Elmgreen and Dragset play a game of tennis inside Berlin’s König Gallery
by The Spaces Team29 May 2020: It’s game, set and match at Elmgreen & Dragset’s latest Berlin show, which sees a full-size tennis court installed inside deconsecrated brutalist church St Agnes – now home to the König Gallery
Short Story comprises three figurative artworks by the Scandinavian duo that are set against the clean white lines of the orange court and separated by the net. At one end, an exhausted boy – rendered in painted bronze – lies face down on the court in defeat, while at the other, the ‘winner’ clutches a large trophy.
Dozing, half-asleep on the sidelines, is a shirtless elderly man in a wheelchair and slippers, causing the viewer to speculate whether the scene is a memory or a dream.
‘Short Story was originally supposed to open during the Gallery Weekend in April here in Berlin. It was planned a long time before the COVID crisis but somehow its narratives strangely fit our situation now,’ Michael Elmgreen told The Art Newspaper.
The immersive installation – which takes over the upper level in the former Brutalist church’s nave – runs until 2 August 2020, and can be viewed by three people at a time, in line with COVID-19 guidelines on social distancing. Guests are advised to contact the König Gallery ahead of time to book a slot.
Alexandrinenstraße 118-121, 10969 Berlin, Germany
