A new experimental institution in Berlin
Callie’s slow unfolding began in 2018, prefaced by a phase of research to reconsider what an art institution could be today.
Housed across four floors of a former machine factory, Callie’s is a non-profit founded for the purpose of fostering creativity, cultural exchange, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Through residencies, exhibitions, and public programs, Callie’s supports local and international artists while becoming a resource for its immediate community. Callie’s operates in the spirit of inquiry; its activities are a form of experimentation aimed at developing new models of social and artistic engagement.
The site encompasses large, flexible exhibition and studio spaces, including dedicated sound and movement studios, a writing residency, three on-site apartments to host visiting artists, and a forthcoming bookshop, a.p.
This September, Callie’s opened its doors to the public for the first time, with exhibitions by artists-in-residence Susi Hinz, LABINAC (Maria Thereza Alves and Jimmie Durham), Shuang Li, Keti Ortoidze, and Miloš Trakilović, as well as a two-day listening session by the Institute for Embodied Creative Practices, conceptualized by artists-in-residence Isabel Lewis and LABOUR, with contributions by Dirk Bell, Mo Stern, and Kevin Bonono.
The residency program is at the heart of everything that happens at Callie’s; it facilitates the development of meaningful, durational relationships with artists. Current residents are Khyam Allami, Susi Hinz, LABINAC (Maria Thereza Alves, Jimmie Durham, and Kai-Morten Vollmer), LABOUR, Isabel Lewis, Nkisi, Omsk Social Club, Sensus Communis, and Zohra Opoku.
In November, Callie’s will welcome new residents Nora Chipaumire, Camille Henrot, and Maan Abu Taleb.
Former residents include Haytham El-Wardany, Frida Giulia Franceschini, Petrit Halilaj and Alvaro Urbano, Ligia Lewis, Shuang Li, Adam Linder, Keti Ortoidze, Ana Prvački, Jeremy Shaw, Frieda Toranzo Jaeger and Miloš Trakilović.
Callie’s has a number of distinguishing attributes, one of which is its identification as a non-transactional space; the residency program offers many possibilities without asking anything in exchange. Similarly, Callie’s has no fixed programming calendar and anticipates periods of greater public activity, followed by quieter intervals as residents and staff focus on research, planning, or production. Building a responsive residency program without predetermined outcomes acknowledges the material and intellectual conditions essential to experimentation and risk-taking.
Dedicated spaces for writers, choreographers, and sound practitioners reflect the pluralistic approach to art that is fostered throughout Callie’s program. With an eye towards research and interdisciplinary engagement, the sound studio at Callie’s was established to host musicians and artists working with the medium of sound. A writing residency provides a space to focus without distraction.
Solo exhibitions by Susi Hinz and LABINAC remain on view until December 20. Shuang Li: Exit Wound, Keti Ortoidze: so care-fully, and Miloš Trakilović: All But War Is Simulation are on view until October 18.
a.p. will open in fall 2020, stocking a carefully-edited selection of artists’ books, theory, literature, and poetry.
Applications for residencies are reviewed year-round. For more information, including how to apply, please visit the website.
Callie’s website was designed and developed by Erin Knutson and Eric Nylund.
For press and media inquiries, please contact press [at] callies.berlin.
