I am a camera with its shutter open: Nicholas Grafia, Rosa Joly, Lea von Wintzingerode, Sebastian Wiegand

"I am a camera with its shutter open" is the first line of the iconic bookBerlin Stories by novelist Christopher Isherwood. Taking the opening of Berlin Stories as the title, the Berlin-based gallery Hua International for the first time gathers young artists working in Berlin at its Beijing branch.The exhibition is inspired by the imaginary history and contemporary vitality of the city of Berlin, particularly its underground culture. As it keeps open the camera shutter, it never ceases to capture artistic moments that connect two distant cities.

Set against the backdrop of the bustling Berlin of the 1920s,Berlin Stories captures moments of Weimar nightlife. "I am a camera with its shutter open" has since become a literary quote, emphasizing the capturing of reality and even a kind of detached observation. The metaphor of the camera applies to writers as well as painters—painters living in Berlin today use brushes to depict urban life, or create fragmentary realities through installations. Lea von Wintzingerode's brushwork is fluid, drawing from fragments of real life, freezing a moment in time while maintaining a sense of instability and uncertainty, akin to a photograph shot with an extended shutter time, reflecting the fluidity of life and the consciousness behind it. Sebastian Wiegand similarly roams between real life and the spiritual world, with strong colors and brushstrokes revealing his keen observation of reality. Rosa Joly's works are imbued with a carnivalesque atmosphere and even a sense of ritual, constructing a visually shifting scene. Nicholas Grafia's style and subject matter are not stereotyped, often focusing on racial and sexual fragility, navigating through the diversity of the Berlin underground culture.