An exhibition at the spaceship-like Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of World Cultures) embraces the new explosion of graphically pared-down yet bright-eyed pictograms that has spread across digital media, advertising, fashion and art. Pictopia presents more than 30 international artists and their anthropomorphic characters (disturbingly appealing, immediate, grotesquely cute). “By engaging the viewer on a direct emotional level they bypass language and cultural barriers,” the catalogue explains, “but do abstract designs really have the potential to fulfil a utopian fantasy of global visual communication?” Hmmm. Go decide for yourself. And don’t miss: a weekend of performances and screenings related to the exhibition (April 23-25), by Berlin’s Gob Squad, and Jared Gradinger / Angela Schubot. Wacky, intense, exciting!
Haus der Kulturen der Welt: Pictopia
John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, Tiergarten (Mitte)
S-Bahn Hauptbahnhof
Open Wed-Mon 11:00 - 19:00 / April 23-25 open until 23:00