Last night, one of the biggest events on the phenomenon of so-called "characters" kicked off in Berlin.
At the Haus der Kulturen der Welt designers, artists, illustrators and researchers from all over the world are gathered to present their dolls, pictograms, drawings, photographs, sculptures, installations and movies at this year's Pictopia festival.
More pictures? Story continues after the jump!The Pictopia festival is curated by the Pictoplasma people, and brings together the visual culture of character design from all over the world. The Haus der Kulturen der Welt (German for "House of World Cultures") seems the perfect venue for this festival in the center of Berlin.
From March 19th to May 3rd, the Haus der Kulturen der Welt is turned into a biotope for a global pictorial language. The opening night attracts a big audience, but still the huge pictograms in the lobby make us feel small.
The Pictopia exhibition features a wide range of visual materials including artists sketches and paintings which are often form the basis for further character development into sculptures, installations or even movies.
A great example of sculptural characters is this wooden bear object by AJ Fosik, who turns American Folk Art into contemporary totems.
"Lets be friends" says the work of Ben Frost, a good example of how well know characters such as Mickey Mouse are hacked or confronted within a new photorealism.
The main exhibition hall features characters as bumper cars that allow us visitors to bash our motorized bunny into a racing duck. During the race the music is turned up making this a great show fun for the drivers as well as for the audience. The exhibition includes a non-stop movie program for a relaxing break and screenings of short movies on several TVs.
A great opening night ends with live DJ's - tomorrow starts with the Pictopia Character Walk with artist works in 30 galleries and project spaces all over Berlin.
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