GROTTO: A new space for art in Berlin's Hansaviertel

Earlier this summer, the brand-new project space GROTTO offered free vegan ice cream to all visitors over a 24-hour period. The goal was to spark an exchange between the performers serving the ice cream and the guests. “Everything was going smoothly until we ran out of ice cream,” recalls co-founder Leonie Herweg. “We had to rush to Rewe for more vanilla.”

Such open, accessible initiatives have helped GROTTO connect with local residents of Hansaviertel – a sprawling post-war social housing project – many of whom might not typically engage with contemporary art. “GROTTO is a place where people can come together, interact and just talk,” says Herweg. “There’s a real lack of communal spaces around here.”

It’s the people who aren’t afraid to be different that make life interesting.

GROTTO showcases the potential of non-profit art spaces, providing emerging artists with an opportunity to put on their first exhibitions while facilitating and fostering meaningful connections between the art world and the local community.

This month, the space will feature Ring, a video installation by contemporary artist Tanita Olbrich. The piece delves into themes of surveillance and intimacy, incorporating a video feed and a motion detector that alerts Olbrich’s phone to any activity in her apartment. “It’s a critique of how technology encroaches on both the private and public spheres,” explains Herweg.

Alongside the exhibition, there will be performances by the artist, and Herweg will allow the video to play continuously throughout the week, inviting passersby to engage with it through the window. The reaction from the settled, conservative community in Hansaviertel will add another layer of intrigue to the installation.

Before launching GROTTO, Herweg – who grew up in Switzerland and is currently studying for a curatorial master’s at the Royal College of Art in London – worked at Berlin’s Grisebach Auction House. “I learned a lot, but it’s driven by capitalist principles, and after a while, it wasn’t exciting anymore. Most of the artists are either dead or so famous they’re hard to reach,” the 27-year-old says.

For Herweg, the joy of GROTTO comes from working closely with living artists. “I love being around creative minds – the way they eat lunch at midnight and come up with these wild ideas about how life should be lived. It’s the people who aren’t afraid to be different that make life interesting.”