All posts tagged: Urban Nation

Innerfields’ New Berlin Mural: A Tribute to Sanctuary, Solidarity, and Remembrance

Innerfields’ New Berlin Mural: A Tribute to Sanctuary, Solidarity, and Remembrance

The newest mural by Innerfields marks a powerful addition to Berlin’s urban cityscape, installed as part of the ONE WALL initiative by Urban Nation. This Berlin-based street art duo, Holger Weißflog and Jakob Tory Bardou, has created a moving tribute to Dorothee and Harald Poelchau, who bravely sheltered those persecuted during the Nazi era. The mural, located on the façade of a Gewobag building in Charlottenburg-Nord, draws on Innerfields’ signature photorealistic style with a blend of surrealist and symbolic elements, visually narrating a story of courage, protection, and human resilience.

Innerfields. ONE WALL Project. Urban Nation Museum Berlin/Stiftung Berliner Leben. Charlottenburg-Nord, Berlin. (photo © Ludger Paffrath/Stiftung Berliner Leben)

Central to the mural are the intertwined hands of Dorothee and Harald, symbolizing the physical and emotional sanctuary they offered to those in need. Dorothee holds a light, a gesture conveying warmth and hope amid adversity, while a menorah placed nearby serves as a poignant reminder of the Holocaust. Lines weave through these elements, subtly representing the network of resistance that the Poelchaus supported, embodying a collective strength defying oppression.

Innerfields. ONE WALL Project. Urban Nation Museum Berlin/Stiftung Berliner Leben. Charlottenburg-Nord, Berlin. (photo © Ludger Paffrath/Stiftung Berliner Leben)

Originally a trio with artist Veit Tempich, Innerfields has painted murals worldwide, from Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne to Aalborg, Prague, and Hong Kong. Known for tackling themes of human interaction, technology, and environmental consciousness, Innerfields employs a unique fusion of realism, surrealism, and abstraction; theirs is a unique reflection on society’s dynamics. Their work has appeared at prestigious events like Out in the Open in Aalborg and the Wall Street Festival in Prague, as well as in galleries like ATM Gallery in Berlin and 30works Gallery in Cologne.

Here, we see how Innerfields brings historical remembrance into the present, creating a public artwork and a newly living memorial. The project involved students from the Anna Freud School, who engaged with the mural’s themes, enhancing their understanding of resistance and actively participating in Berlin’s evolving culture of remembrance. The mural, initially surprising to some in the community with its bright pink primer, it now appears to resonate deeply with locals, fostering a sense of shared history and identity. It is just the latest showing Innerfields’ commitment to creating meaningful public art that honors the past and inspires the future.

Innerfields. ONE WALL Project. Urban Nation Museum Berlin/Stiftung Berliner Leben. Charlottenburg-Nord, Berlin. (photo © Ludger Paffrath/Stiftung Berliner Leben)
Innerfields. ONE WALL Project. Urban Nation Museum Berlin/Stiftung Berliner Leben. Charlottenburg-Nord, Berlin. (photo © Ludger Paffrath/Stiftung Berliner Leben)
Innerfields. ONE WALL Project. Urban Nation Museum Berlin/Stiftung Berliner Leben. Charlottenburg-Nord, Berlin. (photo © Ludger Paffrath/Stiftung Berliner Leben)
Innerfields. ONE WALL Project. Urban Nation Museum Berlin/Stiftung Berliner Leben. Charlottenburg-Nord, Berlin. (photo © Ludger Paffrath/Stiftung Berliner Leben)
Innerfields. ONE WALL Project. Urban Nation Museum Berlin/Stiftung Berliner Leben. Charlottenburg-Nord, Berlin. (photo © Ludger Paffrath/Stiftung Berliner Leben)
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Bülow Street Festival & Community Murals During  Urban Nation Museum Opening in Berlin

Bülow Street Festival & Community Murals During Urban Nation Museum Opening in Berlin

Berlin is teeming with artists of all kinds—not just street artists and graffiti writers—from around the world. For decades, the city has been a natural magnet for creatives. In conjunction with the new exhibition Love Letters to the City, Urban Nation brought around 20 artists to the streets surrounding the museum. The diverse techniques and styles showcased here reflect the incredible talent in the city—a convergence of dreams, aspirations, and life paths intersecting in this urban landscape. Below is a selection of walls and images we captured during the UN celebrations.

