Old Pharmacy
A Pottery in The Center of Berlin-Kreuzberg
The cup rests round and soft in your hands. And while musing about the reasons why this cup seems harmonious and pleasurable, one realises, that the cup is not round. They are not supposed to be perfectly round.
There are abounding numbers of plates and cups, they exist since centuries, they are an industrial product, produced in millions of pieces - there is no need to invent them anew. But there is a growing demand for individual and sensuous table culture. One wants to know the ingredients of the bread one is eating, wants to know where it is made and who has done it.
There is a search for skilled trade and skilled manual work, Kühn Keramik meets this quest. Everything of Kühn Keramik is handmade - conducted with great skill and love to details. Presented for the first time to a large and international public at the International Trade Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1993 Kühn Keramik has now grown to a small international team, Bernhard Kühn being the founder and creative head, and Claudia Elsholz his love and manager.
While walking our pug „Karlos“ we discovered the old „Anhalter Apotheke“ , which had to close down after 120 years of existence. The building got constructed in 1887 in Wilhelminian style as part of a distinguished development area initiated by the nearby Prussian Military Academy, at that time located beyond the borders of Berlin. The pharmacy still houses the furniture originating from the very first day in 1890. The rooms have ceilings almost 6 m high, decorated with elaborate stucco and deceptively real-looking paintings. The old wooden furniture with its shelves glimmering of old age and furniture polish and the even older panelling of the walls create the perfect place to present the ceramic art of Kühn Keramik.
Everything is made out of clay: Playing cards, strongly marked and stiff, golden spoons twisted and oversized, crooked letters above the entrance citing "Jabberwocky", a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll. Much of the world of Kühn Keramik is magic, twisted and peculiar - like the world of Alice in Wonderland. „Carrols twisted mathematical world often helps me to get a new and different view on everyday objects“ states Bernhard Kühn. This view is heavily influenced by his irony, humour and personal love for the Baroque era and its abundant achievement in art (painting, architecture, sculpture).
This love manifests itself in the pieces either white or mellow colours, shimmering gold, matt silver or shiny platinum, decorated with motifs collected since years. It is a personal collection found in old pattern books and documents, vintage drawings and books of fairytales, but also designs painted by himself and lovely typesetted greetings. Therefore a posh Paris meets Punk in gothic printing, anchors meet crowns, rabbits bats and pugs. Skulls, skeletons and poison ironizes the little pictures of saints, putti and angels. Portraits of historical celebrities and popstars are painted in an almost naive style.
In summer 2012 we moved to our new location. Now we can present our whole range of products in a glamourous setting and historical décor. We love to invite and welcome people, the dazzling interior stimulates us to stage exhibitons, to serve dinners, to organize convivial gatherings of fascinating and creative friends. These events turn into new ideas, into collaborations with artists from all over the world have become more and more important ....