Street Art in Berlin - Mural Art Highlights

Street Art has put a steep career. For a long time, it was not only vertical by the public as vandalism, but was also perceived by her protagonists as an expression of the establishment.

In the meantime, the scene, which is also marketed as a "urban art", not only differentiated itself stylistically, but has also established itself as a renowned art form. All over the world you will find your own museums and city tours, which specialize in a street art in general and sub -forms such as Mural Art .

Cities advertise touristically with the best -known works and long ago produces the community of its own global superstars.

Berlin is no exception. Like many others, the history of Urban Art in this city characterized by cold war, division and reunification. But immigration also left clearly visible traces. In the meantime, Berlin is also considered a metropolis within the scene and has even had its own museum for contemporary urban art .

The global triumphal march of Street Art

The history of public wall paintings goes back to the old Egypt. Already for the 3rd millennium BC BC inscriptions can be demonstrated on rocks, graves, statues or temples. This type of communication has probably always had a kind of political function and runs through numerous cultures.

In addition to sending political messages , this explicitly public art form fulfilled a different function, namely that of one's own positioning in public space . For example, American migrants have left so -called “Monikers” on railway wagons since the late 19th century. Since the 1930s, lettering in public space has also been assigned to rival organized gangs in the United States, which thus marked their territory.

However, most people will be associated “Graffiti Boom” In doing so, she largely merged with the hip hop culture and, together with her at the latest since the 1980s, started her triumphal march around the world. an integral part of art, fashion

The history of Street Art in Berlin

In Germany, political wall paintings have become known, among other things, through the work of the White Rose . This also expressed their resistance through stencil graffiti and lettering in oil paint on Munich walls. US soldiers also left the first lettering and pictures in Germany early on.

Urban Art could only gain a foothold when the hip hop culture spilled over to Germany from the United States. punk scene was particularly active in West Berlin . But Turkish migrants used this form of expression to create a voice in public space.

Relevant films such as "Wild Style!" Fueled this development. An iconic projection surface for artistic and political ambitions was not least the west side of the Berlin Wall .

The public space was also painted in the eastern part of the city. The content and design freedom was of course significantly restricted if the works should not be removed immediately. Inspiration mainly provided the "Beat Street" Harry, which , and thus tolerated . For example, there were also works of art worth seeing on Marzahn's prefabricated buildings .

After reunification, Berlin quickly developed into a paradise for urban art. Newly developed areas, vacancies and house occupations created opportunities here that other cities could only dream of. West Berlin artists cooperated in joint projects with representatives from East Berlin and numerous international artists enriched the scene.

Street Art Map from Defshop can offer a great overview of the most important spots .

Street Art Highlights in Berlin

your way around the Urban Art map . It is rarely permanent art. Houses are torn down, works painted or dismantled and the scene changes. Artists move on or are not even known, especially since large parts of art still move in the gray area of ​​legality. iconic works can be assigned.

East Side Gallery

You can find one of the most famous places to admire Street Art in the East Side Gallery . This preserved part of the Berlin Wall is now an open-air gallery. The section was painted in 1990 over 1300 meters in length of 118 artists from 21 countries and is now a fixed point of contact for many Berlin visitors.

Urban Nation Museum and Bülowstrasse

Since 2017 there has been the Urban Nation Museum of Contemporary Urban Art developed curator and gallery owner Yasha Young . Not only can visitors admire the first attempt here to translate the spirit of Street Art into the premises of a museum.

The design of the facade of the house is also regularly delegated to some of the best -known names of the scene. In the vicinity of Bülowstrasse you will also find an accumulation of impressive mural art such as "No Future" by Shepard Fairey or "Created" by Phlegm .

Oranienstrasse and Wiener Strasse

The Mural Art tradition of the old Kreuzberg can be examined particularly well around Oranienstraße. This Mural Art Mile runs from the Moritzplatz, in the vicinity of which "No Comment" by Jadore Tong , to the Görlitz train station with "Nature Morte" by Roa .

Behind the train station it continues on Wiener Straße with artistic wall painting, where you can find a collagen -like Mural by Elle with an extension of 1up.

Wedding

Acted as an insider tip for a long time, the Wedding has also developed into a starting point for artists and art enthusiasts.

, “Murals for the Kidz in the Hood” by Lake Oner can be seen on Adolfstrasse in Leopoldkiez

Marzahn-Hellersdorf

Marzahn-Hellersdorf is relatively new on the Urban Art map. As part of the Mural Fest 2019, the artists from Victor Ash to the artist group "Die Dixons" a total of seven house walls.

Urban Nation: Street Art in Berlin | Euromaxx (video)

Top Street Art Artist in Berlin

For the reasons already described, exhaustive lists of relevant artists are particularly difficult in the area of ​​Street Art. Nevertheless, you will find the large -scale business cards of some internationally known artists through the city area who should be mentioned.

Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey has become known to a larger audience, especially since his Hope campaign for former US President Barack Obama. And the winking marketing campaign "Obey Giant" has long since found its way into the (also Unironian) youth culture. Works such as "No Future" or "Make Art was not" are real figureheads of the Mural Art location Berlin.

Jim Avignon

Jim Avignon's colorful, trendy figures have long been known beyond the subculture.

His critical and happy works can be found at the Tegel Artpark or at the Tagesspiegel.

Roa

The works by the artist Roa are much darker, but just as impressive. This usually stages lively and dead animals in a drawn aesthetics. His most famous works are located on Oranienstraße and Schönhauser Allee.

Nacot

Jasmin Siddiqui (Hera) and Falk Lehmann (acute) work together as an artist duo and deal with topics that, in their opinion, combine all people in the world. A lot of work is around the designed sibling couple Lily and Jake and have fantastic features.

Her work can be found on the Alt-Stralau and in the Stromstrasse.

Nomad

located near Pop Art Accordingly, many of his works deal with the increasing commercialization of Street Art.

His work “Rounded Heads” can be seen in Oppelner Straße im Wrangelkiez.

1up (one united power)

If you have your eyes open in Berlin, you will almost inevitably see the work of the Berlin artist collective 1up.

The spectacular, mostly political works of the group range between style and large-scale color roller aesthetics and can be found in prominent places across the entire urban area.

Thierry Noir

One of the early representatives of the capital Mural Art scene is the Frenchman Thierry Noir.

His colorful, glub -eyed minds can be seen at the East Side Gallery.

The city as an open -air museum

Of course, all lists about such a lively cultural scene as that of Urban Art remain incomplete and can only convey the whole existing diversity in a fragmentary manner. There is also a lot to discover beyond the spectacular large -scale works

This ranges from hand -sized tile mosaics to the small figurative figures, which can be found across the whole city, for example on street signs.

The best tip therefore remains to walk through the city with open eyes and to be surprised by the many artistic interventions in the cityscape.