Bülow Streetart Jam / Floating Walls

Denis Dendi. Detail. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Denis Dendi. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Denis Dendi. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dr. Molrok. Detail. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Dr. Molrok. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Fabifa. Detail. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Tape artist Fabifa at work. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Fabifa. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo). Fabifa (Instagram: @tape_fabifa) – Specializes in tape art, using colored adhesive tape to create large-scale, temporary murals.
Jakob Der Bruder. Detail. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jakob Der Bruder. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo) Jakob der Bruder (Instagram: @jakobderbruder) – A Berlin-based muralist, Jakob der Bruder often focuses on figurative and symbolic art, using a mix of illustration style techniques to look at social and personal themes.
Mina. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Iss.Ue. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Modern deconstruction of the letterform at its finest. Iss.Ue. Detail. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Iss.Ue. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo) ISS.UE (Instagram: @_iss.ue) – A graffiti artist known for intricate line work skillz and surrealist compositions.
Rene Meyer. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Rene Meyer. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Rene Meyer. Detail. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Rene Meyer. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo) René Meyer (rmyr) (Instagram: @rmyr.stencils) – A stencil artist from Germany, René Meyer’s work is defined by sharp, detailed designs focusing on urban life, often aiming to flip perceptions of modern society in the post industrial age.
ZEBU. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
ZEBU. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo) ZEBU (Instagram: @z_e_b_u) – ZEBU is a Berlin-based duo known for playful, minimalist graphic illustrations. They often work with bold, flat colors and create characters that interact with the surrounding environment, infusing humor and light-heartedness into urban spaces.

Bülow Streetart Jam / Community Murals

Felix Lies. Detail. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Felix Lies. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo). Felix Lies (Instagram: @felix.michael.lies) – Felix Lies is a Berlin-based muralist whose work often features clean, minimalist lines and geometric patterns. His figures interact with architecture and geometric forms, using space to reflect on interaction and movement.
WESR. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo) WESR (Instagram: @wesr_art) – Originally from Lima, Peru, WESR (Danny Figueroa) blends street art with Andean symbolism and iconography. Vibrant colors, cultural identity, and themes of migration come in for examination.
Pablo Ientile. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Pablo Ientile. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo) Pablo Ientile (Instagram: @pablo.ientile) – An artist from Argentina now based in Berlin, Pablo Ientile’s work blends humor with social commentary, often using bold graphics and exaggerated figures to present themes of urban life and human relationships.
Rommy Gonzalez. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nerea Ferrer. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nerea Ferrer. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Snyder. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo) Snyder (Instagram: @snyder_berlin) – Snyder is a Berlin-based street artist who creates large, bold murals often featuring animals and nature. Environmental issues and the natural world are introduced via psychedelia.
CAZ L. Detail. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
CAZ L. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo) CAZ.L (Instagram: @caz.l) His art is rooted in raw, urban aesthetics, and the intersection of contemporary street culture and whatever is on his mind.
Kasia Dudziak. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo). Kasia Dudziak (Instagram: @dudziakovska) – Hailing from Poland, Kasia Dudziak is known for her vibrant murals that often depict surrealist scenes, blending nature with abstract human figures. Ceramics, travelling, food, philosophy – its all in the mix between humanity and the natural world.
Jazoo Yang. Detail. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo). Jazoo Yang (Instagram: @jazooyang_art) – Based in Berlin but originally from South Korea, Jazoo Yang’s work explores the themes of urban decay and memory – also described as ‘She often distorts public spaces to profound ends.”
Jazoo Yang. Detail. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Wanitapagihari. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Wanitapagihari. Detail. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo). Wanitapagihari (Instagram: @wanitapagihari) Megawati Triadiani, also known as wanitapagihari, is an artist originally from Indonesia and currently residing in Berlin. They use a combination of line art and bold color blocks and look at themes of identity, migration, and connection.
Wanitapagihari. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Kristina Popov. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo) Kristina Popov (Instagram: @kristina__popov) – Originally from Serbia, Kristina Popov’s art centers on abstract figures and surrealist landscapes. Themes appear to explore personal identity, movement, and transformation.
Kristina Popov. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Kristina Popov. Bülow Street Festival. Urban Nation Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

URBAN NATION MUSEUM’S EXHIBITION “LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY” is currently on view. The Community Murals are also on view and free to the public. For schedules and further details click HERE

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Lady Pink Paints Berlin Facade as ‘Love Letters to the City’ Opens at Urban Nation

Lady Pink Paints Berlin Facade as ‘Love Letters to the City’ Opens at Urban Nation

Join BSA this week in Berlin as we celebrate the opening of “Love Letters to the City,” the new exhibition at Urban Nation Museum. We’ll also be tooling around the city and sharing whatever catches our eye.


