A public exhibition aims to raise the visibility of artists.

MISS YOU exhibition — Miss You exhibition, Berlin | photo credit: Stefan Hoederath

“I miss the immanent transcendence of the stage as a house of mirrors in which the mirrors see themselves in the mirror, and I look forward to once again being able lead the incredible trump of immediacy once the theater front curtains open again.”
Lars Eidinger, actor

Actor Lars Eidinger, attired completely in green, sits behind a pane of glass in Berlin’s Schaubühne – the Theatre on Lehniner Square, singer Max Raabe stands on a stage with his arms crossed and head bowed. Actor Katharina Thalbach lies lost in thought in a bathtub outdoors, surrounded by nature.

The photography project MISS YOU is an homage to our cultural landscape that today lies fallow. No accusatory tribute, this exhibition exudes a positive message.

MISS YOU is designed to be both a sign of life from creative artists and as a shout-out from the audience to the artists, both of which translate to say: We’re thinking of you, and looking forward immensely to seeing you again soon – in short, quite simply: we MISS YOU.

Eighteen photographers from the OSTKREUZ agency present portraits of artists from the mainstream cultural scene as well as the off-scene in settings far from their usual audience: in their studios, rehearsal and practice rooms, in the kitchen – or just about anywhere.

Featured personae include renowned figures such as visual and performance artist Anne Imhof and oboe soloist Cristina Gómez Godoy as well as lesser known artists in the free art scene ranging from a jazz trombonist, a DJ, choreographers and a music producer to a puppeteer.

Fifty-two portraits are on view until March 16, exhibited in illuminated display cases around the urban spaces of Berlin, Hamburg and Baden-Baden

And not digital: rather, it’s analog

What do you miss, the Siemens Arts Program asks Sibylle Fendt, photographer at the Ostkreuz agency:

“I miss the humid, stagnant air in small, jam-packed concert locations, the scent of strangers, the loud music that infuses and takes over the venue space, and the indescribable magic of live concerts.”

How do you feel, stuck in lockdown without an audience?

“Having to resign myself to no audience for so long already is truly a heart-wrenching feeling. This longing for the atmosphere of the theater, the buzz and hubbub of voices you hear on stage coming from the house, the intoxication of performance that we enter into night after night – not experiencing that leaves a vast emptiness inside me. We miss you! We need you! We’ll be back!”

…replies actor Stefanie Reinsberg

And what are you looking forward to, the Siemens Arts Program asks dancer and performance artist Oxana Chi?

“I look forward to more thoughtful reflectiveness, fervidly appreciative enjoyment, and gratitude after the abstinent austerity of the COVID-19 era. I don’t want to carry anything over from before: no “back to normal”, no normal, no backwards – no retrospective throwback… I would like to paint a colorful rainbow across the sky, with waterproof paint! And magnificently diverse in EVERY color.”

MISS YOU will make artists visible again, and rightfully remind everyone that we need them. The Siemens Arts Program is convinced that this public exhibition will awaken longings, disseminate confidence, and give pause to reflect. We look forward to everyone rejoining the world of the arts – for, in truth, it never really left us.

We MISS YOU!

Miss You Exhibition in Berlin. Photo Credit: Stefan Hoederath