High quality photo prints, printed textiles, and small sculptures – the art vending machine, at the Jewish Museum Berlin from August 2013 to June 2018, offered a wide range of surprising contemporary art hiding in its 30 compartments. The small-format unicums were created by international Jewish artists living in Berlin. All works of art were made exclusively for the art vending machine and are hand signed limited editions. Once they were sold, they were gone.

Where
Libeskind Building, ground level, Eric F. Ross Gallery
Lindenstraße 9–14, 10969 Berlin
Contemporary Art for 6 Euros
Visitors were able to draw a piece of contemporary art from the machine – a redesigned and rebuilt vending machine from the 1970s – for 6 euros, payable in three two-euro coins. (How did a vending machine start selling art? Find out from a post on our blog.)
Artists and Artworks
The following artists were involved in the project:

The art vending machine in the previous permanent exhibition; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
April–December 2016

Birgit Naomi Glatzel (born in Kempten, Germany, 1970), Angela and Me, photo project You and Me; Jewish Museum Berlin
The photograph entitled Angela and Me by Birgit Naomi Glatzel is one of her You and Me series in which the artist is portrayed with friends. The time-delayed self-timer means that she can never be sure exactly when the photo will be taken.

Birgit Naomi Glatzel (born in Kempten, Germany, 1970) & Benjamin Seide (born in Frankfurt Main, Germany, 1968), Going to Jerusalem: Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
In their art film Going to Jerusalem, Birgit Naomi Glatzel and Benjamin Seide send a camel from a snowflake crystal ball traveling around the world, thereby creating a collage of dreams – or maybe realities?

Daniela Orvin (born in Berlin, Germany, 1973), Dyslexic Dysgraphia, 2006, Edition 2015; Jewish Museum Berlin
In her photo series Dyslexic Dysgraphia, Daniela Orvin addresses her own feelings of being uprooted and not really feeling at home anywhere. The pictures show trees in snow whose trunks seem to float without roots in white space, in white nothingness.

David Benforado (born in Athens, Greece, 1977), Abstract bits from the Painting Makams series, 2014; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
Music has always been an indispensable part in David Benforado's creative process. In his series Painting Makams, each image represents a makam – a sequence of notes in oriental music characterized by certain intervals and a melodic line – in an abstract way.

David Benforado (born in Athens, Greece, 1977), Abstract bits from the Between Sound and Silence series, 2015; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
In the painting series entitled Between Sound and Silence, David Benforado uses the element of silence and pause as a point of departure to create space for contemplation.

Joachim Seinfeld (born in Paris, France, 1962), HeimatReisen – Oldenburg; Jewish Museum Berlin
How can we convey the ambivalent feelings associated with the German word Heimat to a person who speaks a different language? This is the question Joachim Seinfeld addresses in his series HeimatReisen, which visits the forming chapters of his life.

Joachim Seinfeld (born in Paris, France, 1962), HeimatReisen – Berlin-Schlossplatz; Jewish Museum Berlin

Noga Shtainer (born in Safed, Israel, 1982), Twins: Duo Morality, Edition, 2015, #1; Jewish Museum Berlin
The photo series Twins: Duo morality by Noga Shtainer was shot in the small town of Cândido Godói in Brasil. The village is known for the large percentage of identical twins in the population. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown.

Noga Shtainer (born in Safed, Israel, 1982), Twins: Duo Morality, Edition, 2015, #2; Jewish Museum Berlin
Closely inspecting the photographs from Noga Shtainer's series Twins: Duo Morality and comparing each pair of twins, we are confronted with a variety of questions about competitiveness, intimacy, jealousy and friendship.

Rachel Kohn (born in Prague, Czechoslovak Republic, today Czech Republic, 1962), 100 Chairs, 100 Houses; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
Rachel Kohn's sculptures explore the themes of building, housing and furnishings. She has created 100 chairs and 100 houses for the art vending machine. Her pieces can be arranged or hung individually or in groups to illustrate a variety of personal stories.

Shira Wachsmann (born in Tel Aviv, Israel, 1984), Liebe Grüße aus Namibia, Postcard, 2015; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
In her postcard series Liebe Grüße aus Namibia [Best wishes from Namibia], Shira Wachsmann addresses the genocide of the Herero in the former German colony.

