--- description: Comprehensive Agent Payload spatial database and digital twin for the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin, detailing room geometry, viewpoints, and exhibited urban art collections. tags: - urban-nation - street-art - graffiti-museum - agent-payload - berlin-art title: Urban Nation Museum - Full Agent Payload --- # Urban Nation Museum - Full Agent Payload > This digital twin document is the comprehensive Agent Payload spatial database for the Urban Nation Museum, detailing spatial hierarchies, viewpoints, and the complete inventory of exhibited urban art collections. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Project Description The Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art, located at Bülowstraße 7 in Berlin, Germany, stands as a powerful symbol of the deep connection between Berlin and urban art. Founded as an initiative of the non-profit Foundation Berliner Leben (established by Gewobag AG), the museum promotes creative exchange between artists and Berliners while supporting integration and participation through cultural education programs. Operating under the motto "Connect. Create. Care.", the museum is both an exhibition space and a neighborhood project, integrating façade paintings and murals along Bülowstraße. Designed by Berlin architecture firm GRAFT, the museum features an innovative open-plan interior spanning the lower two floors, connected by bridges running parallel to the street and above-ground subway line, allowing visitors to view works from both close up and a distance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## What Is Urban Nation Museum? Urban Nation Museum is the world's first museum dedicated to street art, graffiti, and urban contemporary art. It preserves and exhibits the fleeting and ephemeral art of the street while documenting the history of this global artistic movement. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Key Details - **Property Type:** Studio / Museum\ - **Address:** Bülowstraße 7, Berlin, 10783, DE\ - **Total Exhibition Space:** 481.3 sqm across two lower levels\ - **Opening Hours:** Tuesday–Wednesday: 10:00–18:00, Thursday–Sunday: 12:00–20:00 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## What Does It Mean? ### Short Answer Urban Nation Museum redefines the traditional museum space by bringing the dynamic energy of the streets indoors, creating a democratic and accessible cultural hub that fosters social dialogue, challenges urban homogenization, and celebrates the power of street art as a catalyst for community engagement. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Main Concepts or Features ### 1. Spatial Architecture and Integration The museum's lower levels feature a removed ceiling between the ground floor and first floor, creating an open, interconnected volume linked by bridges. Asphalt flooring is used to bridge the boundary between the interior gallery spaces and the urban street outside. ### 2. Thematic Exhibition Chapters The current exhibition, *LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY*, is structured into nine distinct chapters: *CITY AS MUSE*, *KILROY WAS HERE*, *WORD ON THE STREET*, *LET’S TALK ABOUT GENTRIFICATION*, *SUBVERTED SPACES*, *SPACE HACKING*, *NOT ANOTHER PRETTY PICTURE*, *DE-CONSTRUCT TO CONSTRUCT*, and *LOVE LETTERS IN THE CITY*. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## How It Works / How to Use It 1. Navigate through the spatial zones using designated viewpoint coordinates.\ 2. Examine individual artworks and tagged objects placed across the ground and first floors.\ 3. Access external media guides and archival links for deeper contextual research. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Why It Matters The museum plays a vital role in validating urban art as a legitimate, politically engaged medium, offering a platform for international artists while actively contributing to local social development and cultural education in Berlin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Common Mistakes - Treating street art purely as decorative muralism without recognizing its socio-political commentary.\ - Overlooking the ephemeral nature of graffiti and urban interventions.\ - Failing to utilize the multi-perspective viewing angles provided by the museum's open bridge architecture. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Pro Tips - Explore both ground and upper bridge levels to experience works from varying proximities and elevations.\ - Consult the Martha Cooper Library collection for in-depth research into historical style writing and graffiti subcultures.