Around the World
with Pitti
ANDREAS MURKUDIS
News
Edition 98
30.09.2020
A prominent figure in Berlin's art scene, Andreas Murkudis opened his first store in a backyard based in Mitte in 2003. Moving to Schöneberg in 2011, Andreas is now located in the former printing workshop of the daily newspaper Tagesspiegel, surrounded by a variety of art galleries.

A vast industrial space with a clean aesthetic, Store 81 houses a unique selection of products in a museum-like atmosphere. The eclectic store consists of things Andreas would love to own himself.

Dedicated to opening up visitors‘ perceptions, Andreas filled us in on what Berlin means to him, his upcoming projects, and more.
 
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What do you love about the city?
For me personally, it's that you have so many possibilities to do things. We found a fantastic space in the middle of the city, which is completely empty. There are so many options for someone who wants to start a business or project here.
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What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment we're working on our new website and Instagram account. During COVID-19 I found so many fantastic items in my storage, from the eighties up until now. Unique pieces from Maison Margiela, designers from the eighties and out of print books. I have found in total more than 1000 items; the idea is to also put them on Instagram.

What area of Berlin do you find yourself in the most?

I think for me, it's not one area. I live in Charlottenburg, but I travel a lot because I know the city so well.
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How would you describe people's personal style?
In Berlin, most people are really casual, you always see sneakers. But I think our customers are a little bit different. I'm in the store more or less seven days a week, so I'm not in the city every day.
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How would you describe your typical customer?

I think our customer is not really interested in the brand, he's more interested in the product - how it is made, the fit, the colour, the quality of the garments. And not only big brands, also local brands. So it's more about how the product feels. 

What's your favourite brand in the store currently?

This is a difficult question because we have more than 300 brands. I think one of my favourite brands at the moment is Dries van Noten, but also Rick Owens. The problem is we have so many nice brands from Asia, Europe,  and everywhere. I know the owners, and the people at the brands - I have a really long relationship with them, so it's difficult to say. 

 

What’s your favourite restaurant?

At the moment, Remi. It's local food, but not too complicated. It’s simple and you choose really small dishes.  Also, the Café Einstein in which it is always nice to go for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They have a fantastic garden, I think it’s been there since the 70s or 80s.  It's situated next to the prostitutes in Tiergarten. 

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Is there somewhere you go that inspires you?
Not really. I know the city so well, so I think I’m more inspired when I travel. I miss travelling to Asia. I was most inspired when I was in Japan or Korea. There are so many fantastic projects and shops there, plus they mix so many different things together. They’re more experimental than in Europe. You can go there every three months and you can find lots of new things there.
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Any artists from Berlin that you’d like to recommend?
Yeah, at the moment it's two female artists. The painter Tamina Amadyar she paints with pigments directly on the canvas. She’s showing at a gallery called Guido Baudach, she works with coloured acrylic glass and makes beautiful sculptures.
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Who's your favourite music artist from Berlin?
Yeah. One of my favourite music artists is Carsten Nicolai. He is more experimental, but also works with spaces and architecture. We work together often. During Corona, when I had to give up one of my offices, he came to my store and divided the space into two pieces. So one is an exhibition space and the other one is my new office. He works with sculptures and videos, he can do everything.

How would you describe the creative community in Berlin?

There are so many interesting artists in the city. I know so many people here who are creative and I think there are so many possibilities That's why so many people move to Berlin, there’s a fantastic community.
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What’s next for you?
Some art exhibitions in our new space. Our next project is an exhibition with the Danish fashion designer Cecile Bahnsen. 

Ok Andreas, thanks for your time!