Berlin can boast some impressive murals, and it’s no surprise that the newest addition to the bunch has drawn immediate attention. The huge version of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is impossible to miss. She occupies the side wall of the East Side Hotel in Friedrichshain and presents an interesting contrast to the often abstract artworks from the East Side Gallery, which is just on the opposite side of the street.
The Berlin art collective Die Dixons has previously been involved in noteworthy contributions to the city’s murals with the famous Meat Mural or the huge street art project The Haus. This time, they joined forces with the artists Tank, Weisse Seite, and FIX77. The graffiti they created together is apparently the world’s biggest Mona Lisa reproduction.
photos: Alejandro Arretureta
The bottom corner of the mural reads ”#freiheitberlin for Europe”. The hashtag is part of the city’s official campaign ”be Berlin”.
Personally, I haven’t worked out the secret behind the smile of this particular Mona Lisa. But given that she’s looking over Friedrichshain, and particularly the lively area around Warschauer Straße, she probably gets to see too many shenanigans every day to keep a straight face.
