Historical Perspective: Berlin, Rebellious and Protestant
During the Cold War, West Berlin was an attractive location for many artists and students. Because of its status, it was the only place in West Germany where military service was not compulsory. Although it is difficult to quantify today the number of young men who came to Berlin to escape military service, the fact remains that the city attracted a pacifist and creative, non-violent, anti-authoritarian youth, opposed to the Vietnam War, ready to invent new lifestyles, fundamentally anti-consumerist and above all non-conformist. In short, a youth motivated by ideals other than those of the "economic miracle". In the 1980s, Berlin is known for its music scene and punk clubs. Berlin, especially Kreuzberg, also experienced a wave of squatters. In the poorly maintained Mietskasernen, new ways of life were improvised. They occupy a space illegally and renovate it little by little. Thus, in the post-war period, West Berlin forged an image of an open, creative and non-conformist city, conducive to the emergence of street art.
The Berlin Wall
The Wall is probably the first thing you think of when you think of Berlin street art. Honoured from the laying of the foundation stone, this 4-metre high concrete wall does not remain grey for very long; at least in the west. It's an ideal surface for all kinds of graphic artists, especially since the Wall runs through the Kreuzberg district, headquarters of the alternative youth. After the fall of the Wall, 118 artists from 21 different countries graffiti on the section of the Wall along the Spree in Friedrichshain. Some of them even became iconic: let's mention Brezhnev-Honecker's kiss, the man who straddles the Wall, the big colourful faces of the French graffiti artist Thierry Noir, and so on. Shortly after its completion, this gigantic 1.3 km long fresco was protected and classified as a historical monument. Today it is called East-Side-Gallery.
The 1900s
Street art boomed in Berlin after the fall of the Wall. The city is full of vacant lots and derelict places, in the West but especially in the East, where many factories have to close down. Artists are reclaiming this public space through artistic expression. Graffiti, stencils and stickers are intended as a counterpoint to the ambient greyness. They are also a formidable response to the aggressiveness of advertising in the city. But little by little, free spaces are giving way to new buildings. The old painted facades are refurbished, the buildings sold to the highest bidder, reconverted into luxury apartments. Every year, gentrification reduces more and more the preferred surfaces for street art. To protest against a real estate project, the artist Blu decided to destroy his own work in 2014, one of the most iconic in the city depicting a man in a shirt and tie, his hands handcuffed by two gold watches.
Urban Nation
"And I'll say right now: Stay a little longer! You're so handsome!" This paradox, which Goethe puts in Faust's mouth in the eponymous play, could also be applied to street art. One might be tempted to want to prolong the life of works produced in the public space, to save them from their vulnerability by conserving them, by museifying them. But doesn't this go against their intrinsic character, that of being temporary? Since 2017, a Berlin museum has been proving the opposite: Urban Nation. This museum in Schöneberg exhibits Berlin and international artists. Its façade is a curiosity in itself, because it is regularly changed, remodelled, redecorated. Urban Nation can be read as an initiative that aims to save street art from its fragility and ephemeral nature. But it cannot be blamed for fossilizing this art form, quite the contrary! Urban Nation brings Berlin street art to life by initiating projects in the city, supporting artists, organizing residencies and exhibitions, etc. This proves that museumizing is not mummification. And the institution is beyond the suspicion of wanting to commercialize the activity: access is free!
Berlin Mural Fest
Herakut is a duo of German artists formed by Jasmin Siddiqui (Hera) and Falk Lehmann (Akut). Their works, mostly huge murals, are characterized by a great sense of drawing. Their characters, men, animals and fantastic beings, seem to come straight out of a graphic novel and one would think, on seeing them, to have opened a sketchbook with beautiful pencil illustrations. The murals of the Herakut duo are often accompanied by an aphorism with a poetic or meditative meaning. Some of their works can be found in Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg or Moabit.
You may come across the beautiful portraits of women by El Bocho as you stroll around, this artist who lives and works in Berlin. Most of his works in the city are paste-ups, i.e. posters fixed with glue. His little "Lucy" (inspired by a Czech cartoon from the 1980s) has been occupying the streets of Berlin for the past few years. She is often seen mistreating her cat.
Some artists leave an imprint on the city that leaves no doubt as to their author. This is for example the case of the artist Kripoe, famous for spreading his fists all over the city, often visible from the S-Bahn. Between pale pink and yellow-orange, these fists are distinguished by their thick black outline.
1UP is a graffiti collective from Kreuzberg that is particularly present in Berlin's public space. They have turned their name - an abbreviation for One United Power - into a signature, a mark affixed in the most unlikely places in the city. Adept at "throw-up" - a lightning graffiti technique - the artists of 1UP regularly redecorate the BVG's subway cars and they have already filed more than 300 complaints against them with the Berlin police. The "rollerbombing" method - which uses wall paint rollers with telescopic arms - allows them to reach the tops of facades and roofs. So look up!Neighbourhoods to see street art in Berlin today
Street art is by definition ephemeral, changing and vulnerable; it is not possible to say with certainty whether today's works will always be present in tomorrow's public space. But some neighbourhoods are favourite places for the city's graffiti artists, and chances are you will come across street art works here and there as you stroll through Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg and Schöneberg. In the Mitte district, Haus Schwarzenberg is a survivor. This backyard complex could also have become a suite of charming art galleries and boutiques (like the neighbouring Hackesche Höfe), but it has retained its destroyed and alternative aesthetics. It's a rather small place, but you'll see a lot of graffiti, stickers and collages. The facades are saturated and it would be hard to find new surfaces to decorate. You can bet that if you go for a weekend to the Mauerpark, you'll see graffiti artists redoing a section of the wall preserved in this park. Go up the hill and follow the smell of the spray. If you want to get off the beaten track, go to the rather bourgeois and residential district of Steglitz. On Schloßstraße, a shopping avenue, at the subway station of the same name, you will see one of the most unusual buildings in Berlin. Nicknamed "Bierpinsel" (beer brush) by Berliners, this 1970s tower has a futuristic look. For a time, it was home to a restaurant. Its future use has not yet been decided. However, in 2010 it received a small makeover by international street artists who have given it new colours, and the Bierpinsel is more than ever in vogue in the neighbourhood.
