artists pay for stay with artwork at berlin hotel

horse installation above black lacquered bed by anna jandt.
image © uwe walter
courtesy of kw institute for contemporary art, berlin

hotel marienbad in berlin is inviting cash-strapped artists to pay for room and board at their hotel,
not with cash, but artwork. the project co-ordinator and curator at the kunst-werke institute
of contemporary art, susanne pfeffer, says that all artists are welcome 'as long as they come from
outside berlin and need a bed for the night, everyone is welcome, though we've got such a long
waiting list that we are very careful about picking and choosing our guests.'
conceptual artists, sculptors and painters are welcome to participate and stay at the hotel.

the current installation is courtesy of anna jandt of the bremen female artists' collective, fort.
her hotel room includes a beady-eyed horse's head mounted above a black lacquered bed.
describing her installation, she says 'the horse's head gives the room quite a sterile atmosphere
and the room is overly replete with patterns – it's a comment on the anonymity and overpowering
nature of posh hotel rooms.'


scottish artist savage, provided an installation of safety deposit boxes
image © uwe walter
courtesy of kw institute for contemporary art, berlin

scottish artist, savage, was a previous guest who graced the hotel marienbad.
his installation involved safety deposit boxes, which aren't uncommon in hotels.
meant to protect the riches of the reverent guests from theft, he posed the question,
'what happens if the safe is stolen and the guests themselves turn into thieves?


douglas gordon was the first to participate with his neon red sign 'marienbad' on the façade of the hotel
image © uwe walter
courtesy of kw institute for contemporary art, berlin

via the guardian