Name: Eva

Age: 26

City: Berlin

First, please introduce yourself.

My name is Eva Funk. I’m from Austria. But I’m living here for six years in Berlin now. And I do art, but I also do a lot of different kinds of things. I’m very much all over the place.

What are the other things you do?

Well, I’m very interested in literature as well, especially artist writing. So, people who do art, but also write texts, poetry or essays. I think I’m a person who starts with a lot of ball-juggling, just to see how they are rolling, how they are in movement.

Right now, I started something called “Rotato”, which is like a journal where I ask people to write something on certain themes, and create a PDF and it’s available as a download on the Internet. It’s about connecting people. That's something I really enjoy. I’m also part of a project space/collective here in Berlin. We do a lot of different kinds of curatorial exercises and projects. So next to my own work, I’m organizing and writing. And I also have a job where I get money from.

Are you enjoying this diversity?

Yeah. I need that. I think I’ll always get frustrated when I’m only working on one thing. I do a lot of different things also at the same time. So it’s kind of like reading books, like I have several books next to my bed. It’s mostly one poetry book, then one short story and one theoretical book. And I’ll start reading all of them at the same time. It depends. You know, you are not always in the same mood.

Multitasking.

Yes, and it also keeps you in movement. ‘Cause it’s also like training a lot of different skills, which I want to have. So there is the thinking part, and then the being social part, and then just being alone in your studio or just working with your hands. So I think it's very important to use different skills and parts of your body at different times.

So what is this project space that you are working at?

It’s called Mindscape Universe. We started this year, so just 2015. We are a bunch of people. So we are kind of like a huge team, and it keeps growing. It's a grassroots democratic thing, everybody is welcome to join. We also use it as a studio space.

So we have this room, and we invite people to come and show their work, give them opportunities to use our rooms, or to write proposals. We also try out things… I wouldn't say we are gallery, and certainly not an institution or anything. But it's also like a playground for us and for other people. So they can come and try out whatever they want to do, whether it's an artwork, or it’s a lecture or happening.

We also have a series of events called “A Sunday with”, and we always invite people. For example, we have “A Sunday with Serge”, and Serge did an artwork, a performance there. And we just made drawings together. So it’s kind of like a come together in the afternoon session on a Sunday. We do something together, but it’s not about what we are doing. It's more about people who are artists at our age having a place to come and meet. Because normally you just meet people at openings, and it’s always a little bit awkward. Or there are also many people who don’t like these kinds of situations. And this is like a low-key, eating cake, drinking coffee, just meeting other artists, talking about ideas. Maybe if you want to find somebody to collaborate with, then there is this possibility to be very easy about it, and just meet new people.

Also, we are kind of cool, but it’s not like that kind of hip-cool. We are all a little bit silly, and naïve maybe. Hoping for a better future or something.

That’s very nice. So I have two questions that are related to this. First, how is it possible to govern or run this space? How do you make collective decisions?

Yeah, that’s sometimes a difficult and time-consuming process. I think it depends, depending on what we are doing. So we have an open communication. We write each other emails and we use social media for example. But of course sometimes it happens that somebody proposes something, and not everybody is interested in doing it or joining it. But that’s fine, different groups appear and everybody doesn’t have to be part of everything.

So it’s kind of a loose thing?

Yes. And I mean it just works, because we really trust each other. Or we trust we will help each other, because we need each other. We don’t really have funding or anything, so we need to find ways to pay for things. We put a lot of work into it.

Do these people all come from different backgrounds, so they have different skills the group can use?

Right now, we are mostly artists. But we also just found a graphic designer who wants to work with us, and somebody who is really into PR. And it's still growing. Of course everybody just brings out different talents. We also learn so much from each other.

When people want to show their work in the space, do you interview them and select who gets in? Or everyone can participate?

Well, it is sort of everybody can participate. But I don’t think everybody fits in this working together thing. I think a lot of people want to show their work, but they don’t really want to put so much effort into it. They are interested in showing work and then going home. And I think we are much more interested in inviting the person for a discussion before, having them over and getting to know them and working together with them, planning together for the show. And thinking about what can we do together to make it interesting or better in a way. So I guess there is just the natural selection that not a lot of people really want that. So they don't even come I guess.

So things just grow organically?

Yes.

On the funding side, how much money do you actually need? How do you get that money?

Well, we don't have much money, so we work with what we have. We put a lot of work into it. We have to pay the rent, but because we also use it as studio, we split it. Then we sometimes get support, or find out ways to get some money. You know, when we have an event, we have a bar there and we sell drinks. With this money, we buy materials and stuff. So, that works very well.  

