By: Amanda Sandström Beijer
Photos: Gili Shani
If you've been to KitKat on a weekend, you've probably run past Gili Shani - the tattooed man with the camera. In Playful, he talks about how the people behind the club became like a family for him. He also sends out a message of encouragement to people, especially men, to be a little more creative when it comes to fetish outfits.
You came to Berlin as a photographer 16 years ago, what brought you here?
"At that time I was living in Israel and wasn’t happy there anymore, I was bored. I felt that there was nowhere to go, and that Israel had become too small for me.
In a friend’s bar I met a girl who was living in Berlin and we connected right away. She was working at the Sage club at the time and she told me that they would love my pictures and put me in touch with the people at the club. For six months I was shooting pictures in Israel for the promotional flyers for parties in Berlin. I was then invited to Berlin for New Year’s Eve, so I went there and it felt like coming home.
I asked the Sage club to help me move to Berlin and they offered me a job as the house photographer. I moved to Berlin three weeks later."
A lot of people know you from KitKat, how did your relationship with the club start?
"In the beginning I went there as a guest every weekend after working at the Sage club. Gradually I got to know all the people and one day I went with the owner of Sage to KitKat and he introduced me to Kirsten. After a while I got to know all the people who worked there and I was in a relationship with one of the bar girls for two years. At this point KitKat became like a small family for me."
It came to our attention that being photographed by you at KitKat is a "goal" for many people. What are you looking for when portraying the fetish crowd?
"I’ve been going to KitKat since day one in Berlin and I have an eye for the people that keep to the tradition and put in an effort to stand out. KitKat is not just another club, but rather a landmark of Berlin culture. I don’t think there is another club like it anywhere in the world, it's so special and unique and it is important for me that this is reflected in my pictures."
You took the photos of Simon Thaur (on page **) 10 ears ago - How was it the first time you met, and how is your relation today?
"As a guest, I always knew who Thaur and Kirsten were, and I was curious to find out from them how it all started. Eventually I got to know Thaur at the club and we would talk now and then. He showed me some of his work and his music, as well as an interview with him in an Israeli magazine (I was working for that magazine, so I was familiar with it but hadn’t made the connection before). I always wanted to shoot a portrait of him, he has a very strong face, so I just asked him, and he said yes."
Being at the club almost every night for several years, you must have created lots of connections. What does the community around the club mean to you?
"At first I was part of the community, but that was before I was taking pictures there. We were a big group of friends and of course everyone knew everyone but with time and age many of the “old gang” changed their lifestyle and stopped coming to the club. Today I think what still makes me come over is the picture project, it feels like a mission with no end date. Mostly I’m at the club to take pictures and not actually to hang out with people."
Together with Chris Steinweg, you created the photo book ”Voyeur. Berlin. Kinky. - tell us about the project.
"During lock-down I realized that I had millions of pictures to upload but it felt like it was time for a change of pace, rather than to continue posting pictures while the club was closed. So, I came up with the idea to offer people to shoot them in their homes, as if they were going to KitKat. I thought it would be nice for the people to dress up and reconnect with this feeling, and I would also get some good content for my instagram.
Chris loved the idea from the beginning and suggested that we should take it one step further by making a book out of it. Starting out, I thought I’d do it by myself just for my instagram, but over time I realized how difficult the project would be for me to organize.
Two weeks in, Chris asked me how it was going and I told him I had stopped as it was just too much work getting in touch with the people and making all the arrangements. Chris said he’d take over that part, and in two days he had a list of 250 people wanting to be a part of it.
During the course of six weeks we drove around 2500km. Almost every day, we’d drive to meet one to five people in their respective homes: going up the stairs, searching for the right apartment, talking to the people, getting to know them beyond just saying hello in the club. It became an extremely personal and intimate project. All told, we shot 241 people and one real doll..."
How did you choose the people you’re portraying in the book?
"Everyone was welcome, we did not make a selection. We offered the opportunity, and whoever wrote us has been photographed. Unfortunately, or fortunately, there were so many people wanting to be a part of it that eventually we just had to stop, we couldn’t shoot everyone. "
How can you get the book?
"The book is for sale at www.berlinkinky.com or at the book stores."
It seems, when looking at your Instagram that there are progressively fewer guys in harnesses portrayed. What's your view on kink and creativeness when it comes to males?
"To be honest, wearing skinny jeans and a ten euro harness from amazon, standing in front of me flexing your muscles is boring and doesn’t make you creative. That’s too easy. The same goes for women showing up in a bodysuit and sneakers. In the old days you had to be more creative and people were wearing corsets, latex and leather, and make up for both boys and girls. A big part of going to KitKat was planning the outfit for the night; that building excitement that the weekend had finally arrived, and you could finally wear whatever you wanted and feel special. The anticipation when getting ready for the party at home was a really important part of the night.
Today most guests look like copies of each other.
When it comes to gays/queer parties I’d definitely say the guests put in much more of an effort and are more open minded when it comes to posing in front of the camera. It’s more than just the outfit, it's also about the attitude."
What's your best memory from the club?
"I don’t really have one specific memory since I moved here. The first time I went to KitKat was when I was invited over to Berlin by the Sage club people, and a friend took me there. Of course we had to pass by his house to change clothes, so we arrived pretty late to the club. It was around 10am and there were about 100 people left; everyone was half naked, dancing, and there was a couple having sex on the sofa. In that moment, I thought to myself ”Honey, I’m home”