Ursula Block’s gelbe MUSIK
– 33 Years in Review

Ursula Block’s gelbe MUSIK – 33 Years in Review is an interdisciplinary event series highlighting the history and archive of experimental music and the work of sound art curatorial pioneer Ursula Block.
 
Ursula Block is the founder of legendary Berlin-based record store and art gallery gelbe MUSIK. Located in the West Berlin neighborhood of Wilmersdorf, gelbe MUSIK opened its doors in December 1981 with an exhibition dedicated to graphic scores by the contemporary avant-garde of Europe and the United States. Until its closure in April 2014, Block hosted upwards of ninety group and solo exhibitions featuring groundbreaking artists and composers working at the intersection of sound and visual art. In addition to programming at gelbe MUSIK, Block was involved in a number of exhibitions dedicated to artists’ records in a variety of locations throughout the mid-1980s, among them Extended Play at Emily Harvey Gallery, New York, in 1988 together with Christian Marclay.
 
At the Goethe-Institut, Block will participate in a listening session and conversation with curators Fiona McGovern and Justin Luke on April 26. A film selection under the title Experimental Music on Film, curated by Block, will be screened on May 17.

An exhibition at OSMOS focuses on objects, records and scores that are significant to Block and played a major role in the development of gelbe MUSIK. Additional photographs and notes from her archive underline the often personal and highly respectful relationships she developed with these artists. OSMOS is located at 50 East 1st Street, New York, NY 10003. The exhibition opens April 27 at 6pm (through June 4; exhibition hours: Sunday-Friday, 11am-5pm).

The event series Ursula Block’s gelbe MUSIK – 33 Years in Review is curated by Fiona McGovern and Justin Luke, and is presented in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut and OSMOS.