Shira Wachsmann (born in Tel Aviv, Israel, 1984), Liebe Grüße aus Namibia, Postcard, 2015; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
With the postcards Shira Wachsmann reminds us that in 1904, Germans sent their families postcards from German South West Africa (now Namibia). The cards showed images of skulls of the Herero they had killed.
April–September 2015

Anna Adam (born in Siegen, Germany, 1963), MAZEL TOV! Everything in your home is kosher today! ; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
In her satirical series Feinkost Adam © German artist Anna Adam takes a tongue in cheek look at stereotypes and prejudices against Jews.

Anna Adam (born in Siegen, Germany, 1963), MAZEL TOV! Everything in your home is kosher today! ; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
Anna Adam's playful folded cards make fun of not only common stereotypes against Jews, which she encounters time and again as a Jew born in Germany after the Holocaust – they also invite their new owner to complete the making of the card.

Howard Katz (born in New York, USA), MIX Tape, 2014; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
Musician, Choreographer, Teacher, and Performer Howard Katz has created a kind of time capsule with his MIX Tape from the first series for the art vending machine. All the songs on this mix tape are from specific crazy adventures and times in his life.

Howard Katz (born in New York, USA), 4 Short Films, 2015; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
The second series by Howard Katz entitled 4 Short Films brings together four of the artist’s short films recorded on his phone that provide a glimpse into his brain, as he describes it.

Maria und Natalia Petschatnikov (born in Leningrad, Soviet Union, today St. Petersburg, Russia, 1973), SPARROWS, Acrystal, 2014; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
For their Sparrows series, the twins Maria and Natalia Petschatnikov created 200 Sparrow reliefs from acrylic resin which they painted individually in various shades of brown. Sparrows, like other city birds, are a common view in big cities and are home around the world.

Maria und Natalia Petschatnikov (born in Leningrad, Soviet Union, today St. Petersburg, Russia, 1973), 4 Euros; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
The second series created by Maria and Natalia Petschatnikov for the art vending machine at the Jewish Museum Berlin seems ironic. Entitled 4 Euros, the native Russian twins painted 200 small-format oil paintings that show exactly what the title promises – coins worth 4 euros, sorted differently.

Deborah S. Phillips (lives and works in Berlin, Germany), T'chelet Fragments, lithograph, monotype & rubber stamp print, 2014; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
The series T'chelet Fragments by Deborah S. Phillips is the result of the artist's intense research on the color blue. Phillips lives and works in Berlin – since the sky here is mostly gray, blue has taken on a very different meaning again.

Deborah S. Phillips (lives and works in Berlin, Germany), T’chelet ve Argaman, lithograph & rubber stamp print, 2015; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Oliver Stratz
Deborah S. Phillips is currently working on a book with lithographs in different shades of blue. She has used the residues that arise from this for other projects including the T'chelet ve Argaman series – in the art vending machine, they take on their very own destiny.

Georg Sadowicz (born in Legnica, Poland, 1972), The Mill, offset print, 2014; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
The artist Georg Sadowicz takes us on a journey with his prominent offset print The Mill – the form rhythm portrayed goes beyond the usual spatial perspective and thus challenges the viewer's perception.

Georg Sadowicz (born in Legnica, Poland, 1972), The Prayer Leader, offset print, 2014; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
Also in his second series The Prayer Leader, Georg Sadowicz challenges the viewer – there are no clear planes or places of refuge in this print. In his works, the Polish artist does not intend to create a reflection of reality, but rather symbols of reality.

Hadas Tapouchi (born in Mosav Beit Nehemia, Israel, 1981), Daniel, Photograph from the series Third Generation, 2013, stamped; Jewish Museum Berlin
In her photo series Third Generation, Hadas Tapouchi portrays young Jewish and Arab Israelis and Germans, all of whom have a double identity – on the one hand they belong to the third generation after the Second World War and on the other they are part of the "queer community."

Hadas Tapouchi (born in Mosav Beit Nehemia, Israel, 1981), Tomer and Haled, Photograph from the series Third Generation, 2013, stamped; Jewish Museum Berlin
In her photo series Third Generation, the Israeli Hadas Tapouchi explores a possible link between war and sexuality.

Daniel Wiesenfeld (born in Buffalo, NY, USA, 1969), SMILE, 2014; photo: Detlef Baltrock
Daniel Wiesenfeld's wants to make the viewer laugh with his Smile series – the one hundred small-scale oil drawings are self-portraits showing the artist twisting his face into wild grimaces.

