May in Germany: Logging Off, Woods & Museums

Soooo… Last month has been a ride. In this entry I would like to be less institutional and philosophical, and just be casual while talking about my latest shenanigans. There still will be a pinch of my professional and core values linked in here, but let’s be light and frivolous for once.

I spent the entire month of May in Germany. I will spare you the why I was there and concentrate more on what I did during those weeks, because life is also made of these moments and they play a big role in mine. And I feel like you also might get some inspiration from this post to go the fuck out and do things too.

First things first: nature. Often I find myself in some sort of anxious state when I spend too much time in front of a screen - whether it’s desktop or mobile, it doesn’t matter. Screens do something to our brains that is simply not good in the long run. Maybe you don’t have a clear physical reaction to it, but trust me and the scientists who say that being chronically online or working long hours in front of your computer is horrendous to your mental and physical health.

Well, I felt it. Viscerally.

For me, logging off and going into the woods is one of the main solutions to start feeling better and rewiring my brains. And so I did, I went hiking in the Black Forest! To be honest, I’ve been to the Schwarzwald area multiple times now, but I hadn’t done a proper hike until this year. It was healing. There is something about the Black Forest that not only aggressively screams SPORT UND ERHOLUNG with a Württemberg accent (note: Germans are very passionate about hiking, nordic skiing, mountain biking, and so on), but it also tells an ancient story of a forest that has witnessed centuries of history. It’s also a place of great wonder. Somewhere along the trails you can find the singular remains of very old villages. In other spots, the sun infiltrates the tall, thick-crowned trees and creates beautiful visual effects, all natural and magical. Sometimes it feels like you’re crossing an ancient portal, because the surrounding flora - especially the intertwining of trees and bushes - creates the kind of scenery that makes you feel like you’re inside The Witcher saga or wandering through Tolkien’s Mirkwood. And if that wasn’t calming and inspiring enough… Stopping and looking at plants, their anatomy and textures, boosts curiosity, creativity and analytical skills. Your brain loves it and so does mine.

Here’s a small selection of my favourite pictures I took in the Black Forest:

Back to civilisation now.

I dedicated a few days, of course, to museums. No amount of online scrolling through art and design profiles will give me the same effect of a large gallery containing art from multiple centuries.

That was very much the case with the Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart and, I must say, I really liked it.

If you don’t already know, the Staatsgalerie is one of the Germany’s main art museums and holds a collection of paintings, sculptures and graphic art from the Middle Ages to the present day. Their core value is actually pretty interesting and aligns with my own credo:

“Art is a cultural language through which people communicate with each other. In the process, the art of the present always responds to the art of previous epochs. In our digital age, the museum has the task of being a >>school of seeings<< and conveying culture through the visual, the image and its narrative.”

Alongside the permanent collection, which you can visit at any time throughout the year, the museum puts on periodical exhibitions. This time it was the main character moment belonged to THIS IS TOMORROW, which opens the doors to a new collection of art pieces from the 20th and 21st century. This one threw me back to my academy era hit me with nostalgia. I remember loving the history of contemporary art class held by Marco Pierini, one of the best professors I’ve ever had. Sadly, he didn’t manage to make me love Cy Twombly, but his way of teaching was truly engaging, professional and easy to follow and understand - something that isn’t always easy when it comes to contemporary art, let’s say. Oh, I miss his classes so much! Somebody convince him to open a YouTube channel, please.

Seeing pieces by Yves Klein, Mondrian, Roy Lichtenstein, Anish Kapoor, Jeff Koons, Michel Mejerus, Joseph Beuys, and others put a smile on my face and made me think about how much I loved my academy years. Alsoooooo… can we talk about how much of a difference it makes to see actual piece of art with your own eyes? For the first time I saw many contemporary pieces that in person give you a completely different feeling and make you react in an entirely different way.

Egon Schiele, for example. I already saw and loved his work many years ago, but seeing again one of his paintings upclose and all the brushstrokes details, very dense and layered, full of texture? Girl. Child-like wonder was immediately unlocked.

And Yves Klein’s blue? There is no picture or video out there that will truthfully represent the vibrancy and depth of that blue canvas. You just have to experience it in person, with your own eyes.

I know that contemporary art is a very polarising subject… Some people understand and love it, some fully hate it, and the only commentary given floats around the same phrase: I could have done that myself. Really? Could YOU?

The good news is that Staatsgalerie offers an alternative for people who think that art died with Marcel Duchamp. The collection goes all the way back to medieval times, so if Madonnas and Jesuses covered in gold foil are your jam, then you will definitely find some pieces to admire.

Our next stop was the Musées d’Art Moderne et Contemporain in Strasbourg. Not quite as big and rich as Staatsgalerie, but still interesting, especially when you get cought in a downpour and you have some time to kill while being surrounded by art. This one also has its permanent collection and offers periodic exhibitions. This time we had L’état sauvage, an exhibition in collaboration with the Musée Zoologique, focused on the representation of animals in art. For me, this one was a little underwhelming. It had some interesting pieces in terms of graphic art and artistic gesture - for example, Jürg Kreienbühl, Jules Perahim, Richard Brunck de Freundeck or Paul Neuenborn, however the rest of it was a pass for me.

What stood out was the rest of the museum, especially the room dedicated to Gustav Doré. If you haven’t seen any Doré’s work… What are you doing? I highly recommend searching for it and visit the Musées d’Art Moderne et Contemporain. You won’t be disappointed.

As for the permanent collection, I naturally found pieces that I loved and that truly inspired me for my future work. Here’s a little collage of my favourites:

The truth is, I really wanted to see more museums and exhibitions and explore more of German design in everyday places, but I didn’t have enough opportunities to do so. Next time I’ll do better.

This entry has been written without any AI aid