Berghain Bouncer Sven Marquardt Brings Captivating Photo Exhibit to NY Art Week

Berlin nightlife icon and photographer Sven Marquardt is set to bring the DISTURBING BEAUTY exhibit to New York Art Week.

Sven Marquardt is a legend in Berlin. A staple of the city’s bustling nightlife, the bouncer of the landmark Berghain nightclub has chronicled his surroundings through photography over the past four decades and has showcased his work across the world. Following successful residencies in Belgrade and Sydney, he will now bring his artifacts to New York City next week.

The Disturbing Beauty exhibit is set to open on May 18 at New York Art Week. The presentation will take place at the immersive ArtsDistrict Brooklyn and will feature some of his earliest shots. Marquardt’s works will only be displayed for four days, till May 21.

Marquardt said the following about the exhibit: “For more than thirty years, club culture has determined both my life—as a curator of countless nights—and, of course, my life as a photographer. In a city in transition after the wild eighties and the fall of the Berlin Wall, I had for the first time put my camera aside. It was at the end of the 1990s that my camera again became a stylistic device for expressing our attitude towards life. Berlin has always been the setting as well as the inspiration for my pictures and projects.”

He added: “Since 2010, my exhibition projects have been traveling, and they have occasionally been created in collaboration with musicians. Starting in 2018, residencies followed in Belgrade, Sydney and then, in 2022, in New York City. For me, New York is rough and photogenic = “sexy” 24/7. Club culture is always to some extent “RIOT,” unadjusted and, above all, free.”

The exhibit’s opening event, organized by Teksupport, will involve performances by major house and techno acts. In collaboration with visual artist Tavy Hornbrook, Marquardt has put together a dense visual package that will show images and sound flowing together. Disturbing Beauty will also feature 360-degree projection and world-class audiovisual technology.

Marquardt has been taking photographs since the early 80s and his visit to New York will expose the world to a deep catalog that spans decades. The Disturbing Beauty exhibit will be open to the public from 3 PM–9 PM next Thursday till the end of the week. The opening event will run from 10 PM-5 AM.

Cover Photo Credit: Vincenzo Laera