BERLIN.- After two successful editions, in which Berlin-Paris has become an international gallery weekend fixture in everyone’s art diaries, the event kicks off in January 2011 for the third time.

Once again, the joint weekends will feature several high-quality new participating galleries, such as Frank Elbaz, Ben Kaufmann, Barbara Thumm, Klemm's, PSM and Florent Tosin from Berlin as well as In situ – Fabienne Leclerc, New Galerie, Chez Valentin, The Institute of Social Hypocrisy, TORRI and Dohyang Lee from Paris.

Together, they provide a new dynamic in the exchange between the two cities and their leading galleries, and furthermore highlight new perspectives in a continually changing art market.

The rules of engagement are as before: Berlin galleries are requested to invite a partner of their choice to take part in an exchange.

A key element in the selection process was an ambitious programme designed to entice as broad a spectrum of galleries as possible, ranging from established venues all the way to young, avant-garde galleries.

The Paris galleries will be showcased in Berlin on 14-15 January 2011, followed by the invitation extended to the Berlin galleries to present their exhibitions in premises in Paris on the weekend of 28-29 January 2011.

The main events will be concentrated upon these two opening weekends. The duration of respective exhibitions will be left to the individual galleries’ discretion.

Berlin-Paris new perspectives
2011 marks the further growth of the exchange to include new protagonists from the art market. Bookshops and publishers, in the shape of Motto and the Librairie Yvon Lambert, will take part for the first time.

Further there will be structures flanking the art market such as magazines or project spaces participating in the action: Johann König has for example invited the magazine Paradis, and Sommer & Kohl will exchange with the Institute of Social Hypocrisy — an art space in Paris runned by artists.

The galleries primarily interested in contemporary art and those with a focus upon artists from Classical Modernism also form similarly heterogeneous couplings. The list includes Mehdi Chouakri and the Galerie 1900-2000, whose partnership has already been proven during previous editions of the exchange.

Isabella Bortolozzi is participating again in the project in 2011 and vacates her rooms to accommodate a show from dealer Natalie Seroussi whose artists list includes milestones of pre-war art. Numerous galleries have remained loyal to the project and are participating for the second or even the third time.

In certain cases, the 2011 gallery exchange will involve the same partners from previous years, such as Konrad Fischer with Nelson-Freeman. Others will try out new partnerships, such as carlier I gebauer with TORRI, Wentrup with Frank Elbaz, Michel Rein with Florent Tosin and Chert with Gaudel de Stampa.