Media Images in Artistic Transformation

An overview of the work of Berlin-based artists: The Made in Berlin Art Award’s open call was open to all artists of legal age living in Berlin. A jury selected 20 works from the submissions, which will be presented in an exhibition at the BBA Gallery through June 27. The selection was based on original artistic approaches and compelling visual concepts.

In addition to the Jury Prize, which has already been awarded—a prize of 500 € that includes participation in a future exhibition at the BBA Gallery—an Audience Choice Award will be presented during the closing event. Furthermore, 10 works will be selected from the 20 entries to be featured in a group exhibition at the MINI Berlin Showroom.

Elvira Flamm is showing three newer works from her series Ikonen ohne Namen (Icons without Names), which she began in 2022. These are based on media images that report on crisis situations around the world but are quickly forgotten. Flamm transforms these source images into a pixelated form to highlight that people whose faces appear in the global media nevertheless remain anonymous and are often not perceived as individuals. This artistic transformation gives them a lasting visual presence.

The series Ikonen ohne Namen (Icons without Names) is still in its early stages, yet it draws on the artist’s many years of experience and observations. Since the 1980s, she has been preoccupied with haunting images of the famine in East Africa. At the same time, she developed an interest in the then-emerging pixelated representation of media images. In the 1990s and 2000s, the artist lived for 16 years in Suriname, close to nature and far removed from Western standards of living and the constant flow of global news. Her return to Europe and the resulting distance from the media made it clear to her—as exemplified by recurring famines—that even images disseminated on a massive scale fail to generate sustained attention. Building on this insight, Flamm—whose extensive body of work also includes experiments with materials—developed her series of works.