Mafia Tabak: Als ob die Welt hier anders wär

For more than five weeks, the NBB GALLERY will be transformed into a 70s living room, contrasting with the usual 'white cube' exhibition concepts at NBB. The Austrian artist known as MAFIA TABAK has designed the main gallery space according to his taste and preferences: He built a small kitchen on one of the walls, there are some books displayed at the coffee table, plants spread around the gallery, and there is even a stone oven in the center of the room. At the same time, his universal approach to the "Als ob die Welt hier anders wär" exhibition involves the use of multiple art forms at once. The canvases include painted elements, charcoal drawings, and poems in free verse are all mixed in order to let the artist express freely.

In this all-encompassing 'Gesamtkunstwerk', MAFIA TABAK invites you not only to experience art in its multiple forms but also to gain a direct insight into his mind. His artworks are expressive and evoke a full range of emotions, from angry brush strokes to depictions of calm, comforting cartoon characters. Each artwork was completed quickly, in a maximum of a couple of hours, so that the artist could make the best use of his immediate state of mind.

Working with a clear vision, MAFIA TABAK plans his exhibition projects shortly before they take place. Many of the canvases in this exhibition were painted just a few weeks ago, which he makes evident by writing the dates of creation on some of the canvases. MAFIA TABAK prefers working with his momentary feelings and with what concerns him the most in the moment. If he had to plan months or years in advance, the personal relevance for the artist would be lost.

"Als ob die Welt hier anders wär" challenges the usual clean aesthetic of NBB exhibitions and the minimalism-loving Berlin gallery scene. Just as MAFIA TABAK suggests in the title, in the end, the world is not so different here than anywhere else so you might as well take a seat on the sofa and let the installation speak for itself.