Berlin Street Art

One very noticeable aspect about Berlin is that there is graffiti...everywhere. For those of you who have been to Italy where there is also a lot of graffiti, double what you remember about Italy, add 2, and there you have an idea about how much graffiti there is in Berlin. One reader asked the following questions: Why is there so much graffiti in Berlin? Why has it been accepted and not removed? Who is doing it? Well, reader (Hi, Sandy!), I've done some researching and found out the answer to your questions. Hope you're ready for a history lesson!

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As we all know, the Berlin wall split Germany into two sides; the East and West; The West was given freedoms that the East did not have, such as the freedom of expression. When the wall came up on the West side, it became a concrete canvas for artists who wanted to express themselves. Tons of artists, both local and international, came to Berlin's West side to paint on the wall. At first, their art was wiped away, but they kept coming back and painting again. What they were painting was not just graffiti, it was something more. Tourists traveled to West Berlin to see the "Berlin Wall Art", and tourists bring money. So, West Berlin saw that they were making money off of this art, and decided to stop removing it. 

East Berlin's side of the wall, however, was kept grey, until the wall came down. There was a whole side of the wall that wasn't painted on. When the wall fell, East German artists and other new artists decided to paint on their concrete canvas. To this day, artists still come to Berlin to find undiscovered areas, buildings, fire hydrants, etc... to showcase their art. Some artists have really made a name for themselves and use the streets of Berlin as their exhibit in a museum. This whole artistic "movement", if you could call it, is called "Street Art"

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Technically, it is not legal. Graffiti that is not street art (ie. the penises, boobs, and swears) are wiped away when they can. However, there are always going to be idiots in the world who enjoy spray painting these inappropriate features on walls, and not all can be caught. The street art is another story. It is pretty obvious as to what is considered graffiti and what is considered street art. Back in 2005, UNESCO named Berlin a City of Design. This status was given partially due to the street art, and Berlin has embraced this as a unique part of their culture. 

Here's a link to Google Images to see some of the street art. Take a look! Google Images Some more info on the history, UNESCO, and current art/artists (an interesting read!): The Heritage of Berlin Street Art and Graffiti Scene