Berlin

While many of us were pondering the world’s fragile state in the early months of the pandemic, the brilliantly inventive and socially conscious Spanish artist Pejac was busy creating art in response to it. And this past fall, he shared his vision in APENA, a ten-day exposition held in a former train manufacturing site in Berlin. Over 40 new artworks — addressing such themes as environmental pollution, climate change, the refugee crisis and inequality —  were displayed in eight different rooms and spaces. Several play on classical paintings; all are at once poetic and unsettling,

The image featured above, “Counterweight,” was fashioned in 2020 with oil, acrylic and spray paint and mounted on a wooden stretcher. Several more images of Pejac‘s artworks — all painted since the early days of the pandemic — follow:

“Urban Albatross,”  Oil, acrylic, spray paint and charcoal on paper mounted on wooden stretcher

“H20,”  Charcoal, Pencil, conté, and gold leaf on paper mounted on wooden stretcher

“Bad Time for Lyrics,”  Brass, bronze and wood

“Swirling,” Oil, acrylic and spray paint on paper mounted on wooden stretcher

“Oppressed IV,” close-up; Chalk and pencil on paper

And you can view the remarkable APNEA Exhibition here:

All images courtesy Majka Tkacik – Project Manager, Suben Art

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Self-described as “100% Adrenalin,” the Berlin Kidz are notoriously known for their distinctive tags that have surfaced throughout their city since 2010. With a passion and determination — somewhat similar to São Paulo’s pixadores — they are fearless in the risks they take to get their distinct marks out on tall public spaces and moving trains. The photos featured here were captured by street art and travel photographer Karin du Maire while visiting Berlin earlier this year.

In blue and red, their primary colors — as evidenced in the following three photos:

And, occasionally, in white — if that’s what will give them visibility

While to some their work is an eyesore, to others it’s an expression of unfettered creative freedom. And for some live action: you can check out the following:

Photos by Karin du Maire

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The following post is by Houda Lazrak, a contributor to StreetArtNYC and an M.A. candidate in Museum Studies at NYU:

low-bros-street-art-berlin

Located on the river bank in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin, Urban Spree is a vast multi-purpose creative space dedicated to promoting urban cultures. The walls of its industrial buildings are graced with constantly rotating murals, stencils, wheat pastes, and stickers from a rich array of  local and international artists. 

Here are a few more artworks I saw during a recent visit:

Portuguese artist Bordalo Segundo aka Bordalo II

bordalo-ll-Berlin-street-art

London-based Jimmy C

JimmyC-street-art-Berlin

London-based French artist Zabou

Zabou

Mexican artist Paola Delfin with artist to-be-identified to her right

Paola-delfin-street-art-Berlin

Iranian artists Icy and Sot

icy-and-sot-berlin

Note: The first image features Berlin-based Low Bros

All photos by Houda Lazrak

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The following post is by Houda Lazrak, a contributor to StreetArtNYC and an M.A. candidate in Museum Studies at NYU: 

Vhils, the Weird and Alaniz-street-art-berlin

Since 1994, YAAM, the Young African Art Market in Berlin, has served a myriad of purposes — from a home away from home for refugees to an open air gallery for graffiti and street artists. The following photos are of works I recently saw in this space that has evolved into a model of social and cultural integration:

The Berlin-based Weird Crew

The-Weird-street-art-Berlin

Close-up

The-weird-street-art-Berlin-close-up

Berlin-based Sokar Uno

Sokar-Uno-street-art-berlin

With German artist Juliah

Sokar-Uno-and- Juliah-street-art-Belrlin

Istanbul-based Gamze Yalcin and Brazilian artist Manoel Quitério

Gamze_Yalcin-and-Manoel-Quiterio-Berlin

Mexican artist Paola Delfin

Paolo-Delfin-street-art-Berlin

Note: Featured in the first image are Vhils, the Weird Crew and Alaniz

All photos by Houda Lazrak

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