Friday 4 October 1-5 PM
Saturday 5 October 1-5 PM
Sunday 6 October 1-5 PM
