An exhibition in which the Weißensee punk musician Robert “Rio” Korn, who died in 2021, is portrayed in many facets in photographs by Lynn Schwabe, Viviane Wild and Micha Winkler, is being shown by the Pankow district office in cooperation with the BrotfabrikGalerie in Pankow Town Hall (Breite Str. 24a-26, 18187 Berlin) until April 14, 2023.
It was a wonderful evening when I experienced the opening ceremony of the exhibition “Rio – A Life in Weißensee”. I am overwhelmed by the positive response of the visitors and I am proud to be part of the exhibition. This day will remain forever in many hearts and in memory of a wonderful person and friend “RIO KORN”.
Who was Rio Korn?
Robert “Rio” Korn was and is more than just a neighborhood legend and a Weißensee native. Since 1991 he inspired the audience as frontman with the punk band “No Exit” in over 500 live performances and inspired guests and colleagues for years as stage technician and lighting chief of the Brotfabrik stage. He also shaped the stage program of the cultural center with the regular “Evening in the Pub”, among other things. Rio’s life journey provided material for the play “De Janeiro – ein Punk ertrinkt in Weißensee” (De Janeiro – a punk drowns in Weißensee), in which author Willi van Hengel and director Jens Heuwinkel processed his life story before, during and after the fall of the Berlin Wall (2018).
In 1969 Robert Korn was born in Dresden and lived in Weißensee since he was two years old. In the 1980s he discovered punk for himself. He did an apprenticeship as a printing plate maker in the New Germany. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, he tried his hand at self-employment, got into debt, received Hartz IV benefits and worked in various support programs. After his successful appearance on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” (2014), he became debt-free again. He remained true to punk and his neighborhood. In March 2021, Rio Korn passed away unexpectedly, leaving behind his two daughters.
