Once realizing that Bikini Berlin was not suitable for large paintings or big installations, the team shifted their concept to focus on artworks made of and about one material only: paper
The launch of a new art fair format: Paper Positions
Willing to provide the German capital with international art out of conventional categories, the directors of the already established German art fair POSITIONS had the idea to launch a new art fair format in 2016, with the name Paper Positions.
The concept was defined after the co-director and founder Heinrich Carstens was offered a room at Bikini Berlin, a well known retail and dining complex in the heart of West Berlin. Back in the middle eighties, the site represented one of the first institution locations displaying international contemporary art. «We were interested in a location with that tradition. We thought we could do something there: a show, a group show» recalls Heinrich Carstens. But once they realized that the space was not suitable for large paintings or big installations, the team shifted their concept and decided that it was better to focus on artworks made of and about one material only: paper.
Ernst Ludwing Kirchner, August Macke and Neo Rauch: the start of Paper Positions
Heinrich Carstens and his team visited twenty-six galleries in Berlin, searching for storage archives of outstanding paper artworks from artists who were not in the spotlight anymore or from younger artists who deserved the visibility they never received. Displaying artworks from artists like Ernst Ludwing Kirchner, August Macke and Neo Rauch, the first edition of Paper Positions Berlin was launched, signing the first of a series of new art fair formats.
Heinrich Carstens recalls: «I still remember we had this opening. We were a small team because we were at the beginning of the Paper Position art fair. I thought no one would be coming, since everyone was concentrated on these big shows during the Gallery Weekend. But right in the next hours, the room was overcrowded with people. I had to call my team for help, because we were selling all the artworks». The following years, Paper Positions expanded in Basel, Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg.
The selection of international positions on paper
Despite the problems that the art industry is still facing caused by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the rising living costs, Paper Positions Berlin had the highest numbers of applications for the upcoming edition. Nevertheless, only fifty-six galleries from twelve countries will be selected.
Exploring artistic perspectives on an international level is a priority for Heinrich Carstens: «You can see a lot of artworks from galleries coming from Turkey, Iran, Japan or Austria». Heinrich Carstens claims: «We are not interested only in showing drawings or collage to our visitors or collectors. We want to present the best possible quality of artworks. A wide range of what can be done with paper».
Exploring the art hidden on the side roads: Paper Positions
Focusing on quality over quantity, Paper Positions Berlin aims at creating a specific experience. The art fair’s goal is to give space to voices which have either gone forgotten or which have not been heard. «Of course we present some big names, but it is not just about the names. We are interested in showing special, unique artistic positions».
At the beginning of his career, Heinrich Carstens had a gallery himself and worked for other art events. When he took the decision to start organizing his own art fairs, he realized how many galleries were new to him in Berlin, despite his years spent working in the art world. According to him, the most valuable art gems are the ones from the underrepresented voices, which are not to be found on the main street, but hidden on the side roads: «Those galleries are so strong. They do it with so much passion and they have so many quality artists. They are just smaller and they do not have the money to do all these huge big fairs all over the world. There is so much quality all over the place, not only on the main street».
Exploring paper from a different perspective at Paper Positions
The choice to keep exploring the paper material was not only made because of personal interests, but also because the team believed paper to be one of the most underestimated art mediums. Through Paper Positions Berlin, Heinrich Carstens aims at shedding light on a material that easily slips into the background, giving it the value and the attention that it has always deserved.
According to him, when visiting major art fairs, most of the audience remains fascinated by colorful paintings, large-scale installations and unconventional performances, rather than pure paper artworks.
«I have experienced this lately, precisely at an art fair in Paris. I saw some fantastic small paperworks by Marcel Duchamp, but most of the people I discussed with afterwards did not notice them. The paper artworks are always there, but not in view. People do not consider them».
Paper has also always represented one of the collectors’ interests. The co-founder claims: «If you ask a collector what was the first artwork that they have bought in their life, most of them would say a work of paper». Heinrich Carstens believes that every collector at a certain point of their career experiences a comeback to the origins, and finds themselves ready to appreciate paper from a different perspective. «You come back to what was really interesting for you and I am coming back with a stronger interest in works on paper».
Paper as intimate and powerful art medium
From documents to post-it notes, paper resonates as a domestic material, charged with the intimacy and the vulnerability of everyday life. In its fragility, it has an emotional value. Heinrich Carstens cherishes its simplicity and purity: «I always compare paper to music. Paper is a clean acoustic guitar sound. No distortion, no effects. You can hear every note clearly. The mistakes as well».
When standing in front of one paper artwork, one needs to get closer to it in order to examine the creation properly. Sometimes it is not easy to detect how many times the artwork has been handled by the artist before being finished. In this way, a paper artwork manages to generate closeness to the audience: «You have a painting which is three by three meters, you need a certain distance to see the work, to feel the work. It is always about the feeling of your body to an artwork. When looking at a smaller work, the distance between you and the artwork is smaller».
The issue of paper is essential to such an extent that Paper Positions Berlin does not only select artworks made exclusively of paper, but also made out of steel, metal or other materials, focused on the topic of paper. The focus is not on the material itself but on the meaning and the concept of paper.
Oskar Holweck’s artworks embrace the concept of Paper Positions
Paper Positions Berlin combines modern art and history of art, featuring works from the fifties and sixties together with art from the present. Between the artists who will be featured who embodies the main theme of Paper Positions Berlin, Heinrich Carstens makes a special mention of Oskar Holweck.
His artworks have already been shown at paper position hamburg for the first time in 2021. Known as a pioneer of paper art, Oskar Holweck operated mostly between the fifties and sixties. Using different techniques, he devoted all his artistic powers to one material: white paper. Folding, pressing, compressing, stretching, crumpling, bending, sawing, burning: the list of the techniques he used to manipulate white paper is extended. Despite the several invitations to Documenta and other art fairs, the German artists always declined and refused to be in the spotlight.
Heinrich Carstens supports Oskar Holweck’s artistic vision and appreciates the value that the artist has given to paper: «It is interesting because as an artwork, paper is the main actor of the art group. It is not only the medium. It is not the supporting actor. It is the main actor». Oskar Holweck has been in big collections already since the sixties. «In the last 20 years he has faded away from the art market, but now he’s coming back, which is not only our success, but I think we were the first art fair showing his works in many years».
Discussing Oskar Holweck’s positions on paper, the co-director confirms how the artist exemplifies the art fair’s main theme: «This is what we are interested in: a special way of working with paper and an unconventional career. People who join Paper Positions Berlin can find something new. We want to surprise our visitors with something special».
The building of Berlin’s postal history as the event location
When discussing the need of a location which abstained from the classic art fair trade, Heinrich Carstens was persuaded by the capital representative office of Deutsche Telekom. The brightness of the glass ceiling and the approximately 1000 square meter hall represented suitable features for a location displaying paper artworks. He explains: «We need this uniqueness wherever we do something, whether it is in Berlin or Basel. The same paper artwork changes according to the radiancy of the location. We want locations where the artworks are totally different all the time, on different walls».
Last but not least, Paper Positions Berlin is motivated to show its international audience how multifaceted the art scene of the capital city of Germany can be, avoiding old perpetuated clichés: «In the collective consciousness, Berlin is always about rotten underground environments with modern artworks. This art fair is not the typical Berlin style and we aim at creating a completely different feeling».
Paper Positions: Creating a salon-like atmosphere
In the spirit of its fair concept, Paper Positions Berlin focuses on creating a salon-like atmosphere. The main goal is to have the audience interacting within each other, asking questions and discussing with other visitors.
To do so, the art fair refrains from the classic art trade booths. Galleries are not allowed to bring their own furniture, but they are offered tailor-made furniture made out of cardboard, celebrating the versatility of paper. The audience has the chance to directly approach individual artistic works too and to perceive them in a mutual dialogue with other participants. «We are trying not to have these regular booths from other art fairs. It always looks like a private space, and we want to avoid that. It helps us to have everyone interacting with each other».
A sustainable promotion of galleries and artists
Explaining how the art market can create sustainable collaborations, Heinrich Carstens shares the vision of the so-called ‘holy triangle of the art fair’: «There is a dream: it is about an artist, a gallerist and a collector -all of the same generation- who meet at Paper Positions for the first time. They like each other and they decide to work together for the long term, learning from each other».
However, promoting young artists can be challenging for an art fair which displays around 50 galleries only. Young galleries do not have a high price range of artworks, making it harder for artists to do profitable business. Heinirich Carstens says: «When organizing an art fair, it is of course much easier for a gallery to have this one valuable artwork. If it is sold, you are fine. But young galleries have to probably sell like 10 or 15 artworks, which is hard to achieve. As an art fair, we always have to find a kind of a price range for our participating galleries, that makes them able to also show young artists».
The limitation of the gallery number that Paper Positions Berlin has placed itself is not economically convenient for any element of the holy triangle of the art market. For a sustainable environment instead, it is the best solution, given the mission that Paper Positions has: «I don’t like all these big fairs with 300 exhibitors. It is insane. You cannot see everything, and your brain is overwhelmed by everything. Paper Positions operates in another way. It’s not only about making money, it’s not the reason why we organize it».
Three special prizes are awarded annually at Paper Positions
The Paper Positions award will be handed out to a female artist. «As we all know, the art market is still a man ruled market. We do not support that, so we decided to do something, and this was one of the ways we tried to change that». The winner will also have a catalog look and a small exhibition opportunity for the following year.
The Leue & Nill Award will be assigned to the best gallery presentation. «We offer wall spaces at Paper Positions berlin. To do something in a curatorial way is not so easy». Together with Canon, d’mage and Hahnemühle, the winning artworks of the Paper Art Award will be purchased with a total value of 36.000 Euros for the new Berlin museum Haus des Papiers. «This is the highest amount of money for artworks on paper in Germany», explains Heinrich Carstens. The winner is an artist showcasing installations with paper as a sculptural medium, rather than drawings or photographs. «I am sure we are going to find someone to honor, an artist who deals with the material paper in an outstanding, stimulating and independent way».
Paper Positions
Paper Positions Berlin explores artistic positions of modern and contemporary art around paper. The art trade fair will take place from 27-30 April 2023, at the capital representative office of Deutsche Telekom in Berlin.
