ABOUT
Saskia Reis is a visual artist and cultural journalist based in Berlin.
Her research topics include art, culture, feminism, LGBTQIA+, society and everyday life, which she transfers into in-depth cross-media stories at the interface of journalism, audio and visual storytelling.
Reis's collage and papercut portraits examine human complexity and the multidimensionality of character. Overlapping memories from the past, formative experiences of the present and dreams for the future overlap – the dissected images reveal as much as they hold secrets. Her portraits inspire the viewer to look beyond the surface, and to enjoy flaws as part of the human experience.
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In 2022, Reis showed a selection of her series "портрет художника/PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST" at f3 gallery in Berlin: collage portraits of artists from Ukraine, which she had been working on within Ostkreuz photographer Sibylle Fendt's portrait masterclass.
In 2023, she has presented works of her series "DECONSTRUCTING THE IMAGE OF WOMXN" at international collage showcase "Kaleidoskop" at Frauen Museum Wiesbaden, Germany.
With her installation "Dreams in Germany", which was showcased at Würzburg’s Kiliansplatz in November 2023, she was shortlisted and won the Art Cube Prize 2024 (1. Kunstkubus-Preis), juried by "Kunstleerer Raum", Dr. Jürgen Emmert, director of Museum am Dom and Dr. Marlene Lauter, former director of Museum im Kulturspeicher. The ongoing series shows multilayered collage-papercut-portraits Reis shoots of young refugees in Germany after conducting interviews about their past and present experiences as well as their hopes and dreams for the future.
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Reis studied journalism in Hannover, Germany, holds a Master’s degree with distinction from the University of the Arts London, and is trained at Universität der Künste Berlin and in the storytelling department at Süddeutsche Zeitung.
She has worked for Süddeutsche Zeitung, taz, ZEIT Online, Museum der Bildenden Künste Leipzig, Refinery29 Germany, Schön! Magazine, University of the Arts London, Apple Music, Mercedes-Benz France, On|Off London, Liberty London and others.
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In addition to her artistic practice and interdisciplinary projects, she teaches communication with image and film, journalistic photography and creativity at Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Germany. Reis conceptialized and implemented the "Cultural Communication Club" in cooperation with Sprengel Museum Hannover: a creative art communication workshop which produces bespoke digital content and formats for the museum's channels.
Reis has just completed "ARTPAED" advanced training for cultural education and art mediation via WeTeK in collaboration w/ Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin, Germany, developing her transdisciplinary cultural communication, curation and art mediation platform FEMALE ART VIEW, and acts as a mentor for the "LCC Industry Mentoring Programme" at University of the Arts London, UK.
She is a member of contemporary photography collective AFF Galerie as well as Berlin Collage Platform.
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UPCOMING
Artist-in-residence at KAOS International Festival of Contemporary Collage, Kranj, Slovenia
May/August 2024
CCP Fellowship 2024 via ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen)
Cairo, October-December 2024
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Contact: info@saskiareis.com
Notes (selection)
2024 CCP Fellow via ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen)
May-August 2024 Artist-in-residence at KAOS International Festival of Contemporary Collage, Kranj, Slovenia
2024 Conceptualization and lecturer of the seminar "Journalistic photography: Portraits" and "Creative conceptualization and implementation" at Hochschule Hannover, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Germany
April 2024 Group exhibition "MENSCHWERK", Babenhausen, Germany
April 2024 Group exhibition "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" at AFF Galerie, Berlin, Germany
March 2024 Group exhibition "Kunst im Quartier", Aschaffenburg, Germany
February 2024 Shortlisted and winner of the Art Cube Prize 2024 (1. Kunstkubus-Preis) via "Kunstleerer Raum", Würzburg, Germany