\ - Engage with interactive and augmented reality installations by scanning provided component markers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Summary - Dedicated global showcase for graffiti, street art, and urban contemporary art.\ - Innovative architectural design by GRAFT connecting interior gallery spaces with the urban streetscape.\ - Extensive permanent loans and commissioned site-specific works by over fifty international artists. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## FAQ ### What are the museum's operating hours? The museum is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:00 to 18:00, and Thursday through Sunday from 12:00 to 20:00. ### Who operates the Urban Nation Museum? The museum is an initiative of the non-profit Foundation Berliner Leben, founded by Gewobag AG. ### Is the museum accessible for private events? Yes, the event premises offer an extraordinary backdrop for creative formats with up to 150 guests across 420 sqm of flexible space. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Spatial Hierarchy ### Ground Floor - **Square Footage:** 269.5 sqm - **Floor Level:** 1 - **Viewpoints:** - City As Muse (Position: X=-5.36, Y=0.5, Z=-6.54 | Rotation: Pitch=3.07, Yaw=-0.55, Roll=3.14) - Kilroy Was Here (Position: X=1.87, Y=0.56, Z=-3.58 | Rotation: Pitch=-0.08, Yaw=-0.75, Roll=0) - WORD ON THE STREET (Position: X=2.1, Y=0.51, Z=0.77 | Rotation: Pitch=3.02, Yaw=-0.97, Roll=3.14) - LET'S TALK ABOUT GENTRIFICATION (Position: X=0.27, Y=0.52, Z=5.37 | Rotation: Pitch=3.1, Yaw=-1.47, Roll=-3.14) - SUBVERTED SPACES (Position: X=-0.24, Y=0.57, Z=5.24 | Rotation: Pitch=3.05, Yaw=0.7, Roll=3.14) ### 1st Floor - **Square Footage:** 211.8 sqm - **Floor Level:** 2 - **Viewpoints:** - SPACE HACKING (Position: X=2.46, Y=3.93, Z=16.62 | Rotation: Pitch=3.11, Yaw=1.55, Roll=3.14) - NOT ANOTHER PRETTY PICTURE (Position: X=1.05, Y=4.2, Z=8.14 | Rotation: Pitch=-0.01, Yaw=-1.45, Roll=0) - Martha Cooper Library (Position: X=4.87, Y=4.13, Z=16.06 | Rotation: Pitch=-0.17, Yaw=-1.29, Roll=0) - DE-CONSTRUCT TO CONSTRUCT (Position: X=3.75, Y=4.31, Z=-4.65 | Rotation: Pitch=-3.14, Yaw=-0.17, Roll=3.14) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Exhibited Artworks & Collection ### Der Blobenstein - **Artist:** Kenny Scharf - **Year:** 2017 - **Medium:** Acrylic on canvas - **Dimensions:** 120 cm x 190 cm - **External Link:** [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/der-blobenstein) - **About:** This vibrant canvas showcases Kenny Scharf's signature pop surrealist aesthetic, featuring bold colors and whimsical "blob" creatures inspired by comics, science fiction, and television cartoons. The composition radiates the raw, psychedelic energy of the wild 1980s New York art scene where Scharf emerged alongside Keith Haring. Through an accessible and playful visual language, the work bridges cosmic abstraction with pop culture iconography. - **Style & Technique:** Pop surrealism, spray paint and acrylic on canvas, combining psychedelic influences with fast-paced muralist energy. ### Untitled - **Artist:** John “Crash” Matos - **Year:** 2017 - **Medium:** Spray paint on canvas - **Dimensions:** 122 cm x 76 cm - **External Link:** [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/crash-untitled) - **About:** John "Crash" Matos transfers dynamic fragments of lettering and classic graffiti elements onto canvas using clear, vivid colors to simulate an enlarged section of a giant street mural. The piece successfully blurs the traditional boundaries separating style writing, street art, pop art, and abstract painting. Its energetic composition reflects the transition of graffiti from New York subway cars and asphalt into prestigious gallery spaces. - **Style & Technique:** Abstract graffiti art, spray paint on canvas, merging pop art sensibilities with traditional style-writing techniques. ### Interpretation Of The Book Cover Of Subway Art - **Artist:** Owen Dippie - **Year:** 2010 - **Medium:** Acrylic on canvas - **Dimensions:** 79 cm x 104 cm - **External Link:** [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/interpretation-of-the-book-cover-of-subway-art) - **About:** Owen Dippie creates a meticulous photo-realist reconstruction of the iconic book cover for the first edition of *Subway Art* by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant. This painting serves as a heartfelt homage to the publication widely regarded as the "bible of graffiti," which catalyzed the global spread of street art culture. The work juxtaposes precise photorealism with deep historical reverence for the pioneers of New York style writing. - **Style & Technique:** Photorealism, acrylic on canvas, combining meticulous detail with historical homage. ### Made in the Bronx - **Artist:** Tats Cru - **Year:** 2017 - **Medium:** Spray paint