Love Letters to the City is a homage to the city, the idea of the universal city,” curator Michelle Houston reflects while seated at a picnic table outside a Thai restaurant in Berlin’s Schöneberg neighborhood. As final installations are taking place in Urban Nation, Houston’s gazes upward at the new mural on its façade being painted by OG train writer Lady Pink on a cherry picker at the museum. This mural is part of Houston’s upcoming show, “Love Letters to the City.”

Lady Pink. Detail. WIP. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Love Letters To The City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 “I think paint in public spaces has a different potency in the city than anywhere else,” Houston explains, discussing the exhibition’s outdoor and indoor installations. She highlights the various ways Urban Nation is presenting the evolution of graffiti and street art, noting its role in urbanization, gentrification, and even social conditioning. “It does much more than just present pretty images.”

The museum’s exhibition features a diverse array of works, including full-scale three-dimensional installations and sculptures. A significant portion of the pieces are borrowed from the museum’s permanent collection, while others are newly commissioned from both national and international artists.

Lady Pink paints the Urban Nation Museum Berlin facade for the new exhibition Love Letters To The City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Currently, Lady Pink, born Sandra Fabara in 1964 in Ecuador, is working on her mural two stories above the bustling street. Her piece, an illustrative and fantastical love letter of her own, features a swirling train reminiscent of the NYC subway trains she became famous for painting in the early 1980s. Her work includes improvisational tags of other iconic figures from that era. In Berlin, where graffiti and street art have transformed entire neighborhoods and established it a magnet for creativity in the public space, her mural is a testament to the city’s rich artistic history.

For Houston, the mural is just one example of “the ingenious ways that artists hack and appropriate public space.”

Lady Pink paints the Urban Nation Museum Berlin facade for the new exhibition Love Letters To The City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lady Pink paints the Urban Nation Museum Berlin facade for the new exhibition Love Letters To The City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lady Pink paints the Urban Nation Museum Berlin facade for the new exhibition Love Letters To The City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lady Pink paints the Urban Nation Museum Berlin facade for the new exhibition Love Letters To The City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lady Pink. Detail. WIP. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Love Letters To The City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lady Pink. Detail. WIP. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Love Letters To The City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lady Pink. Detail. WIP. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Love Letters To The City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lady Pink. Detail. WIP. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Love Letters To The City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Lady Pink. Detail. WIP. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Love Letters To The City. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY AT URBAN NATION MUSEUM BERLIN OPENS TOMORROW FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13. CLICK HERE FOR SCHEDULES AND EVENTS DETAILS.

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Berlin’s URBAN NATION Museum Celebrates New Exhibition with Lady Pink and Bülow Street Festival

Berlin’s URBAN NATION Museum Celebrates New Exhibition with Lady Pink and Bülow Street Festival

Urban Nation Museum in Berlin invites New York legend Lady Pink to paint the museum façade to open the new exhibition, “Love Letters to the City.”


Opening at the URBAN NATION Museum on Friday, September 13, 2024, this multi-factorial and dynamic showcase, curated by Michelle Houston, celebrates the city’s essence through the eyes of over fifty international and Berlin-based street artists.

Keeping the focus local, the festivities with the Bülow Streetart Jam start Monday, September 9, with the Bülow Street Festival leading up to the grand exhibition launch. Hosted by the Berliner Leben Foundation and Gewobag, the community-centered event will invite participants from all over to be part of the art-making. The day after the exhibition opening, there will also be a Fresh A.I.R. Open House on September 14; where artists will offer a behind-the-scenes look at their current projects.

“Love Letters to the City” invites you to consider how art transforms and reflects urban spaces, our adoption of and reaction to them, and, ultimately, how they become part of the definition of a city. The new exhibition aims to spark critical conversations about urbanization, gentrification, and social issues. Among the extensive offerings are powerful works that challenge our perspectives and possibly inspire change within our shared human-built environments.

Come to Berlin to celebrate with BSA and UN as we explore the profound impact of street art on our cityscapes.

