Berlin Graffiti and Counter Culture

Today, I took the Sandeman’s Alternative Walking Tour. It was a walking tour through both East and West Berlin’s streets and alleys.  Rob helped us identify famous street artists' work throughout Berlin as well as discussed with us how the city is both facilitating and obstructing the growth of the artists.

This is supposedly a graffiti drawing of our tour guide, Rob M, it's a pretty big honor.

Here are some of my other favorites.

creepy girl in a jar.  This might be by xoooox

This is my favorite piece. It's by xoooox

 I loved these dancing girl stencils by Alias...

 

 

A graffiti artist, Thomas Baumgartel tags art galleries that he likes with bananas.  Its a prestigious honor to the galleries now.    You can google search banana galleries, even.

 I love, love, love these Little Lucy paste-ups by El Bocho.  He kills Lucy's cat all around the city in millions of clever ways.  I love cats, but I love seeing these for some strange reason...

Mr. 6 paints 6's all over the town, mostly on dilapidated buildings.  There are over 750,000 sixes painted all over Berlin

 

SP-38.  Simple, yet effective. 

SP-38

Since graffiti is illegal in Berlin, they opened up one alley dedicated to graffiti and artists were welcomed to add their tag by invitation only.

  

 

Rob made the alley wall! But notice there is a steaming pile of shit on his head...

 

El Bocho 

I loved these little yellow critters

 

This functional giant metal moving statue guards the alley...if you insert a coin, you can watch him flap his wings but apparently its a little testy and doesn't always work.  It did today.

We also got to see some art in progress...

We ventured out of the alley into West Berlin to see Victor Ash's Astronaut.  I couldn't stop thinking it looked like the MTV VMA "moon man" award statue....anyone?  Anyone??

 

This was commissioned to symbolize the unification of East and West Berlin and the second to symbolize the restrictions Berliners face from the belief in the need to work institutionally for 25 years.

This was too creepy and too large not to take a photo of.

Funny graffiti outside of the famous club, Watergate.

The river dividing East vs. West

Our last stop was the Berlin Wall.  There is a one mile stretch of the wall still in tact that is painted for visitors to pay respects to.

This was a failed attempt at making it look like he was kissing me.  FAIL

Is it weird to anyone else to smile near this wall, it felt weird and you can see it on my face. 

So I attempted a "jump" photo...once

twice...

Third time is a winner.  Bitch's got air.

Seize the night!

I also really liked these stumbling stones (Stolperstein).  These were originally tributes to Holocaust victims by an independent artist, Gunter Demnig.  They are placed in gold in front of their former residences within the cobblestone foot paths.  The city actually supported this movement and has helped to make this a more common project.  Owners of the homes can look up if someone who formerly lived in their house was a Holocaust victim (or survivor) and can purchase the stones to place in front of their residence for 100 euros each.  So, this art is now supported by the people, for the people in a gesture of respect and remembrance.