About Alterfocus
Our Purpose
ALTERFOCUS is a platform whose purpose is to connect Berlin's Latin American community with its surroundings through art and culture.
Etymology
The name combines two Latin words: alter (adj., "other") and focus (noun, "hearth" — literally the household fire, but by extension the home itself, the center of family life, and the sacred flame kept burning as a household altar). Berlin became our alter focus — our other hearth, our other home.
Our Philosophy
Alterfocus was born from our conviction that the artistic process is strengthened when it isn't treated as a solitary, individual act, but as the convergence of knowledge and talent across a collaborative chain of work that extends far beyond any single piece of art.
This perspective produces a fuller, more holistic view — one that includes not only the artist, but also producers, cultural managers, journalists, technicians, web developers, translators, copywriters, community managers, set designers, lighting designers, and an endless list of others.
That's why what happens here isn't limited to artists: it's the entire Latin community — anyone who wants to take part and get involved in artistic and cultural projects through their own profession.
As immigrants ourselves, far from home for all kinds of reasons, we believe that cooperation and mutual support within the community strengthen not only our artistic work, but also our sense of belonging in a city that can, at times, feel a little unwelcoming.
Here we offer an inclusive, welcoming space for the Latin American community that has chosen Berlin, for all kinds of reasons, as our "other home" — a place where everyone is welcome, regardless of gender, age, origin, nationality or ethnicity, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.
Our Team
Franco Nottaris
Portfolio →Franco Nottaris works at the intersection of cultural management, event production and artistic practice. His career combines project development, team and resource coordination, and a creative, analytical perspective on cultural work.
He holds a degree in Arts and Cultural Management and a technical degree in Sound Engineering. He spent nearly seven years at Cocina de Culturas, one of the leading cultural centers in Córdoba, Argentina, working in production and graphic design. His research on independent cultural spaces in Córdoba was published in 2019 in the book Cultura Independiente Córdoba.
In Berlin, he co-founded Alterfocus with Manuel Soria and leads its projects from start to finish. He begins with the concept and the planning (venues, artists and budget) and carries each project through to realization: technical crews, vendors, communications and the audience experience.
He has also worked at Galerie Molitor, a contemporary art gallery in Berlin, coordinating with artists, collectors and vendors for exhibitions and openings.
He conceives projects and sees them through, with equal attention to planning and execution.
Manuel Soria
Portfolio →Manuel Soria nació en Buenos Aires, Argentina, donde siendo adolescente se interesó por la escritura y la fotografía. Comenzó tomando fotos de sus amigos y su vida cotidiana, no solo porque le resultaba entretenido y mágico el proceso analógico, sino que también por la importancia de capturar la esencia de esos momentos como parte de la memoria. Antes de terminar el bachiller se muda con su familia al norte de Argentina, a la provincia de Tucumán, donde comienza con sus estudios formales en fotografía de cine en la Escuela Universitaria de Cine, Video y TV. Como estudiante comienza a realizar cortometrajes, videoclips, publicidades y programas en la TV local, continuando luego profesionalmente como camarógrafo, director de fotografía y director en documentales y largometrajes en todo el territorio argentino.
En 2013 se interesa por la fotografía de moda, disciplina que engloba, en cierta forma, dos elementos que lo apasionan; contar historias y el retrato fotográfico.
En 2017 se muda a Berlín sin saber que iba a ser su nuevo hogar por los próximos años. Desde su llegada comenzó a involucrarse lentamente en el mundo de la fotografía de moda. También, al poco tiempo de llegar, comienza a subir videos regularmente a YouTube donde se focaliza en dar información a los interesados en migrar a Alemania, entendiendo que no es un paso fácil de dar y buscando dar seguridad a esas personas que quieren comenzar una nueva etapa en Europa.
En abril del 2020, estando en cuarentena en Barcelona, co-funda Alterfocus junto a Franco Nottaris.
Hannah K. Grimmer
Portfolio →Hannah Katalin Grimmer is a German cultural scholar and curator with strong ties to Latin America. Her areas of expertise include artistic activism and memory practices in and through art. She combines curatorial practice, research and editorial work, collaborating long-term with artists and community initiatives.
Hannah has worked at the Gropius Bau, the Art-Lab in Berlin and the documenta Institute in Kassel, and organised exhibits in Germany, France and Chile. Among them is a three-part international programme marking the fiftieth anniversary of the 1973 coup in Chile, displayed in Santiago and Berlin. Further projects include a co-curated group exhibit and the publishing of the Operación Silencio photo book in Spanish. Her writing extends to catalogues and artist books, including multiple publications that have been awarded the Silver German Photobook Prize. Working in German, Spanish, and English, she has presented her research internationally.
She holds a PhD in Art and Cultural Studies from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and Goethe University Frankfurt, which was awarded with distinction and recognised with a prize for outstanding scholarly work. Her monograph on artistic activism and resistant memory in Chile will be published soon.
You?
If you have an idea, a skill, or something you'd like to bring to this project — or to something specific we're working on — get in touch and tell us about it.
Contact us