“The principles of true art is not to portray, but to evoke” – Jerzy Kosinski

The best thing I purchased since moving to Amsterdam is my Museumkaart. This little piece of plastic has given me access to so many amazing museums and exhibits, serving as a gateway to different cultural experiences around the city.

Earlier this month I went to the Louis Vuitton Legendary Trunks Exhibition with some friends. It was equal parts ridiculous as it was actually interesting. Such an iconic brand with so many brilliant stories. There were LV originals – travel trunks dating back to the late 1800s – and special-made trunks for authors like Ernest Hemingway to transport his typewriter and books. Oh, and the traveling casino. Because everyone needs that, right?

 

 

I also re-visited the Dutch Masters exhibit currently at the Hermitage last weekend with my friend Jenna. I briefly breezed through it at our Corporate Affairs Forum in October, and I’ve been dying to go back ever since. The exhibit is comprised of masterpieces that typically hang in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Some of the paintings have ‘come home’ for the first time in 250 years.

 

I appreciated this exhibit a lot now that I’m living in the Netherlands. It’s amazing to see how the art tells a great story about Dutch history through people, landscapes, etc. It’s like a time capsule that includes more than the few hand-written letters and a favourite toy from an era that you buried away as a child.

Walking through History in Berlin

I went to Berlin for the first time five years ago. It was Christmas time and the allure of the Christmas markets (surprise, surprise) overrode any hesitation to visit the city during the frigid wintertime. I had a great time with my friend Amanda, but vowed I’d come back the next time in nicer weather.

Fast-forward five years and my friends from London reach out to say, “Hey, we’re thinking of Berlin in late January. Are you in?” My visions of visiting Berlin in the summertime faded quickly, and it didn’t take me long to say, “YES!”

Our late-night arrival on Friday didn’t stop us from an evening of catch up over local beer and food. Well, didn’t stop those who actually managed to arrive in Berlin on Friday night (Sorry, Hallie!).

We started Saturday fresh with a three-hour walking tour of the city. The tour replicated one that I did years ago, but there’s something so fascinating about Berlin’s history that I didn’t mind doing it again.

Berlin is chock-full-of museums, but walking through the city with a guide is like walking through history. There are remnants of the imperial times before Word War 1. There are historic buildings plastered with gunshot and bomb wounds as a result of the demolition during Word War 2. And then there’s the stark contrast between the old (pre-1945) and the ‘new’ (1945-1989) which makes the years of the DDR (communist years) more real than you can imagine. Lastly, there’s the new, new. Which is anything that has been built (or is being built) since the fall of the wall in 1989.

 

When we booked the trip none of us realized we’d be in Berlin on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. But we were.

The Holocaust memorial, or the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe, is a striking memorial. The artist said little about the piece when it was erected. It is left for the visitor’s interpretation. So, I’ll tell you how I felt:

You approach and you’re disappointed at first. All those lives lost. A whole culture gone.  And here are only 2,711 concrete slabs that are so impersonal. From the outside looking in it just looks like one big grave. It doesn’t do justice to the 6 million lives lost.

 

But then you’re in it. You feel isolated. The walls around you seem to close in. They get higher. You get smaller. It’s cold. Dark. And then you start to realize this is all deliberate. You stare in any which direction into a vast nothingness. There are multiple staircases that lead to nowhere. It’s frightening. It’s powerful. Oh, and by the way, 2,711 is the number of pages in the Talmud.

 

And then you start to approach the edge again. You sense the worst is behind you. Your breath starts to ease and the most miraculous thing happens. You are brought back into the light. The sun is shining. And you cannot help but think, where there is light, there is hope.

 

An emotional experience that brings me back to Kosinski’s quote -- “The principles of true art is not to portray, but to evoke.”

The rest of Saturday was a bit lighter. It had to be. Beers, pretzels, and friends pretty much sums it up. And a great visit with Shannon May. A colleague from Grey who is now living in Berlin. It’s been wonderful following Shannon’s vlogs as she travels around Europe and navigates the ins and outs of daily life in Berlin. It was even more wonderful to catch up with her in person after four years!

 

Sunday was dedicated to the DDR, or the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (German Democratic Republic). It still boggles my mind that the reunification of Germany was something that happened in my lifetime. This is not ancient history. Needless to say, I find it all incredibly fascinating.

We started the day at the East Side Gallery. This is a string of remnants of the Berlin Wall that were given to artists to share messages through art. It actually comes from West Berlin, but has been transported to it’s current home in East Berlin.

 

 

Here again, you are reminded of a dark part of the city and country’s history, this time the one that lived behind the iron curtain instead of the third reich. Panel after panel of messages that try to inspire through images of hope, liberation and freedom.

Most of the artwork was the same as five years ago, but there was one main difference. Five years ago the wall stood as a symbol. It was meant to teach us to learn from the past for a better future. Five years ago there was no Donald Trump in politics. There was no other wall. Visiting the gallery this time around evoked a whole new set of feelings. Has Donald Trump been to Berlin? Does he really understand the power of a wall? How could anyone believe in a wall? Can’t you see the danger in building a wall? I could go on and on...

We ended the trip at the DDR museum. Through a collection of please-touch style exhibits, the museum lets you into this world beyond the wall where the world is dull, things are scarce, thought is limited, and speaking out is dangerous. I highly recommend this museum to anyone visiting the city.

 

Berlin is an important city to visit. Although famous today for the underground party scene, swanky galleries and new food movements, we can’t forget the place this city has in history. In many ways, it’s a true living reminder of what was, what we don’t want to happen again, and how we can all move forward.

Until next time…