Culture et pop | ARTE

Kultur und Pop | ARTE

Culture | ARTE

Cultura y pop | ARTE

Kultura | ARTE

Cultura | ARTE

The best of culture: theatre, dance, painting, architecture, and more.

Culture

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The Berlin Palace, home of the Prussian royal family for centuries and an imposing presence on the Berlin skyline, was badly damaged by bombing in 1945. After the war the East German authorities demolished the ruins and built the Palace of the Republic, the seat of the parliament of the GDR.
After German reunification this communist-era edifice was torn down to make way for a replica of the baroque palace, finally completed and reopened to the public in June 2021. The controversial building houses the Humboldt Forum, a museum of non-European art, itself controversial in an age where the debate is raging over the restitution of art and artefacts from former European colonies.

The Humboldt Forum

Berlin controversial new (old) palace is now open and houses an equally controversial museum.

A New Palace for Berlin

Current Highlights

collections

Hortense is an art history professor like no other: irreverent, subversive, and determined to reveal the hidden erotic power of many European classical paintings.

Hortense is an art history professor like no other: irreverent and subversive

Look but Don't Touch

The pre-history of the internet was a time where kids hacked landlines to create the first free chatrooms, hippies created the first social networks in California and bored computer programmers made the machines sing.

A Prehistory of the Internet

When kids hacked landlines, Californian hippies created the first social networks and bored computer programmers made the machines sing.

Jurassic Web

Art of Gaming explores the world of video games which has become an art form in its own right.

Art of Gaming

H.I.P H.O.P was the world’s first TV programme about hip-hop culture that caused a sensation when it was launched in France in 1984. The production team tells the true story of how this ground-breaking programme, which inspired a generation in France, came to be.

The Real Story of H.I.P. H.O.P.

The Berlin Film Festival celebrates its 70th birthday: A story of film, cinematic masterworks, stars of the silver screen… and a touch of scandal.

70 Years of the Berlinale

Modernist designer and architect Charlotte Perriand created furniture that has stood the test of time and influenced architects, designers and artists the world over. Eight of her most treasured designs are introduced by the creative people they have inspired.

Modernist designer and architect Charlotte Perriand created furniture that has stood the test of time and influenced architects, designers and artists the world over.

Designed by Charlotte Perriand

Down with sexual diktats! Writers and broadcasters Ovidie and Sophie-Marie Larrouy examine prejudice and taboos around sex with humour and intelligence and encourage women to have it when they want, how they want, and most of all, if they want.

Tackling Taboos with Humour

Down with sexual diktats! Writers and broadcasters Ovidie and Sophie-Marie Larrouy examine prejudice and taboos around sex with humour and intelligence.

Liberated!

Collections

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Playlists

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Death and the devil, nudity and eroticism, horror in blazing colours, Gothic art cast a spell over people 500 years ago. In these image-poor times, art deliberately and skilfully played with the emotions of the viewer, triggering fear, devotion, but also rapture. Art documentary on German gothic art of the late-middle ages.

Death and the devil, nudity and eroticism, horror in blazing colours , Gothic art cast a spell over people 500 years ago.

The Genius of Gothic Art

Federico Fellini is renowned for his extravagant productions. On the sets, there was often a mixture of creativity and chaos. But why did the filmmaker make his actors recite numbers and pasta recipes rather than scripts?

Gymnastics

Federico Fellini's creative process was chaotic but legendary

Carbonara Alla Fellini

At the first hint of sadness, out comes the pints of icecream and the sad power ballads. But why is listening to sad music our idea of a good time? Does sad music make us happy?

Why is listening to sad music our idea of a good time?

Why Do We Love Sad Music?

We've all experienced lockdown in the past year, but one artist has been doing his own self-imposed lockdowns for years. For Abraham Poincheval, confinement is just another form of artistic expression.

For Abraham Poincheval, confinement is just another form of artistic expression

Confined for Art

Would you attend a gallery exhibition with the paintings turned to face the wall? Probably not. And yet curators find a huge wealth of information about the painting based off of the clues left on the back of the canvas and its frame.

Would you attend a gallery exhibition with the paintings turned to face the wall? Probably not...

The Picture Behind the Picture

When you go into space, you can exercise, play tennis, fly things, but also create art. So, are we more inspired by weightlessness? What if the next Leonardo da Vinci was an astronaut?

What if the next Leonardo da Vinci was an astronaut?

Art Conquers Space

Arts

Following in the footsteps of America’s great songwriter. In 1961 Bob Dylan left his native Minnesota for New York’s Greenwich Village where digs were cheap and opportunities to perform plentiful.

