In Berlin, the tradition of graffiti and street art has a strong cultural significance. The particularly political nature of Berlin has created a unique meaning for street art in expressing and interacting with the conditions of a generation.
The presence of a Wall around the western part of the city created a blank canvas and also a challenge for western artists to create art without being caught by the East German border patrols. The act was intended to show that the Wall was a temporary fixture that was both a penetrable and a temporary structure. It was an act of defiance towards a regime that had trapped half a city.
East Side Gallery
In Berlin, graffiti is everywhere and it shows the bohemian nature of the city. It is a way of re-appropriating public space. It causes inhabitants of the city to look at the urban environment in a different way. The graffiti seems to allow the city and the architecture to speak. When in Berlin, you can see the same artwork or the same themes repeated throughout the city. For example ‘Little Lucy’ (left) can be seen in various guises across the city and the identity of the artist behind the work is unknown. One can also follow the story of a woman in Mitte who reminisces over a relationship (below).
'...die Küsse unter der Kellertreppe meines Plattenbaus,' [The kisses under the cellar stairs of my Plattenbau (East Berlin apartment)] | He's gone and I'm still here |