Exhibition Opening: September 13, 2024, 7–11 pm
URBAN NATION Museum, Bülowstraße 7, 10783 Berlin

Participating artists: 2501, Aniruddh Mehta, Banksy, Blek le Rat, Bordalo II, Carlos Mare aka Mare139, Chop ’em Down Films, Crash, Dan Witz, Daze, Drew.Lab_One, Elfo, Evol, HA Schult, HOGRE, Isaac Zavale, James Reka, Jaune, Jazoo Yang, Joel Daniel Phillips, Johannnes Mundinger, Jordan Seiler, Kenny Scharf, Lady Pink, Liviu Bulea, Martha Cooper, Matthew Grabelsky, MILLO, Moses & Taps, Nika Kramer, Octavi Serra, Owen Dippie, OX, PAINTING DHAKA Project, Paradox, Rocco and his brothers, Sebas Velasco, Shepard Fairey, Stephanie Buer, Stiftung Berliner Mauer, Stipan Tadić, Susanna Jerger, Tats Cru, THE WA, Vhils and Zhang Dali.

FOR COMPLETE DETAILS AND SCHEDULE CLICK HERE

Jazoo Young. BÜLOW STREETART JAM. Urban Nation Musuem Berlin. (photo © Young-moon Ha)

BÜLOW STREETART JAM
September 9 to 14, 2024
Bülowstraße around the URBAN NATION Museum

The week before the grand opening of the exhibition LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY creative people from all over the world will paint new Community Walls and create Floating Murals. Among the highlights is the new museum façade of the URBAN NATION by Lady Pink, a tribute to the city. The artist Jazoo Yang invites you to become part of a unique community wall, where you can put your fingerprint on a wall at Bülowstr. 95 and leave a colorful trace. Join in on September 14, 2024, 12-6 pm.

FOR COMPLETE LIST OF PARTICIPATING ARTISTS AND SCHEDULE CLICK HERE

BÜLOW STREET FESTIVAL
September 13 to 15, 2024
Zietenstraße, 10783 Berlin, at the URBAN NATION Museum

In conjunction with the opening of the LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY exhibition at the URBAN NATION Museum and the Berlin Democracy Day month of action, we are focusing on diversity and creative exchange in our city. The Bülow Street Festival brings together social and artistic projects committed to an open and inclusive society. It offers an opportunity to discover art and culture together and be inspired by the city’s creative energy. The weekend attracts visitors with artistic workshops, temporary floating murals, rousing music, exciting performances, delicious street food and more. Come celebrate with BSA as we will be in Berlin all week – come Celebrate with us!

FOR MORE DETAILS CLICK HERE

BÜLOW STREET FESTIVAL. Urban Nation Musuem Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
OPEN HOUSE. FRESH A.I.R. #9. Urban Nation Musuem Berlin. (photo courtesy of Urban Nation Museum)

OPEN HOUSE at Fresh A.I.R. #9
September 14, 2024, 4-8 pm
Bülowstr. 7, 10783 Berlin

Fresh A.I.R.’s OPEN HOUSE offers an exclusive look behind the scenes and the unique opportunity to talk to artists and peer over their shoulders. Come by on September 14 between 4 and 8 p.m.

FOR MORE DETAILS AND SCHEDULE CLICK HERE

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The Martha Cooper Scholarship: Call For Applicants

The Martha Cooper Scholarship: Call For Applicants

We’re excited to introduce the inaugural Martha Cooper Scholarship (MCS), celebrating Martha Cooper’s legacy in capturing human cultures through photography. This scholarship presents a unique chance for photographers from Africa or Latin America to engage in an eleven-month artistic journey in Berlin.

As founding members of the Martha Cooper Library, we will select an individual who embodies her spirit, vision, and legacy alongside Martha and a panel of experts in art, academia, and photography and the Urban Nation Museum. This is not just a scholarship in her name; it’s an opportunity to contribute to a global dialogue and to represent the Urban Nation Museum and the Fresh Air program. The Fresh Air theme is “I AM FLUX: The Freedom of Being and the Possibilities of Becoming,” reflecting on human transformation and social issues.

If your artistry and vision resonate with these themes, this could be your path to making an impactful statement in documentary photography. Apply for this transformative opportunity to join us in continuing Martha’s story.

______________________________________________

Martha Cooper at Urban Nation Museum (photo ©Steven P. Harrington)

From the scholarship website and application:

The Martha Cooper Scholarship (MCS) offers a unique opportunity for an individual from Africa or Latin America to dedicate themselves for eleven months to an artistic project through the medium of photography. With the newly announced MCS, the Foundation Berliner Leben acknowledges the importance of documentary photography and purposefully offers a production scholarship for professional photographers who use their photography in an effort to promote a positive impact on the world. The scholarship is based on the annual topic of Fresh A.I.R., the scholarship program of Stiftung Berliner Leben, which addresses social and political developments that affect us in the present, and
highlights the diversity of human experience and perception of the world.