In 1961 Bob Dylan left his native Minnesota for New York’s Greenwich Village and became part of the scene.

Bob Dylan's New York

German musician Wolfgang Niedecken follows in the footsteps of America’s great songwriter. In 1965 Dylan left New York and moved to Woodstock where an idealistic artistic community was forming.

In 1965 Dylan left New York and moved to Woodstock where an idealistic artistic community was forming.

Bob Dylan’s Woodstock

German musician Wolfgang Niedecken follows in the footsteps of America’s great songwriter. A visit to Minnesota where Bob Dylan grew up amongst the iron mines and steelworks of this industrial US state.

Minnesota

A visit to Minnesota where Bob Dylan grew up amongst the iron mines and steelworks of this industrial US state.

Bob Dylan's America (3/5)

Twenty years ago the music industry was in big trouble with illegal downloads from Napster and Limewire destroying record sales. Today the industry is buoyant thanks to Spotify and other subscription streaming services. But there is a downside: Most artists earn very little of the billions generated by streaming.

Tracks

The music industry is buoyant thanks to Spotify and other subscription streaming services. But there is a downside: Most artists receive very little of the billions generated by streaming.

Has Streaming Saved Music?

In 2019, Les Indes galantes was performed at the Opera de la Bastille in Paris, hip hop style. This baroque opera, composed by Jean-Philippe Rameau, is an ode to colonial exoticism, and its reworking is the brainchild of Bintou Dembélé, the first black woman to choreograph a ballet at the Paris Opera.

In 2019, Les Indes galantes was performed at the Opera de la Bastille in Paris, hip hop style

Operatic Hip Hop: Dance Decolonised

How can an artist unblock writer's block and free themselves of the fear of the blank page? Producer and musician Brian Eno has found the solution: a card game. Called Oblique Strategie", it gave artists inspiration when they had none. David Bowie composed his unforgettable Heroes thanks to this very strange game.

David Bowie composed his unforgettable Heroes thanks to this very strange game

The Game That Saved David Bowie

In many French cities, there are feminist messages hastily pasted across the walls, denouncing rape and violence against women. They come from a long tradition of feminist protest first sparked off by Oympe de Gouges.

In many French cities, there are feminist messages hastily pasted across the walls, denouncing rape and violence against women

Street Art Takes on Patriarchy

Pop culture

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Who are we? And how do we want to live? Streetphilosophy looks for answers to life's big question on the streets of Berlin.

Streetphilosophy

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Streetphilosophy roams the streets of Berlin to find answers to philosophical questions. In this episode Ronja von Rönne asks: What is happiness? How do I please myself while also pleasing others? And how can I realise my desires?

Roams the streets of Berlin to find answers to philosophical questions. How can we be happy and fulfill our desires?

Happiness and Hedonism

Always imagining the worst can be an effective way to cover our backs, but it can also paralyse us. But what better way to overcome despair than through laughter or artistic creation?

In a world gone mad, is pessimism the only rational response? 

Pessimism: It Won't Work Anyway!

Why do people develop fetishes? One person gets a thrill from leather outfits, another loves licking feet, or obsessively collecting shoes.  Are fetishes in our nature? Or are they perversions that we should free ourselves from?

Are fetishes in our nature? Or are they perversions that we should free ourselves from?

Find your Fetish!

Should we let ourselves by guided by our emotions in life? Or should we listen to reason?  Ronja asks her fellow Berliners to find out the answers.

Should we let ourselves by guided by our emotions in life? 

Listen to Your Emotions!

Should we reason with ourselves when making decisions or just go with our gut? Ronja meets a psychologist, an astrologist and a soldier to talk about how to make up one’s mind.

Should we reason with ourselves when making decisions or just go with our gut?

How to Make Decisions

Patrick Bailly-Maître-Grand takes photos without a camera. By using techniques from the early days of photography the artist’s works are entirely analogue and highly poetic.

Patrick Bailly-Maître-Grand

The Photographer Without a Camera

Ideas

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From an incredibly varied selection of 19th century postcards, the Paris of the Belle Epoque (1871 – 1914) comes to life. Street-photography captured Parisians from all walks of life and conveyed the optimism and elegance of the period.

From an incredibly varied selection of 19th century postcards, the Paris of the Belle Epoque (1871 – 1914) comes to life.

Paris in the Belle Epoque

Ayn Rand was a survivor of Communism, and as a result, her writings fiercely advocate uncompromising individualism. Her high profile fans include Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Angelina Jolie.