on canvas - **Dimensions:** 101 cm x 152 cm - **External Link:** [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/made-in-the-bronx) - **About:** Created by the legendary New York collective Tats Cru, this painting pays tribute to the five fundamental pillars of hip-hop culture originating in the Bronx: DJing, MCing, breakdancing, visual graffiti art, and historical knowledge. The composition integrates individual member styles into a cohesive, vibrant narrative celebrating collective street artistry. Its bold linework and rich color palette honor the roots of urban expression. - **Style & Technique:** Collective style writing, spray paint on canvas, emphasizing integrated lettering and hip-hop iconography. ### Underground Playground - **Artist:** Chris “Daze” Ellis - **Year:** 2017 - **Medium:** Spray paint on canvas - **Dimensions:** 107 cm x 77 cm - **External Link:** [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/underground-playground) - **About:** Chris "Daze" Ellis evokes a poignant sense of nostalgia, harking back to his formative years painting New York subway cars between 1976 and 1982. The canvas balances a melancholic reflection on bygone eras with a hopeful glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel. It immortalizes the transient subway culture that defined a generation of pioneering graffiti artists. - **Style & Technique:** Spray paint on canvas, blending evocative atmospheric narrative with classic New York style writing. ### Seen Pjay Kehl & Blade Location: South Bronx - **Artist:** Martha Cooper - **Year:** 1981 - **Medium:** Photography - **Dimensions:** 207 cm x 100 cm - **External Link:** [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/seen-pjay-kehl) - **About:** Legendary photojournalist Martha Cooper captures a historic "double whole car" graffiti piece created by four of New York's most celebrated pioneers in the South Bronx. The large-scale photographic print freezes an ephemeral moment of subcultural defiance and artistic brilliance. Through her lens, Cooper validates fleeting public interventions as monumental works of contemporary art. - **Style & Technique:** Fine art documentary photography, capturing large-scale transit graffiti with sharp clarity and composition. ### I will build you up while they put you down - **Artist:** Millo - **Year:** 2017 - **Medium:** Acrylic on MDF - **Dimensions:** 232 cm x 289 cm - **External Link:** [Details](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/i-will-build-you-up-while-they-put-you-down) - **About:** Italian street artist Millo presents a narrative-driven composition featuring a friendly protagonist navigating an intricate labyrinth of imaginary cityscapes. Rendered in distinct black and white lines with sparse color accents, the work explores existential emotions ranging from love and hope to loneliness and fear. The introspective figure seems to suspend the hectic, relentless flow of urban time. - **Style & Technique:** Narrative urban art, acrylic on wood panel, utilizing stark black-and-white linework with minimal chromatic highlights. ### Billy #2 - **Artist:** Joel Daniel Phillips - **Year:** 2016 - **Medium:** Charcoal and graphite on paper - **Dimensions:** 106 cm x 238 cm - **External Link:** [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/billy-2) - **About:** Joel Daniel Phillips creates a life-size, highly detailed portrait from his *No Regrets in Life* series, elevating an overlooked street individual into the central hero of their own story. The labor-intensive charcoal and graphite drawing stands in stark counterpoint to modern, image-driven instant gratification. It serves as a monumental tribute to the unacknowledged human histories etched into our public spaces. - **Style & Technique:** Hyper-realistic portraiture, charcoal and graphite on paper, emphasizing meticulous textural detail and emotional depth. ### URBAN NATION Mini Dudes - **Artist:** Jaune - **Year:** 2018 - **Medium:** Acrylic and spray paint on wood - **Dimensions:** 300 cm x 300 cm - **External Link:** [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/urban-nation-mini-dudes) - **About:** Drawing on his personal background as a sanitation worker, Belgian artist Jaune constructs a playful, detailed installation featuring miniature garbagemen in bright yellow and orange workwear. The work cleverly highlights the societal invisibility of sanitation workers by placing humorous, vibrant micro-narratives just below eye level. It bridges urban realism with witty stencil-based theatricality. - **Style & Technique:** Stencil art and miniature installation, acrylic and spray paint on wood, combining sharp contrast with humorous social commentary. ### Ammazzo - **Artist:** HOGRE - **Year:** 2024 - **Medium:** Digital print - **Dimensions:** 120 cm x 180 cm - **External Link:** [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/ammazzo-poster-campaign) - **About:** Anonymous activist HOGRE presents a satirical critique of the military-industrial complex through the fictional brand "Ammazzo," which advertises weapons for sale to anyone willing to pay. The digital print mimics commercial billboard aesthetics to subvert capitalist narratives and expose the brutal reality that war remains a profitable market. The work utilizes subversive irony to provoke critical public discourse. - **Style & Technique:** Subvertising and media activism, digital print, employing parody and corporate advertising aesthetics. ### Werbepause - **Artist:** HOGRE and Rocco and His Brothers - **Year:** 2022 - **Medium:** Billboard collage - **Dimensions:** 382 cm x 311 cm - **External Link:** [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/werbepause) - **About:** *Werbepause* (Commercial Break) merges salvaged advertising posters from around Berlin with the analog television test pattern of a dead channel. This collaborative collage creates a disruptive visual commentary on the emptiness of mass media and consumer culture. By reclaiming commercial billboard spaces, the artists invite viewers to reflect on what can be gained by dismantling corporate visual pollution. - **Style & Technique:** Billboard collage and media subversion, assembling found advertising relics into a disruptive test-pattern format. ### Collisions - **Artist:** Jordan Seiler - **Year:** 2016–2020 - **Medium:** Fine art photographic print with augmented reality component - **Dimensions:** 70 cm x 46,67 cm / 100 cm x 66,67 cm - **External Link:** [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/collisions) - **About:** Jordan Seiler presents augmented reality-enhanced photographs that document active resistance against outdoor advertising monopolies. By scanning accompanying QR codes, viewers unlock video documentation of real-world subvertising actions that reclaim public space for collective civic use. The series challenges the notion that public infrastructure must exclusively serve commercial interests. - **Style & Technique:** Fine art photography integrated with augmented reality video, documenting activist public space interventions. ### Catalog Index - Made of Desires and Fears --- Drew.Lab_One, . Acrylic and spray paint, . - Three Tier --- Aniruddh Mehta, . Digital printing on textile, 100 cm x 100 cm Triptych - Ammazzo --- HOGRE, 2024. Oil on canvas, 200 cm x 112 cm. - PublicAccess --- Jordan Seiler, 2020. Artifacts from the PublicAccess Project, including Key Box Edition. - Greetings from Iraq --- Shepard Fairey, 2019. Silkscreen and Mixed Media Collage on Paper, HPM, 76,2 cm x 104,14 cm. - Paint It Black --- Shepard Fairey, 2019. Silkscreen and Mixed Media Collage on Paper, HPM, 76,2 cm x 104,14 cm. - Proud Parents --- Shepard Fairey, 2019. Silkscreen and Mixed Media Collage on Paper, HPM, 76,2 cm x 104,14 cm. - Post Vandalism --- Moses & Taps, 2024. Spray paint on steel, 124 cm x 143 cm x 50 cm. - LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY --- , . , . - The Fallen --- Rocco and His Brothers, 2024. Steel with original elements of the New York Subway, 1000 cm x 300 cm x 200 cm. - Kill Roy WASSÏERE --- Dan Witz, 2024. Oil and mixed technique on sintra, 50,2 cm x 50,2 cm. - Mauerspechte --- , . , . - Ghost Paintings --- OX, 2024. Acrylic on polyane tarpaulin and Video documentation, 547 cm x 366 cm x 40 cm. - LA: Oceanwide Plaza --- Chop ‘em Down Films, 2023 - 2024. Fine art photographic and digital prints, 4 channel video installation. - Diorama --- Vhils, 2017. Cast concrete sculpture, . - Word on the street --- , . , . - Kilroy was here --- , . , . - Let's talk about gentrification --- , . , . - Subverted Spaces --- , . , . - AK-47 (Q1) --- Zhang Dali, 2009. Acrylic on vinyl, 82 cm x 102 cm x 2 cm. - B Faza 8 --- Sebas Velasco, 2023. Oil on canvas, 120 cm x 150 cm. - Dequindre Cut --- Stephanie Buer, 2014. Oil on canvas, 36 cm x 36 cm. - Mehrweg (Dresden Print #1, A.P.) --- Evol, 2010. Spray paint on cardboard, 97 cm x 82 cm. - RAW-Gelände II --- Susanna Jerger, 2024. Öl auf Leinwand, 100 cm x 70 cm. - Lexington Avenue Local --- Matthew Grabelsky, 2015. Oil on wood, 41 cm x 51 cm. - Abeo’s Barbershop --- Isaac Zavale, 2024. Acrylic on canvas, 90 cm x 120 cm. - Tacheles --- Nika Kramer, 2011. Fine art photographic print, . - Tacheles --- Nika Kramer, 2011. Fine art photographic print, . - LA: Oceanwide Plaza --- Chop ‘em Down Films, 2023 – 2024. Fine art photographic and digital prints, 4 channel video installation. - Painting Dhaka Project --- Lukas