So far so good. And it's also kind of like very connected with DIY culture, do-it-yourself kind of thing. We are not doing that because we want to earn money. It’s kind of like a growing network. I put effort into it, and the others also put effort into it. So, this is actually how it can work. But it’s not a long-term solution. In the end, we need to kind of professionalize it, I guess, in a way.

Have you been talking about it already?

I think it's still too early to talk about it. Because we are still trying to figure out where we want to go with it, or what it should be in the end. We want to help artists or people who are interested in art, and everybody who is connected to art to have kind of like a space where you can work together, and you can help each other.

It’s this very romantic image. We are all siting in the same boat, all of us have no money, but at least we have art. You know, we have us. And we can help each other. Together it’s easier to make things happen.

It’s true. Before that I was never in a group studio. But since I start working there, I’m much happier. I also have more energy to do things. Before that, I had some ideas, but I never had the energy to do it on my own, because I had to do the finance, and I had to do this and that. But now all of a sudden there are tons of people, one person is doing this, and the other person is doing that. So we can make it happen.

Right now there is a project space festival going on here. So I’m wondering if this kind of community, collaboration, artist-run space, is all this a new phenomenon in Europe or in Berlin particularly? Are there many other people doing similar things?

Well I think Berlin is known for its project spaces. I think it was like, over the years, it was kind of this controversial thing to have something else other than museums and institutions to show upcoming artists. And maybe also spaces to discuss something besides the mainstream.

I think in Berlin there are tons of project spaces right now. But I think most of the places, they started becoming a galleries in a way. I mean, not with the things that they are selling, but that it’s more like an exhibition space. They show things, and they make exhibitions. And I think that’s nice, and I think they should still be there.

But I started with this kind of collective force that I saw was missing. I mean, there are also places here in Berlin that are kind of being more of a community and interested in social interaction. But I think we are kind of a different generation I guess. And I never knew anybody from those spaces, so I thought it would be nice to do something on my own. Because then it's also your baby in a way, and you know what you are standing for. You can transform it into something you want, or something you always dreamed of having.

Thinking about Berlin, I mean, of course it’s the capital of Germany. Berlin is the new capital of creative people so to say. I think there are a lot of statistics where you can see a lot of artists and creative workers coming from different parts of Europe to Berlin, because it’s kind of cheap here and kind of has this utopian feeling that you can live with nothing and still do whatever you want here.

So a lot of project rooms here also talk a lot about political change. But I think there is a huge change right now, and nobody quite knows where it will go. Because I think for me, Berlin is kind of…it’s not dead, that would be wrong. But I think something has to change here. Because if it continues like this, then it will become something like what happened with London earlier. Or, you know it's a place where there is still something going on, but there is no avant-garde so to say.

I think there is not such an outlook anymore. There are not so many fights anymore, it’s not so much on the edge. Everything is very easy, and nice and cool and hip. And also, in the art world, everything is very intellectual in a way. When they are talking about art, it needs to be like with references, it's very intellectual and theoretical and clean and slick. Everything has to be in this nice box, which you can give to each other and say, “oh, this is my piece of art, look at that.” And the other person says, “Oh, yes, thank you, it’s very beautiful.” You know, it’s like this kind of thing, but nothing is really happening. Nothing really new is happening. I know it’s very comfortable here, and I think that’s a problem. You know when people start to get too comfortable then they stop thinking outside the box.

Yeah, I thought about that too. It’s like a dream place here. Everyone is so nice and democratic. Everything is possible. Whatever you do, it’s all possible. Like you said, there is no problem. And maybe that is a problem. But how can you solve this then? Create new problems?

I don't know. I think it could change, when everything get more expensive.

You don't think this is an ultimate perfect version of how the world can be? Like everything is so nice and comfortable?

No, because actually I don’t think it's nice and beautiful. Maybe it is on the surface. Everything is so devoid of any problems. But there are problems, they are just like pushed to the side. And nobody really sees these problems anymore, because you are in this kind of bubble. You move around, everything is very easy going. But still, the world is a cruel place.

Like the political situation everywhere in Europe is very worrisome. I think it’s very complicated. I don't feel comfortable living in a place where I have the feeling that everything is fine when it’s not. I think that’s just false pretense in a way. I think you need to confront yourself. You can be grateful to have it happy and easy, but I also think you should take a little bit of your time and think about how you can make it nice and easy for others.

Interviewed in Berlin, Kreuzberg, August 6th, 2015