Ayn Rand was a survivor of Communism, and as a result, her writings fiercely advocate uncompromising individualism

Ayn Rand, Capitalism Guru

Portrait of German author Ernst Jünger (1895-1998), the great stylist of 20th century German literature for some, a precursor of National Socialism for others. The writer was a critic of the Weimar Republic and remains a controversial figure in Germany to this day.

Between Nature and Nationalism

Portrait of German author Ernst Jünger (1895-1998), the great stylist of 20th century German literature for some, a precursor to National Socialism for others. 

Ernst Jünger

Berlin's controversial new (old) palace houses a controversial museum, the Humboldt Forum with its collection of non-European art.

Portrait of a visionary fashion photographer, celebrated in the 1950s and 1960s for his novel and elegant images.

F. C Gundlach  - Master of  Fashion Photography

In France, the bungalow evokes holidays in the sun. In the UK, they are humble everyday dwellings for grandparents. But in Germany or the United States, they take on a very different form: they are a bourgeois luxury, a single-storey villa with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking nature. Inspired by the "bangalo", a traditional one-storey Bengal house open to the outside, this style was also a staple of colonial architecture. 

In the US and Germany, bungalows are a bourgeois luxury: a single-storey villa with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking nature

The Beauty of Bungalows

Four women comic book artists from the Arab World, Tunisian Nadia Khiari, Lebanese Lena Merhej, Moroccan Zainab Fasiki and Egyptian Deena Mohamed open the doors of their studios and tell us about their experiences and their struggles. Ten years after the beginning of the Arab Spring how can they express themselves in the medium as Arab women?

Four women comic book artists from the Arab World open the doors of their studios and tell us about their experiences and their struggles. 

4 Arab Women Comic Book Artists

Discover contemporary cycling culture in three European cities: Berlin, the unofficial capital of vintage racing bikes. London, where cycle-cafés also hold speed dating evenings and Amsterdam where cyclists stand out from the crowd with style.

Cycling as Lifestyle

Discover contemporary cycling culture in three European cities: Berlin, London and Amsterdam.

Biking Boom

Ancient Greek statues are white, pure and classical, just like the marble they are carved from. False. These statues were painted in fabulous bright colours. Archaeologists and art academics have known this for centuries so why does the white myth endure?

Ancient Greek Statues Were Not White

A simple hut on the Côte d‘Azur shows all of Le Corbusier’s architectural genius.

Le Corbusier and his Cabin

Conductors can gesticulate wildly when they conduct an orchestra. But have you ever wondered what exactly they are doing with their hands? And why do they use a baton?

Why Do Conductors Use Batons?

Andrzej Wajda passed away on 9th October at the age of 90. A few months before his death, the Polish filmmaker revisited his work in an assembly room of the Wajda school, created in Warsaw fifteen years ago. He gave us a rich and deep self-assessment of his body of work, at the dusk of his life.

Andrzej Wajda gives us a rich and deep self-assessment of his body of work, at the dusk of his life

Andrzej Wajda, a Lesson in Cinema

In 1973 choreographer and dancer Carolyn Carlson brought an breath of American fresh air into the Paris Opera. In true hippy style she brought barefoot dancing, improvisation and a relaxed attitude. Not everyone was ready for change.

Carolyn Carlson: The Day They Danced Barefoot at the Paris Opera

What are we really looking for when we travel abroad on holiday? New horizons and new experiences? Or just a great photo for Instagram? Ronja von Rönne asks whether we really need to go to the other side of the world to get the full benefits of travel.

Travel the World!

Highly respected theatres are programming gory productions that have more in common with slash horror films than traditional theatre.

Gore at the Theatre

The humble accordion may not have a reputation as the coolest instrument on the block. But in the hands of Mario Batkovic it takes on another dimension. Since 2017 the Bosnian accordionist has been wowing audiences and recording film and game scores, notably for hit survival game, Red Dead Redemption 2.

The humble accordion may not have a reputation as the coolest instrument on the block. But in the hands of Mario Batkovic it takes on another dimension.

Mario Batkovic: Superstar Accordionist

Film director Jean Boullet was obsessed with Dracula. The vampire gained ground in popular culture in the Paris underground scene of the 50s, and Boullet was determined to create a film that captured the true creepy essence of Dracula. He decided to use shadow puppets, but the work would never see the light of day.

Film director Jean Boullet was obsessed with Dracula, even getting surgery to look like him

The Man Who Wanted to Be Dracula

Live your Desires! But How?

