Instinct #8 – The Cat & the  Horse

Vernissage: September 12, 6pm
Exhibition: September 12 – September 15
Location: Village Berlin, Kurfürstenstraße 31

Instinct #8 – The Cat and the Horse is a response to the exhibition “My Dearest Sweet Love: Christopher Isherwood und Don Bachardy,” shown at Schwules Museum Berlin from June 14 until August 26, 2019.

The “Cat” and the “Horse” are manifestations of the intimacy of the novelist Christopher Isherwood and the painter Don Bachardy’s relationship. In their love letters, these are the names they gave each other, and an animalistic imagery suffuses these letters. At the same time, Isherwood’s life story has always been one of journey, and this reflects in their relationship as well. Born in England, Isherwood moved to Berlin in 1929 where he experienced a sexual awakening. When the Nazis came into power in 1933, he had to leave Germany and eventually settled in Los Angeles, where he met Bachardy. His Berlin part of the journey, as brief as it was, had an impact on his subsequent life and their mutual relationship.

instinct #8 invites this selection of artists to talk about Berlin, love and liberation:

Gareth Ernst, Philipp Gallon & Pär Ålander, Rafael Gaweda, Roey Victoria Heifetz, L. Jo, Tomasz Pieszko, Nick Wilson, Rhonda Winter, Teiko Ang Zheng, Shiaz Legz

During the vernissage there will be a performance drawing by Gareth Ernst, based on the drawings Don Bachardy did of him when Ernst was a model in Los Angeles.

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