Virginia Overell. “the sea is not a metaphor” (salt on window). Installation view at Nanna Stjernholm Jepsen’s home gallery Vaerelset, Copenhagen, 2015. Photo: Hannah Felt Garner
These were two dissonant cities. Copenhagen is smooth as butter, all its surfaces calm and uniform. A local artist-run scene is thriving there, supported by government grants and a stable society. Berlin is sutured by construction cranes. So many closed sidewalks and temporary walkways; so much dust. Berlin’s international art scene emerged out of gaps in its social structure, in buildings left vacant years ago.