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.
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by Michalina | Art
Look up into the sky, draw a circle of trust – the city is coming out of the dust. You can feel the air getting warm around you, building up contentment inside you. Let it culminate, come out of you – burst into laughter, come through.
Berlin is back, was never gone, we know that winter’s beautiful on its own. But no one can deny this side, the city’s warmer, happier smile. With all the gloom and seriousness, how bright can your smile really get? Pretty bright and very wide – just try to laugh about, smile! From ear to ear your teeth should show, how life is getting you to glow!
So laugh away the darker things, smile right into your little wings and fly away into the blue – the city is smiling and so should you.
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by Yasmin | Stories
Herakut
What happens when over 100 artists take over an empty office building in Berlin? One of the biggest urban art exhibitions Berlin has ever seen! The Haus opens its doors to the public on April 1st in West-Berlin and we had a chance to take a sneak peek of what to expect. What we saw was an insanely diverse spectrum of urban art from artists and creatives from all over the world. Everyone could take over an entire room and do whatever they want – every single artwork is totally site-specific and unique. You’ll see people like Herakut, Case Maclaim, Klebebande, Vidam, Rocco & Seine Brüder, El Bocho, Die Dixons and so many more.
The exhibition is accompanied by a photo book that documents all the process and shows all the artworks that you will find in the Haus. It’s a great way to take home a piece from this amazing project. After the exhibition is over the building will be torn down with every single piece of artwork still inside making them mortal just like street art itself. Enjoy a little preview of the exhibition below.
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by Frank | Art
photos: Breeze the Bulldog
Although Berlin is home to many Instagrammers ranging from fashion people to architecture lovers it’s been a while since I saw an account that would be so disarmingly cute and embracing the Berlin spirit at the same time. Breeze the Bulldog is an adorable little white doggie with a black patch on his eye and apparently lots of patience to be photographed with various examples of the Berlin street art. Check out some photos after the jump!
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by Michalina | Photos
Before we all buckle up for this little joyride, let me start with a disclaimer: the selection of places below is a very subjective one, intending to highlight the wide range of leisure options available around Warschauer Strasse, but even more so to convey some of its unique spirit and direct your attention at a few lesser-known spots. Therefore, I am going to include some of the more or less immediate vicinity, fully aware of the fact that Schlesi is in Kreuzberg, and leave off some distinguished venues like Berghain, since they’re doing a great job speaking (raving?) for themselves. Read on…
by Michalina | Friedrichshain
Whenever a cool graffiti turns up over night inside the subway stations of the Berliner U-Bahn or even on their trains the artwork has a relatively short life because the BVG will probably remove it soon. Of course they see it as an act of vandalism on their property, even though they might recognize some of the graffitis as quite artistic, it’s still a disruption of their daily business that they need to remove. It’s a shame really, in some cases especially, because these pieces will catch the attention of so many passengers and will distract them from their daily routine of commuting, even make them think about the messages incorporated into the graffitis, just like art should: make people think about it. In the end it’s also just a nice change from all the bill boards.
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by Frank | Art
photo: speedpropertybuyers.co.uk / CC
Graffitis are a poetic creation of the streets and with this in mind I invite you to take a closer look at your surroundings; maybe there’s a hidden message waiting to be discovered or an image to be admired.
Although subjective, when we think of graffiti and street art, we often come to think of abstractness, disorganization, aesthetics, movement, freedom and creativity and whether to make us laugh or to incite us to riot, the colorful scribbles, which tend to be innovative and original, are the guiding thread that leads to self-expression while stimulating body and mind. However, it’s not only about the aesthetics since their most important feature is actually connected with the reactions they get; in other words, it has to do with provocation. And Art needs provocation, often associated with originality, to be consequently educational – Art does not rest exclusively on moralizing concepts, but it is above all a container of criticism and reflection. And Berlin, as a magnet drawing artists from all over the world, is the perfect example to illustrate the concept of “provocative Art”.
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by Guest Author | Art, Photos
The Street Art Museum, photo: Urban Nation.
‘Urban Art to me, means to hold a conversation in public’
Yasha Young is visibly thrilled. The director of Urban Nation, a network for street art and Urban Contemporary Art is celebrating the upcoming opening the world’s first Street Art Museum on September 16, 2017.
“Urban Art is a contemporary witness, who shows himself to everyone”, Young says with her voice shaking lightly. And with this year, this witness is about to be seen by even more people, right in the midst of Schöneberg.
Get more information about this unique project and see first drafts and a trailer for the museum after the jump. Read on…
by Yasmin | Galleries, Schöneberg
photo: Tobias Nielsen / CC
It’s still one of Berlin’s most mysterious abandoned places: The old CIA spy station Teufelsberg. Located on a hill that was formed by the rubble of World War II it is one of the most popular destinations for urban explorer and fans of graffiti. The spectacular building has a ghostly appearance and is covered in murals, tags and graffiti. If you haven’t been yourself, maybe this cool short video will finally convince you to go!
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by Frank | Videos
photos: Anna Rafeeva
Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free. – Rumi
Sometimes, no matter how hard the surroundings – all you can do is dance. There are enough reasons no matter what the situation. Seems odd? But you can move forward lightly even on the hardest grounds. All you need is the right inner rhythm.
The photographs of Anna Rafeeva are dreamy, soft and powerful – what better location to place them then good old, rugged Berlin? In the midst of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, the photographer captured a Ballerina flying through Berlin and dancing away in front of colorful walls. See the beautiful shots right after the jump. Read on…
by Yasmin | Photos
