The Beginning of the Misunderstanding is an archive that tells stories. Is a sculptural manifesto. Is a model of reality. Is a series of places and ideas. Questions the images that we have of built Modernism. Thinks about research studios as sculpture. Combines a collection of found uses of the public realm. Develops minimal billboard houses with maximum common space. Recognises an identity-giving potential for the future in historical memories. Is a source of inspiration and a working tool for a “more real reality”. Refers to planned cities and historical cities that have grown in time. Considers monuments as graphic signs or signposts. Has a sculptural view of public space. Asks which Modernism is still important to us today.

Erik Göngrich (1966, Kirchheimbolanden) is an artist who lives and works in Berlin. As a trained architect, he researches in his art how architecture influences our perception. He is interested in the mod- els of life under conditions which are defined by architecture and its articulation in urban contexts. Göngrich conducts comparative studies worldwide, seeking out parallelisms and differences in perception through interviews, the answers obtained inspiring his models and drawings. Göngrich has presented his work internationally at locations such as Fundación Proa in Buenos Aires, the Shedhalle in Zurich, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Chinati Foundation in Marfa/Texas, the 9th Istanbul Biennial and he will be present at the upcoming Havana Biennial in Cuba in 2012.