Most popular

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Love is political, says journalist and author Şeyda Kurt. In her book Radical Tenderness she does away with the myth of romantic love. Ultimately, the widespread ideal of romantic, two-person love only serves to preserve existing patriarchal power relations, she says. Maria Schrader's new movie Ich bin Dein Mensch revolves around a humanoid robot with artificial intelligence that is programmed to serve as the 'perfect partner'.  Plus: Philosopher Peter Trawny, who says that freedom and love are incompatible, and LBGTQI+ groups fight for the freedom to love in Islam. 

Twist

Love is political, says journalist and author Şeyda Kurt. In her book Radical Tenderness she does away with the myth of romantic love

Why is Love so Hard?

From California to Iran, from London to Berlin, the bicycle is a symbol of freedom. No other mode of transport has succeeded in liberating so many people.

Protest Culture on Two Wheels

From California to Iran, from London to Berlin, the bicycle is a symbol of freedom for diverse groups.

Biking Boom (3/3)

The bicycle is a masterpiece: its poetic shape, mechanics and human like gestures have inspired artists worldwide for over a century. A look at the bike in art and popular culture.

The Bicycle in Art and Pop Culture

The bicycle is a masterpiece: its poetic shape and mechanics have inspired artists for generations.

Biking Boom (2/3)

New York

Bob Dylan's America (1/5)

Woodstock

Bob Dylan’s America (2/5)

German musician Wolfgang Niedecken follows in the footsteps of America’s great songwriter. Dylan discovered the Big Easy in 1964 and was to return to the city to record his acclaimed 1989 album ‘Oh Mercy’.

New Orleans

Dylan discovered the Big Easy in 1964 and was to return to the city to record his acclaimed 1989 album ‘Oh Mercy’.

Bob Dylan's America (4/5)

German musician Wolfgang Niedecken follows in the footsteps of America’s great songwriter. The beatnik culture of California always fascinated Dylan who now lives quietly in Malibu close to Los Angeles.

California

Californian beatnik culture always fascinated Dylan who now lives quietly in Malibu close to Los Angeles.

Bob Dylan’s America (5/5)

Skate boarding may be all the rage in Bogota, but it still isn't recognised as a legitimate sport. For Ronald, who fled the threat of violence in his village, skateboarding is more than just keeping up with a trend or getting in a work out: it's how he can tame the city and call it home, how he can feel free. A feeling he wants to pass on to the poorest kids of the city.

Riders in Belén

For Ronald skateboarding is more than just keeping up with a trend or getting in a work out, it's how he can feel free

Bogostreets (9/10)

Ciudad Bolivar is Bogota’s rap quarter. A marginalised area, with a reputation for violence is also the birthplace of Colombia’s hip—hop culture. Karen Tovar, who grew up here is a leading figure in the scene.

Rap in Ciudad Bolivar

A marginalised area, with a bad reputation is also the birthplace of Colombia’s hip-hop culture. 

Bogostreets (7/10)

Yurts, tipis, igloos: traditional homes are round, but most modern buildings are full of harsh right angles. In the 60s, influenced by science fiction, strange, curved creations started popping up in France. But it was a brief movement that fell out of favour.

In the 60s, influenced by science fiction, strange, curved homes started popping up in France

Why Live In a Bubble House?

California, 1962: as counter-culture boomed, Corita Kent created her first pop-art paintings. The nun and art teacher mixed Jefferson Airplane, Pepsi and Bible verses in her work. But her activism and political convictions would force her to hang up her habit.

How a nun became a counter-cultural icon thanks to her art

Corita Kent, the Pop Culture Nun

These aren't doodles: Art Spiegelman or Marjane Satrapi's books are pieces of literary art. Without boxes or bubbles, the graphic novel is now a major genre in publishing. Graphic novels have an unlikely origin story: the genre emerged from woodcutting.

These aren't doodles: Art Spiegelman or Marjane Satrapi's books are pieces of literary art

The Origin Story of the Graphic Novel

A 1960s icon and a martial arts legend, Bruce Lee is still beloved as the king of martial arts the world over. But Quentin Tarantino may have committed the small crime of lese-majesty in his latest film. He asks: was Bruce Lee even really that good at fighting?

Was Bruce Lee even really that good at fighting?

Was Bruce Lee Actually Good at Fighting?

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The Gay party scene in Bogota is burgeoning. Meet the members of the House of Tupamaras who have taken US gay ballroom culture and given it a latin twist mixing voguing with meringue and other latin styles.

Voguing Downtown

Meet the House of Tupamaras who take US gay ballroom culture and give it a latin remix.