__________

The chosen photographer will be invited to live and work in one of our Fresh A.I.R. residencies in Berlin Schöneberg.

The current call is for the 10th class starting in January 2025 and ending in December 2025.

___________

Thematic Call:
“I AM FLUX: The Freedom of Being and the Possibilities of Becoming”

Art can convey the relevance and complexity of themes of our time in unexpected ways.
Under the title “I AM FLUX: The Freedom of Being and the Possibilities of Becoming,« the 10th class
deals with the inexhaustible capacity for development and transformation of human beings and their
perspectives on themselves.


We encourage artists to critically examine selected socially relevant thematic complexes and apply with projects that contribute to raising awareness about the call’s contents and enriching ongoing discourses.

Within the framework of »I AM FLUX,« three thematic fields of action, namely »HORIZONS OF
BEING,« »WHISPERS OF EXISTENCE,« and »BEYOND LIMITS,« are being introduced. Project ideas
will be supported in which at least one of the three thematic focuses finds expression in the artistic works.


1. “HORIZONS OF BEING”
In the first thematic field of action, “HORIZONS OF BEING,” artists and cultural practitioners are invited
to investigate the multi-layered and dynamic nature of gender identity. Through artistic expressions, the
focus is primarily on embodiments, practices, and self-perceptions of people who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth.

Funding will be provided for:
• Projects that address the diversity and manifestation of gender identity and/or the development
and shaping of gender possibilities, realities, perceptions, and representations.
• Projects that identify and critically artistically reflect upon the current heteronormative hierarchical
structure of gender, both in its institutional and everyday routine forms.
• Projects that promote a broader conception of gender.


2. “WHISPERS OF EXISTENCE”
The second thematic field of action, »WHISPERS OF EXISTENCE,« is intended to emphasize the
metaphysical dimension of art. The imagination is intended to be challenged and expanded in diverse ways through artistic expression.

Funding will be provided for:
• Projects that place art as a metaphysical activity at the center, addressing and reflecting upon ontological questions.
• Projects that artistically process a transgression of the experiential reality of the natural self.


3. “BEYOND LIMITS”
The third field of action, »BEYOND LIMITS,« serves as a platform supporting the exploration of various
approaches through which art and creativity, in conjunction with other influences, endeavor to redefine
the boundaries of the human in new ways.
Funding will be provided for:
• Projects that aim to experimentally expand human potential or those centered around (self-)creation
within the imaginative space of natural or technological (further) development.
• Projects that examine ‘Creative Artificial Intelligence’ and the fundamentally changing possibilities of
artistic expression resulting from applying the latest technologies.
• Projects that delve into historical forms of surpassing bodily boundaries and explore the visions, opportunities, consequences, and dangers associated with them.


Application for a scholarship in 2025
Application deadline: Sunday, 21 April 2024
Applications are only accepted via Email: FreshAIR-office@stiftung-berliner-leben.de
For a successful application, please include the following documents:
• Curriculum vitae
• Project outline/description
• Budget plan


You can find further information about Fresh A.I.R. at

https://urban-nation.com/artist-in-residence-scholarships/

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Confronting Mental Health Challenges at UN Berlin / “Loneliness And Other False Friends”

Confronting Mental Health Challenges at UN Berlin / “Loneliness And Other False Friends”

PROJECT M/19 | LONELINESS AND OTHER FALSE FRIENDS

URBAN NATION has launched an exhibition to address mental health concerns and issues in today’s society. The exhibit was prompted by feedback from museum visitors, who were asked to suggest topics that needed to be discussed. UN reports that the majority of responses focused on mental health, and the exhibit is a response to this concern.

The featured artworks explore emotions and modern life’s stress on mental health. One of the main issues addressed in the exhibit is loneliness. The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened feelings of isolation and disconnectedness; with more people, particularly young people, reporting that they were experiencing anxiety, depression, and self-harm, often compounded by social media.

The exhibition Loneliness and Other False Friends is part of the M series that began a decade ago, now in its 19th edition, or Project M/19. Associated with the main museum’s current exhibition Talking… & Other Banana Skins aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and spark conversations about this critical topic. By showcasing these artworks, visitors are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences and the experiences of others, perhaps spurring meaningful discussions of a deeper quality.

As is often the case with the community-centered vision and voice of UN lead curator Michele Houston, the exhibit is an excellent opportunity to learn about mental health and how it affects individuals and society. Through transference and reflection, the exhibition may catalyze analysis of topics that are often elusive to describe or quantify, in this case providing visitors tools to countenance the emotional toll that modern life can take on people, raising awareness of the importance of mental health.

All images © courtesy of Urban Nation Museum

PROJECT M/19
LONELINESS AND OTHER FALSE FRIENDS
URBAN NATION Project Space
BÜLOWSTR. 97, 10783 BERLIN
EXHIBITION DURATION: 28 APRIL 2023 – 18 AUGUST 2023


ACCOMPANYING THE EXHIBITION
On the occasion of the ceremonial opening of LONELINESS AND OTHER FALSE FRIENDS and in conjunction with Gallery Weekend, URBAN NATION presents a programme beyond the exhibition. 5 Berlin-based artists will create new murals, to join what is collectively called the C-Walls (Community Walls). Each will reflect the exhibition theme on and around Bülowstraße.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:
CARO PEPE, DEVITA, HONEY BEEBS, LAKE AND MATE.

All images © courtesy of Urban Nation Museum

The exhibition serves as a space for public discourse, conversations, and workshops.
Event highlights include a mural design with artist Honey Beebs in collaboration with the Anna Freud School. In addition, there is the art workshop “Talk about it” with artist Fehmi Baumbach and photographer Darius Ramazani in partnership with Freunde fürs Leben e.V. for children in grades 11 to 13.

Inside the exhibition, there is a large seating area where visitors are encouraged to
engage with the works and receive further reading material on mental health topics.

Bülowstrasse 7
10783 Berlin
Germany
info@urban-nation.com

Click HERE for more details, hours of operation, tickets, etc.

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Photos Of BSA #9: Keeping it Small and Contextual

Photos Of BSA #9: Keeping it Small and Contextual

Happy Holidays! We’re celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of the next by thanking BSA readers, friends, and family for all of your support in 2022. We have selected some of our favorite shots by our Editor of Photography, Jaime Rojo, and we’re sharing a new one every day to celebrate all our good times together, our hope for the future, and our love for the street.


In an era where the monster mural can envelop an entire building or set of grain elevators, we are reminded that placement is everything. This year the UK street artist JPS left a number of small pieces in Berlin – just in the right place to catch your eye. This ingenious miniature box truck with a KLOPS tag appears on the riser of some steps in the Schöneberg neighborhood. It is evocative of a child’s imagination, which leads them into all sorts of adventures.


JPS – Klops. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Berlin, Germany. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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BSA Film Friday 07.22.22

BSA Film Friday 07.22.22

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Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening:
1. URBAN NATION 2022 – “Talking… & Other Banana Skins” – on FWTV
2. Flower Punk”- Azuma Makoto
3. JR: Can Art Change the World?

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BSA Special Feature: URBAN NATION 2022 – “Talking… & Other Banana Skins” – on FWTV

In his first official visit back to Urban Nation since its opening in 2017, Fifth Wall host Doug Gillen finds a more democratic collection of artists from various points in the street art/urban art constellation. That impression is understandable due to the heavy presence of commercial interests involved in the selection of bankable street art stars and OGs chosen to represent five decades of graffiti/street art at the opening of a new institution dedicated to the scene. Curators were careful to program several relative unknowns and lesser-recognized artists into that initial grab-bag collection, but we take the point.

It’s refreshing to hear the current show’s curator Michelle Houston speak about her personal and professional philosophy toward street art and our collective relationship to it. A hybrid of the existing UN permanent collection and new works, it comes off as a rather wholistic approach that respects more players and their contribution to what has proven to be a very democratic grassroots art movement on streets around the world.

With decidedly less focus on the ever-more codified, commodified, and blue-chip-ivy-league-endorsed criterion of exclusivity that plagues the ‘art world’, this varied collection may represent a retaining wall against trends we witness that threaten to erect the same sort of structures of exclusivity that unbridled art-in-the-streets set out to destroy. Of course, every modern counterculture eventually gets transformed on its way to accepted culture, and we’re somewhat resigned to that reality. However rather than zapping the life out of the free-wheeling nature of graffiti and street art, Urban Nation may be staking a claim of departure from peers to defend some of those original tenets – in this insistently self-defining scene.

URBAN NATION 2022 – “Talking… & Other Banana Skins” – Exhibition Review | FWTV



“Flower Punk”- Azuma Makoto

And speaking of every modern counterculture that eventually gets transformed on its way to accepted culture, we present the Punk Florist, artist Azuma Makoto, who uses plants in a sculptural manner. It is a practice that he hopes can connect humanity and nature. It may help if you are listening to Dead Kennedys or Black Flag – or perhaps something more industrial, or no-wave. But when he and his team send a ragged bundle of beauty literally into space, all bets are off. It’s a new game.



JR: Can Art Change the World?

In yet another TED talk, JR speaks for himself.

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Mr. Paradox Rappelling Down a Berlin Building, As Usual

Mr. Paradox Rappelling Down a Berlin Building, As Usual

The original Berlin Kid, if you will, Mr. Paradox is rappelling down the side of a building again, this time in broad daylight instead of surreptitiously in the darkness of night. It’s part of an initiative by Urban Nation museum and he’s happy to bring the stylized vertical letters that have set his work apart from others – something he refers to as ‘spiritual letters’. He’s his own man, independent, fearless, creative and talented.

Mr. Paradox in collaboration with Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)

“I have always followed my truth-seeker spirit,” he says, “setting my visions higher.”

The saturated red and blue lettering have evolved over time, but his technique has stayed the same for the last decade or so – a style many first compare to Pixaçao. It’s an often dangerous technique of graffiti lettering associated with the aerosol daredevils on the streets of cities like Sao Paulo – but that has also spread to cities like Paris, Berlin and New York.

Mr. Paradox in collaboration with Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)

“I don’t do Pixaçao,” Mr. Paradox tells BSA. “I do a highly advanced form of lettering that I call spiritual letters. I want to deliver art and beauty to the street – and of course to deliver critical messages  about the system we live in and life in general.”

And what about the distinctive combination of blue and red colors? “They are like fire and water,” he says. “Like good and evil. Also people recognize me because of it.”

Special thanks to photographer Nika Kramer, who captures and shares these exclusive shots with BSA readers of Mr. Paradox’s installation.

Mr. Paradox in collaboration with Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Mr. Paradox’s text (above):

BRAIN WASHED PLANET:
THE ELITE IS THE VIRUS !
THIS IS FOR ALL CRITICAL THINKERS
UNLOCK THE MYSTERIES OF LIFE
ESCAPE THE MAINSTREAM
GOVERNMENT HIDES THE TRUTH
THEY ARE HOLDING BACK TECHNOLOGY

Mr. Paradox in collaboration with Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Mr. Paradox in collaboration with Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Mr. Paradox in collaboration with Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Mr. Paradox in collaboration with Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Mr. Paradox in collaboration with Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
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Some Gems from the Exhibition: “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures” at UN Berlin

Some Gems from the Exhibition: “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures” at UN Berlin

More than a hundred thousand or so visitors have come to our exhibition at Urban Nation in Berlin which takes over the entire museum. 350 photos, a few thousand more digitally, black books, drawings, ephemera, cameras, film slides, toys, miniatures, a mural, a complete timeline from 1943 to today, 70 original artworks, a 16 screen film collage by director Selina Miles… this is an endless collection of Martha’s personal and professional work and collections for all visitors to see.

Martha called out to sticker artists from around the world to send their work in for this sticker board. Within weeks it was completely covered and envelopes continued to arrive for many months from seemingly every city. Here’s Ms. Cooper and co-curator Jaime Rojo looking at the collection. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)

The traffic is beginning to increase now that the end of this unprecedented life-spanning exhibition is nearing its end in May of this year, and we want to show you a few of the hidden gems just in case you have a free afternoon to visit the museum. It has been our honor and privilege to share this exhibition, to work so closely with the photographer herself, and to mount the first exhibition at Urban Nation that features the career of one artist – and thousands of artists.

An entire collection of black books filled with original artworks are on display including many artists formative to the graffiti and street art scene. Here’s a page with original Keith Haring drawings. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Lady Aiko mural on the facade of the museum. Detail. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Martha Cooper. Dondi at the Graffiti section. Detail. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
The ephemera on display in the various vitrines around the exhibition contain real jewels like this – an original sketch that Martha and Henry Chalfant had under consideration for the front and back cover of “Subway Art” their seminal book. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Seth Mural. Street Play and Martha Remix sections. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Martha Cooper. Shepard Fairey at the Martha Remixed section. Detail. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Visitors get to see ephemera from the last five decades by a person who is a self-described collector of many things. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
The “Artists at Work” section has hundreds of photos of graffiti writers and street artists from the last five decades – continued into a searchable digital database on an iPad mounted nearby. As if punctuation to the collection is a sculpture by Vhils in the garden outside.Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Martha Cooper. Artists at Work section. Detail. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Martha Cooper. Artists at Work section. Detail. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Few photographers can say they have captured behind the scenes images of 1Up taking a break – but Martha Cooper can say that about hundreds of graffiti writers and street artists. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
A collector of many things in addition to photographs, one section of the exhibition is dedicated to Martha’s collection of stickers, slaps, and even index cards filled with tags of many eras. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)
Many people – from artists to curators to authors to photographers – contributed quotes for Martha in the catalog for the exhibition – and we printed 40 or so of them on multiple pages. Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin.

Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures / Urban Nation Museum Berlin is currently on view at Urban Nation Museum Berlin until May 2022. Click HERE for schedules and details.

Participating artists:

Cey Adams, AFRO, Andres Art, Blanco, Mark Bodé, Bordalo II, Buster, C215, Carja, Victor Castillo, Cosbe, Daze, Jane Dickson, Owen Dippie, Ben Eine, Shepard Fairey, Freedom, Fumakaka, Futura, Grotesk, Logan Hicks, HuskMitNavn, Japao, James Jessop & Dscreet, Nicolas Lacombe, Justen Ladda, Lady Aiko, Lady Pink, The London Police, Mantra, John „Crash“ Matos, Nazza, Nunca, Okuda, Os Gêmeos, Alice Pasquini, Phlegm, Pixel Pancho, Dr. Revolt, Seth Globepainter, Skeme, Skewville, Skolas, Chris Stain, Tats Cru (Bio, BG183 and Nicer), Vhils, Ernest Zacharevic.

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Monopol Covers “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures”

Monopol Covers “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures”

We’re pleased today to show you the new article about our exhibition and book “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures” at Urban Nation – this one from the German Monopol magazine.


“Her voice on the phone is friendly and warm. But Martha Cooper, this is clear, does not want to be bored. Naturally not,” begins journalist Silke Hohmann in her article for Monopol.

Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Monopol Magazine

“Otherwise she would not have climbed on a motorcycle in 1965 to ride from Thailand to England at the age of 22. Otherwise, she would not have moved to Tokyo as a young woman to explore and photograph a legendary and discrete tattoo scene and one of its masters at work. Otherwise, she would not become the first female photographer at the New York Post in the 1970s where she photographed life in the urban wasteland. Cooper’s photographs of Breakdancers from the 1980s are the first published pictures of a then still unknown dance form, essential for the emergence of Hip Hop culture.”

Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Monopol Magazine
Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Monopol Magazine
Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Monopol Magazine
Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Monopol Magazine
Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Monopol Magazine
Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures. Urban Nation Museum Berlin. Monopol Magazine
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Images Of The Week: 07.11.21

Images Of The Week: 07.11.21

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Happy NYC Marathon! The trees all over the city appear to be at peak every year around this event – just check the aerial shot of the finish line as the runners cross it in Central Park today. Also, set your clocks back one hour today, or you’ll arrive late for work tomorrow. If you have a job, that is.

News this week that the prolific and cryptic text writer RAMBO has passed away. We extend our condolences to his friends and family. His passing follows quickly the death of the octogenarian Irish-New York street artist Robert Janz, whose street collages and text installations served as witnesses to ecological and social issues he felt strongly about, as well as were a commentary on the human condition in all its mysteries. Our condolences to all those who were touched by the work and the spirit of Mr. Janz.

Our interview with the street today includes Adrian Wilson, ERRE, Fernsehturn Berlin, Jim Avignon, Layer Cake, Miss Glueniverse, Peter Missing, Praxis, Ron Miller, Sara Lynne-Leo, Joanna Wietecka, Styro, and Toxicomano.

Colombia’s Toxicomano was in the streets of New York recently along with Erre. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Sara Lynne-Leo (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Styro Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Adrian Wilson with The L.I.S.A. Project NYC (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Miss Glueniverse & Joanna Wietecka for Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Miss Glueniverse & Joanna Wietecka for Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Fernsehturn Berlin (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Miss Glueniverse & Joanna Wietecka for Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Layer Cake for Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Cheer Up, Maggie! (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Nat At Art. Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Unidentified artist in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Toxicomano, Erre, and Praxis for The L.I.S.A. Project NYC. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Ron Miller for Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jim Avignon for Urban Spree in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Peter Missing for Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Peter Missing for Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Untilted. Berlin with clouds. October 2021. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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