Svenungsson, Jan. "Does Berlin Need a New Art School?", in: frieze d/e, No. 9, April-May 2013
In recent years, an important part of Berlin’s attractiveness for young artists has been that you don’t come here to study. You study somewhere else, and then dream of going to Berlin once you’ve finished. In Berlin, you think, you can become the artist you’re meant to be. You’ll find a space, create a network, make something of yourself and have fun at the same time. No art school can take responsibility for this process. What it can do is to open windows to the possibilities of the world and provide students with models to then embrace, reject or ignore. Which thus prepares individuals for what they will have to do by themselves. Students in art schools should continue to dream of going somewhere else, someplace really happening. They shouldn’t look for all-in-one packages. For Berlin’s sake, let’s hope artists continue coming here, once they’ve finished their education in whatever backwater or capital it might be. And let’s hope Berlin will continue to be able to provide that other part of the bargain: cheap rents, open structures, cool clubs and serendipity.
Jan Svenungsson