Daniel Wiesenfeld (born in Buffalo, NY, USA, 1969), Charcoal drawings, drawing with charcoal on both sides of the pages of small sketchbooks, 2014; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
Daniel Wiesenfeld's second series for the art vending machine are fragile charcoal sketches that leave an imprint on the side facing them which becomes the starting point for a new drawing.
August–October 2014

Ruthe Zuntz (born in Haifa, Israel, 1971), 9 m from the PHOTOMAT: Challenging WallMAT series, Israel/Berlin, photoprint on aluminium Dibond, 2013-2014; Jewish Museum Berlin
In a series of 10 images focusing on the rhythm of life of her home country Israel, the Israeli-German artist Ruthe Zuntz shows what is possible when divisions are dissolved.

Ruthe Zuntz (born in Haifa, Israel, 1971), Tel Aviv II from the PHOTOMAT: Challenging WallMAT series, Israel/Berlin, photoprint on aluminium Dibond, 2013-2014; Jewish Museum Berlin

Daphna Westerman (born in Tel Aviv, Israel, 1979), Highway, Berlin, 2011, Postcard from the Film In and Between the Cities, 2010-2012; Jewish Museum Berlin
The artist was intensively photographing her life through the cities she saw and the roads she traveled on, creating a (fictional) film that existed only through these postcards which she mailed to friends and fellow artists regularly.

Daphna Westerman (born in Tel Aviv, Israel, 1979), Supermarket, Frishman St. Tel Aviv, 2010, Postcard from the Film In and Between the Cities, 2010-2012; Jewish Museum Berlin

Lina Khesina (born in Pensa, Soviet Union, today: Russia, 1983), Tsemed Chemed – "Fast Friends." Two colorful buttons to strengthen the bonds of friendship, wooden buttons, painted and inscribed by hand, 2013; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
The main idea by artist Lina Khesina behind this object called Tsemed Chemed – "Fast Friends" is to show the beauty of the Hebrew language, to examine this beauty in playful ways and to transport it into everyday life – or, more specifically, to wear it.

Deborah Wargon (born in Melbourne, Australia, 1962), Das Vermächtnis der Friede Traurig / The Legacy of Friede Traurig. It's never too late to have a happy childhood, wire wrapped around rail track gravel, February 2014; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
As "executrix," Deborah Wargon grapples with the treasures and dark mysteries of legacies.

David Moses (born in Bonn, Germany, 1983), The Balcony – 2013.DG.HD.13.9.0001, woodcut in an edition of 150, 2013; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
The work The Balcony by David Moses is based on an etching by his grandfather who made his orginal print based on impressions of a trip to Berlin in 1963-64.

David Moses (born in Bonn, Germany, 1983), The Balcony – 2013.DG.TD.13.9.0001, color etching from two plates in an edition of 50, 2013; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe

Victor Alaluf (born in Posadas, Argentina, 1976), Essence, ink screen-printing on hand-burned velvet, 2013; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
The artwork seeks to express both the sense of destruction and that of rebirth, both death and life, structure and fragility.

Victor Alaluf (born in Posadas, Argentina, 1976), Essence, ink screen-printing on hand-burned velvet, 2013; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
August 2013–July 2014

Mascha Danzis (born in Leningrad, Soviet Union, today: St. Petersburg, Russia, 1972), In Their Fathers’ Arms, photo series with 9 photos, 8 cm x 8 cm, framed behind a passepartout, 2013, original Series: 90 cm x 86 cm, framed, 2007; Jewish Museum Berlin

Mascha Danzis (born in Leningrad, Soviet Union, today: St. Petersburg, Russia, 1972), In Their Fathers’ Arms, photo series with 9 photos, 8 cm x 8 cm, framed behind a passepartout, 2013, original Series: 90 cm x 86 cm, framed, 2007; Jewish Museum Berlin

Alexis Hyman Wolff (born in Los Angeles, USA, 1982), Root Candle, beeswax, wick, 2013; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe

Andrei Krioukov (born in Moscow, Soviet Union, today: Russia, 1959), CocaCola, Aluminium can, crushed, signed, 2013; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe

Alex Martinis Roe (born in Melbourne, Australia, 1982), A Letter to Deutsche Post, A4 colour inkjet print, 2013; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe

Zara Verity Morris (born in London, Great Britain, 1983), The Mezuzah, comic, digital print, 2013; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe

Atalya Laufer (born in Kibbutz Hazorea, Israel, 1979), The Guardian/Sycamore Group, 2013; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe