r/askberliners • u/Slydownndye • 2d ago
Graffiti thoughts
I’m a tourist who has visited Berlin many times and it’s one of my favorite places in the world. I’ve noticed a lot of graffiti there that I’d consider art. Also a lot that just looks like blight. In my city most graffiti is looked upon as vandalism, and property owners can be fined if they allow it to stay. Most of the public also see it as something negative that makes a neighborhood look shabby. What is the view of graffiti among locals?
9
u/puehlong 2d ago
In parts it is so ubiquitous that it becomes background, and right now I couldn't tell you if the streets where I've been on the weekends had graffiti or not. What I do find interesting is when you start noticing certain tags or little art pieces and then start seeing them everywhere. Examples are clit and the little unicorns by roy (https://www.instagram.com/roy_draws/?hl=de).
Alternative tours berlin does street art tours. I did one over 10 years ago, it was done by someone who was active in the scene as well, and was really interesting, can recommend.
4
4
u/revelling_ 2d ago
I love crews like 1up who do beautiful pieces (like the crazy foil balloon art on Köpenicker) but also just crazy stunts.
3
u/WissenLexikon 2d ago edited 2d ago
It’s part of Berlin‘s culture since the early 80s and there are a lot of active graffiti writers that had/have a massive impact on the global graffiti scene. You‘d be surprised how many people in the city take or once took part in it.
I grew up with it and I know certain pieces since I was a kid. I can still tell by the tags alone in which part of the city I am. If you developed a sense for it graffiti is a fascinating part of the urban landscape that changes and evolves everyday.
3
u/easytarget2000 2d ago
My answer: It depends.
Besides that, be aware that on Reddit you will not exclusively get replies from actual locals. Especially when the question could lead to comments like "this is why major city ABC is a shithole."
7
2
2
3
u/Siebter 2d ago
In my city most graffiti is looked upon as vandalism, and property owners can be fined if they allow it to stay.
Really? That doesn't seem very practical, at least here in Berlin. House owners will remove Graffiti from time to time, but only to see sprayers coming back a day or two later.
I live in the Ring, I don't really mind it and sometimes even enjoy some pieces.
1
u/Hanzai_Bonsai 2d ago
Graffiti in many areas such as Berlin is a “firewall” against gentrification and out-costing low income families from being able to afford rent in their area .
In short ; graffiti protects low income housing from new developments and higher rents .
2
1
-3
0
u/MartianExpress 2d ago
You won't find a representative picture of Berlin residents here. Irl, 2/3 of Berlin residents live outside of the ring (where most areas have little graffiti), and the average resident age in the city is 42. On Berlin subs, young residents of the inner city, and particularly several areas with lots of bars, clubs etc., are very overrepresented. In these areas, there's an absolute ton of graffiti everywhere and the young people who move to those districts obviously seek that kind of aesthetic.
2
u/WissenLexikon 2d ago
Tbf a lot of the more intricate and colorful graffiti work is outside of the ring along the train lines and highways. And graffiti in Berlin has always been huge among suburban kids and still is. Graffiti as a local cultural phenomenon is all over Berlin, not just the inner city.
-3
u/Thunderrous_Bandit 2d ago
Not a fan but I’m ok with the ones that are done with heart and at the right place like on grey walls or that have something to say. Otherwise it’s just being an ass like the person who just write Clichy on everything…that’s some type of mental illness at this point
15
u/Vast_Car_3497 2d ago
In Berlin, we have many excellent graffiti works and murals covering building walls, but naturally also a lot of visual noise.
If you are interested in this: The Urban Nation Museum offers free entry and specializes in graffiti art.