Zeilinger, 2019 – 2022. Mixed media installation Compilation from the film “Painting Dhaka” 2023, . - Local Legends: Spandau ONE WALL --- Lukas Zeilinger, 2024. Documentation of the project at Blasewitzer Ring 12, Berlin-Spandau, . - Local Legends: Spandau COMMUNITY WALL --- Lukas Zeilinger, . , . - Dots Project mit Omabunker --- Jazoo Yang, 2024. Traditional Asian ink, . - La Nuit Du Street Art --- Blek le Rat, 2017. Spray paint on canvas, 140 cm x 215 cm. - Love Letters --- HA Schult, 2002. , . - Paraglyph Jellyfish --- Mr. Paradox Paradise, 2024. Styrofoam, 150 cm × 250 cm. - Wall Cleaning --- Octavi Serra, 2024. Mixed technique, Acrylic on picture frames and wall, . - Gangsta Rat (Green) --- Banksy, 2005. Screen print on paper, 35 cm x 50 cm. - Thank You All --- The Wa and Elfo, 2023. Mixed media installation, . - Bottled Monkey --- Artur Bordalo aka Bordalo II, . Used plastic bottles, LED lights, formwork and iron structure, 332 cm x 521 cm. - MAP OF CONCERN, Test 1 --- Johannes Mundinger, 2017. Acrylic on canvas, extended onto the wall, 180 cm x 210 cm. - Bülowstraße-Berlin II --- Liviu Bulea, 2024. Mixed technique, 63 cm x 63 cm x 6 cm. - Bülowstraße-Berlin --- Liviu Bulea, 2019. Mixed technique on found windows, cement and pieces of buildings, 63 cm x 63 cm x 6 cm. - Riders of the Storm --- James Reka (Reka One), 2017. Spray paint on metal, 93 cm x 120 cm. - Kottbusser Tor --- 2501, 2017. Acrylic on canvas, 140 cm x 180 cm. - Post Graffiti --- Moses & Taps, 2024. Spray paint on steel and PVC, 800 cm x 280 cm x 30 cm. - Center of Momentum Frame --- Carlos Mare aka Mare139, 2011. Carbon steel, 89 cm x 61 cm x 56 cm. - Untitled --- Vhils, 2015. Wall mounted installation, 550 cm x 300 cm. - Chinatown in Brooklyn - Bay Pkwy --- Stipan Tadić, . Video animation, . - Love Letters --- HA Schult, . , . - Space Hacking --- , . , . - Bottled Monkey --- Artur Bordalo aka Bordalo II, . Used plastic bottles, LED lights, formwork and iron structure, 332 cm x 521 cm. - Not another pretty picture --- , . , . - De-construct to construct --- , . , . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## State and Interaction Rules Users interacting with this spatial environment can click on viewpoint markers to navigate seamlessly between rooms and floors, click on external media guide links for supplementary artist information, and query detailed descriptive metadata for individual exhibited artworks and tagged objects across all gallery chapters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Spatial Context The Urban Nation Museum's interior is organized across two principal floors connected by open bridges that run parallel to Bülowstraße and the exterior subway line. The Ground Floor houses introductory thematic chapters such as *CITY AS MUSE*, *KILROY WAS HERE*, *WORD ON THE STREET*, *LET’S TALK ABOUT GENTRIFICATION*, and *SUBVERTED SPACES*, featuring large-scale installations, archival photographs, and billboard collages. The 1st Floor accommodates advanced conceptual chapters including *SPACE HACKING*, *NOT ANOTHER PRETTY PICTURE*, *DE-CONSTRUCT TO CONSTRUCT*, the specialized Martha Cooper Library, and interactive documentary installations, establishing a direct spatial and conceptual dialogue between indoor museum curation and public street art interventions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ## Complete Inventory ### Tagged objects - **Made of Desires and Fears** — Ground Floor "Made of Desires and Fears" by Berlin-based Italian street artist, Drew.Lab_One. This acrylic and spray paint work weaves Arabic, Gothic, and Sumerian calligraphy, as well as Cyrillic and Gothic script traditions, into a collage of quotations from the Italian author Calvino using different letter types from different eras and cultures, symbolizing the architectural and cultural diversity of Berlin. Position: X=6.05, Y=0.27, Z=2.26 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/made-of-desires-and-fears) - **Der Blobenstein** — Ground Floor The artist Kenny Scharf, born in Los Angeles in 1958, moved to New York City in the late 1970s to dive into the art scene of the East Village, where he shared a living space with Keith Haring. His paintings are inspired by comics, science fiction and TV cartoon series. The New York subway graffiti writers fascinated him because they seemed to make art out of pure passion. Although Scharf does not like the term “street art” himself, he can be regarded as one of its forefathers. Scharf used the spray can in public space, making a place for his cosmic-surrealistic splashes of color – his “blobs” – in the cityscape of New York. To this day, Scharf creates large-scale murals, which he paints quickly and alone, without assistants. His work seen here is titled The Blobenstein. It is an example of his characteristic style with bold colors and typical “blob” creatures. Scharf describes himself as a “pop surrealist.” Alien, psychedelic elements feed into a vibrant and visually accessible aesthetic, one that is alive with the energy of the wild 1980s. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Acrylic on canvas, 120 cm x 190 cm, 2017 Position: X=12.25, Y=0.43, Z=-7.87 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/der-blobenstein) - **Untitled** — Ground Floor John “Crash” Matos was born in 1961 in the Bronx, where many writers lived and where hip-hop culture is generally accepted to have its roots. He was one of the first New York graffiti artists to bring the young art movement from the streets and trains into the galleries. Crash, then nineteen, curated the important Graffiti Art Success for America exhibition at the alternative art space Fashion Moda. Such shows played an important role in legitimizing graffiti as an art movement. In his work Untitled (2017), Crash transfers fragments of lettering and other graffiti elements to the canvas in clear, bright colors. This creates the impression of a greatly enlarged section of a giant graffiti work while blurring the boundaries between style writing, street art, pop art, and abstract painting. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Spray paint on canvas, 122 cm x 76 cm, 2017 Position: X=12.47, Y=0.88, Z=-4.27 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/crash-untitled) - **Interpretation Of The Book Cover Of Subway Art** — Ground Floor Owen Dippie, a celebrated street artist from Kawerau, New Zealand, specializes in large-scale photo-realistic murals. He has visited New York City many times, painting and paying homage to the “mecca of graffiti” in various ways. Dippie’s two fields of expertise, photo-realism and historicallyconscious graffiti references, merge exquisitely in the work Interpretation Of The Book Cover Of Subway Art (2010) shown here. He created a meticulous reconstruction of the cover of Subway Art as it was designed for the original first edition – a loving homage to the “bible of graffiti,” the highly influential collaboration between Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant. The publication of this book was a breakthrough for the art movement’s visibility as much as it was a catalyst for young people around the world to take up graffiti themselves, not only in New York but in places as far away as New Zealand. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Acrylic on canvas, 79 cm x 104 cm, 2010 Position: X=12.36, Y=0.43, Z=-6.78 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/interpretation-of-the-book-cover-of-subway-art) - **Made in the Bronx** — Ground Floor Founded in the 1980s, Tats Cru is a mainstay of New York graffiti. The group’s collaborative approach is to integrate the individual members’ styles and names into one collective work of art. Having gained a reputation as the creator of large-scale murals, Tats Cru has worked with some of the world’s major music acts like Missy Elliot, Jennifer Lopez, and Metallica. The members also helped solidify graffiti writing in Europe when they visited England for a project with young local writers who would later become the country’s most famed pioneers. Tats Cru developed letter writing in their own particular way, which also shows in their work Made in the Bronx. This painting makes reference to the five elements of hip-hop, the pillars of the Bronx-born culture: music (DJing), lyrics (MCing), dance (breakdancing), visual art (graffiti), and historical knowledge of the movement. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Spray paint on canvas, 101 cm x 152 cm, 2017 Position: X=12.4, Y=0.45, Z=-5.64 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/made-in-the-bronx) - **Underground Playground** — Ground Floor Chris “Daze” Ellis was instrumental in helping early graffiti set off for new horizons. After studying at the High School of Art & Design, Daze exhibited his works alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring as early as 1981. “… [subway cars] became my whole life from 1976 to 1982. Although I no longer paint trains, painting in general naturally remains the central point in my life. It defines who I am as a person in this world.” His 2017 work Underground Playground feels like looking backward in time, with memories of times long gone evoked – an everlasting connection to the subway cars that once sparked Daze’s interest in graffiti. As he explained in an interview in 2017: “… it became my whole life from 1976 to 1982. Although I no longer paint trains, painting in general naturally remains the central point in my life. It defines who I am as a person in this world.” There’s a certain melancholy to this – but the light at the end o f the tunnel points to something new that’s on its way. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Spray paint on canvas, 107 cm x 77 cm, 2017 Position: X=12.47, Y=-0.06, Z=-4.35 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/underground-playground) - **Seen Pjay Kehl & Blade Location: South Bronx** — Ground Floor Martha Cooper, born in 1943 in Baltimore, is a legendary photographer whose commitment to graffiti has contributed immensely to the culture’s visibility around the world. Cooper was the first female photo journalist employed at the New York Post. In the late 1970s, subway graffiti caught her attention. She subsequently met some writers and decided to document the fleeting artworks extensively. At this time, before the culture was assigned any classifications, Cooper recognized its importance and thus teamed up with like-minded photographer Henry Chalfant to create the groundbreaking book Subway Art. This “bible of graffiti” is a milestone of contemporary photography that captures the spirit of a movement. The original dummy of the book was shown at URBAN NATION as part of Cooper’s first international retrospective exhibition Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures (2020–2022). Her strong ties to the museum are also reflected by the in-house library she donated to URBAN NATION in 2021 in addition to her permanent loans of publications and archival materials. Cooper’s work in this exhibition, Seen Pjay Kehl & Blade Location: South Bronx, shows a “double whole car” done by four of the most noted New York graffiti pioneers. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Photography, 207 cm x 100 cm, 1981 Position: X=5.87, Y=0.73, Z=-2.97 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/seen-pjay-kehl) - **I will build you up while they put you down** — Ground Floor talian street artist Millo was born in Pescara in 1979. His large-scale murals and canvas works feature friendly-looking figures who explore their urban surroundings. By using distinct black and white lines with sparse accents of color and numerous fine details, Millo’s narrative paintings open up a world unique to itself and express existential emotions ranging from love and hope to loneliness and fear. Whether the protagonists are individuals or couples, they appear to exist in a labyrinth of imaginary cityscapes and in a state of introspection, seemingly stopping the hectic flow of time. The work by Millo shown here was created in 2017 on a wooden panel in the URBAN NATION before the museum was officially opened. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Acrylic on MDF, 232 cm x 289 cm, 2017 Position: X=-2.78, Y=3.83, Z=-1.31 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/i-will-build-you-up-while-they-put-you-down) - **Three Tier** — Ground Floor Aniruddh Mehta is a visual artist and designer based in Mumbai, India. His work spans a wide range of media: from traditional graphic design to digital and new media art. Mehta’s artistic practice is defined by attention to detail and a seamless combination of techniques, often focusing on common themes that connect single artworks. Mehta’s work created for this exhibition represents visually the complexity of megacities in India today by layering geometric patterns and photographs taken in the cities – from wall textures to street corners to the people who inhabit these spaces. Mehta’s collage-based work is an ode to the city he lives in and the cities he visits. On loan courtesy of St+Art India Foundation. St+art India Foundation The first iteration of the artwork Cracks and Pockets was presented in 2017 at the Sassoon Dock Art Project, an indoor and outdoor experiential exhibition curated by St+art India Foundation, an organization that has fostered Urban Art in India since 2014. St+art India Foundation is a non-profit organization based in India which contributes to urban regeneration and community living through contemporary urban art projects. The foundation enables a vision for democratised public spaces through interdisciplinary art interventions that are rooted in the social context. Since 2014, the foundation has organised more than 30 festivals and 7 art districts across New Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad among 20 other cities, creating iconic landmarks with over 600+ murals, installations and community based spatial interventions while working with more than 500 Indian and international artists. In 2019, St+art introduced the ‘Craft into Contemporary’ Residency to explore how indigenous crafts can find relevance in today’s global context