January-June 2024 Selected mentor for the "LCC Industry Mentoring Programme", London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, UK
November 2023 Installation "Dreams in Germany" at art cube "Kunstleerer Raum", Würzburg, Germany
October 2023-March 2024 "ARTPAED" advanced training for cultural education and art mediation via WeTeK in collaboration w/ Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin, Germany
September 2023-January 2024 Conceptualization and lecturer of the seminar "Creative Communication Club" in cooperation w/ Sprengel Museum Hannover at Hochschule Hannover, Germany
July-September 2023 Press and communication for the launch of Alltagsfantasie by Joanna Szproch, Berlin, Germany
June 2023 Group exhibition "BAAM", Berlin, Germany
Since May 2023 Member of Berlin Collage Platform, Berlin, Germany
May-June 2023 Group exhibition "WERY WOR!" at Exgirlfriend, Berlin, Germany
April 2023 Group exhibition "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" at AFF Galerie, Berlin, Germany
Since March 2023 Member of AFF Galerie, Berlin, Germany
March-May 2023 One of 20 selected artists for group exhibition "Kaleidoskop", international exhibition of contemporary collage at Frauen Museum Wiesbaden, Germany
February 2023 Selected for the "(Un)Fashion Rush" bootcamp by Kegham Djeghalian at Cairo Photo Week, Cairo, Egypt
November 2022 Group exhibition and open studios "Nice to see you – Open Studios Event" at HER Contemporary, Berlin, Germany
November 2022 "f3 Masterclass Portrait Exhibition" curated by Sibylle Fendt at Fhochdrei Gallery Berlin, Germany
October 2022-January 2023 Catalogue editing for the exhibition "RE-CONNECT. ART AND CONFLICT IN MOTHERLAND" at Museum der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig, Germany
August 2022 Krull Stiftung artist talk with Stella Meris, Ya Wen Fu, Konrad Mühe, Sven Bergelt at Kommunale Galerie Berlin, Germany
July 2022 Hosting a live interview talk "BLIND SPOT" with author Katja Petrowskaja and artist Mykola Ridnyi, Urania Berlin, Germany
April 2022 Opening speech for artist Stella Meris at Centre Bagatelle, Berlin and catalogue text for the exhibition catalogue FLASH FORWARD at DOCK Basel, Switzerland
Since March 2022 Atelier and member at HER Contemporary, Berlin, Germany
Since February 2022 Text chief editor at national desk of taz, die tageszeitung
October 2021-November 2022 f3 Gallery Masterclass Sibylle Fendt
October 2021 One of ten selected journalists for the first UN-reporting seminar by Deutsche Gesellschaft der Vereinten Nationen x Deutsche Welle Akademie
June 2021 Selected as a fellow for the first Steady Fellowship, Germany
2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24 Conceptualization and lecturer of the seminar "Communication with image and film: Visual Storytelling" at Hochschule Hannover, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Germany
September 2020 Selected for the German-Ukrainian journalist exchange by Deutsche Gesellschaft and the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) "Covering LGBTQ issues in transnational journalism" – research trip to Kyiv and Zaporyzhzhia, Ukraine
March 2020 Selected for "Upfront and Personal" at Venice Design Biennale, Italy (cancelled due to the pandemic)
January 2019 Group exhibition "Kollisionen" w/ Universität der Künste Berlin at Uferstudios in Berlin-Wedding, Germany
July 2018 Selected for "Pride" Boiler Room’s global celebration of queer LGBTQI culture, UK
July 2018 Selected for Tom Rasmussen´s curation "AAA: AGITATING ALL AREAS: Queers destroying frontiers" for Boiler Room’s 4:3, UK
November 2016 Selected for "Decoding the Fashion Film" at Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF16) in York, UK
January 2015 Selected for "Transgression & Convention in the Fashion Film" as part of the London Short Film Festival at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), UK
December 2014 Selected for a fashion film screening at the Karel Cinema in Ostrava City, Czech Republic
June 2014 Selected for "Fashion Film Days" in Moscow, supported by The British Council, Russia
October 2012 Selected for "Aesthetica Short Film Festival" (ASFF12) in York, UK
2012 University of the Arts London Media Award, London, UK
2011 Winning fashion film "Memoirs of Rose" w/ screening installation at Liberty London, UK
2010 Group exhibition "I Scream Factory x Horseplay Arts Club", Proud Camden Gallery, London, UK
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