‘Berlin Whispers’: weRstories for ’48 Hours Neukölln Festival’

Studio Katarzyna Badach & Alfredo Ramos Fernández, Neukölln, June 2024

Hey there!

Welcome to 48 Stunden Neukölln! This year, we’re diving into Urban Silence. We want to introduce you to two artists in this studio who really know how to capture the quiet side of the city. You might think we’re hyping them up, especially since their art isn’t about sound, which is the main focus of this festival’s edition. But maybe, after you see their work and hear their stories, you might see things differently. Ready for the challenge? 

Imagine tagging along with Alfredo and Katarzyna (Kasia) on a holiday or a stroll. They’re like any other couple, curious and eager to explore new places. Something catches their eye —a piece of trash, a crumbling wall, or maybe something beautiful left behind in a forgotten corner. When they decide on something, they stop. For hours. Kasia sets up with her brushes, paints, and special papers, claiming a bit of the street as her canvas. It’s not always easy; sometimes she feels awkward or anxious, wanting to blend in but needing to be a part of the scene to paint it. 

Meanwhile, Alfredo, with his head down like he’s back in his geology studies, pulls out his camera. He captures the subtle signs of decay happening across the city, documenting unnoticed moments of urban life. In many forgotten places —the non-places— there’s no sound but the scurry of rats or the echo of someone passing through unseen. People might glance, notice something, but truly stop and see, really see? Kasia and Alfredo look in the same spots and see a world. They frequently return there, sometimes for days. In Berlin, they revisit to observe how things have changed in new light, under different skies. They become part of the landscapes they have contemplated and interpreted. They’ve spent time here, sharing thoughts and emotions, and now they feel connected. What happened to that object, that flower, that forgotten corner in the middle of a frantic, noisy city? Perhaps that’s where urban silence truly happens: the place you create for yourself.

‘Not Another Art Show’: weRstories feat. Alfredo Ramos Fernández

PrimArts, Kreuzberg, Berlin, September 2022

In September 2022, weRstories debuted its first exhibition, Not Another Art Show, at PrimArts in Kreuzberg, Berlin, featuring the evocative work of Berlin-based photographer Alfredo Ramos Fernández (Havana, 1964) and the fictional texts from J. A. Menéndez-Conde.

Ramos Fernández, drawing from his background as a geographer, uses photography to trace human activity and its material remnants. His images explore the dissonance between societal ideals and actions, depicting reality as a dynamic interplay of forces. By capturing the essence of his subjects through a documentary lens, his works invite multiple interpretations, engaging viewers on deeply personal levels. Breaking away from the sterile, over-conceptualized language often dominating contemporary art, Not Another Art Show infused Ramos Fernández’s visual storytelling with fresh layers of meaning. Narrative texts—fictional tales, reflections on the artist’s process, and blurred lines between reality and imagination—were created in collaboration to Mexican writer J. A. Menéndez-Conde to unveil hidden depths in his work. This exhibition was about the interplay of art and literature, emphasizing how the written word can illuminate and expand visual narratives.