grounding it in research, creative experimentation, and mentorship. Along with this, the St+art Care Initiative enables a transformative experience to government run institutions, women and children’s centres, and NGOs like paediatric hospitals and special education schools where artists engage with the community members and students to create interactive art in spaces which are often somber. This extensive body of work that is spread out through the country has also empowered the foundation to play a key role in influencing public policy at a state and central level in India. Each public art district in the country and editions of festivals bring curated projects to civic spaces that are embedded in urban culture, and use art as a tool to reimagine how public spaces can be utilised. For the foundation, which has been responsible for making urban art a movement in India, public art interventions are a celebration of the street as a canvas for visual creativity. Highlights: Digital printing on textile, 100 cm x 100 cm Triptych, part of the Cracks and Pockets series Position: X=-0.33, Y=3.6, Z=-3.55 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/three-tier) - **Billy #2** — Ground Floor Joel Daniel Phillips is an American portrait artist who is convinced that portraiture has the power to enable empathy across temporal and spatial distance. Phillips strives to explore the personal and societal histories etched in the world around him. His portraits’ subjects and motifs are derived from historical images and from everyday life, oftentimes appearing dreamlike and dislocated. “My process is inherently about labor, and against the modern backdrop of instant, image-driven gratification.” The work Billy #2 (2016), shown here, is a life-size charcoal/graphite drawing out of the series No Regrets in Life. With this series, the artist created a monument in tribute to the overlooked and underrecognized people he frequently meets on the street. These individuals are no longer just background figures in public space but are shown as the main characters in their own stories. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Charcoal and graphite on paper, 106 cm x 238 cm, 2016 Position: X=-0.74, Y=3.83, Z=-2.01 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/billy-2) - **URBAN NATION Mini Dudes** — Ground Floor Self-taught street artist Jaune lives in Brussels and used to work as a garbageman. In his detailed stencil works, he pays homage to his own biography, and to the freedom and poetry that can be found in the “unglamorous” aspects of city life. Jaune first gained public attention in 2011 with his miniature garbagemen playing and celebrating along the sidewalks of Brussels in their yellow and orange workwear. As he knows from his own experience, garbagemen are mostly invisible to passers-by, and so he plays with the contradiction between visibility and invisibility in small-scale scenes that unfold below eye-level and that are too lovingly artful and funny to be ignored. In the exhibition, his “mini dudes” can be found right next to the entrance. His work URBAN NATION Mini Dudes was created in 2018 outside the Project Space across from the museum. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Acrylic and spray paint on wood, 300 cm x 300 cm, 2018 Position: X=-3.68, Y=0.58, Z=-8.19 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/urban-nation-mini-dudes) - **Ammazzo** — Ground Floor The artist, who works under the pseudonym HOGRE, is internationally known for his unauthorized interventions in public space. His artworks are especially characterized by irony and critical thinking towards media narratives. The first of HOGRE’s subvertising campaigns took place in 2006 when he covered Berlusconi’s election posters in Rome’s Tufello district with red noses and insults. HOGRE’s works are regularly shown in solo and group exhibitions, but despite his international fame, he prefers to remain anonymous due to the controversial reactions to his provocative art. “As long as war is a profitable market, there will be war.” In this exhibition, HOGRE presents his project Ammazzo, which means “I kill” in Italian—a fictional brand that sells and delivers weapons to anyone who can and is willing to pay for them. In this project, he uses three different media: a reproduction of the poster placed on billboards in Berlin and Rome, a painting on canvas in standard 16:9 screen format, and a video documenting the po sters being put up in both cities. The artist’s critical view on capitalism points to a brutal reality. In his own words: “… As long as war is a profitable market, there will be war.” On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Digital print, 120 cm x 180 cm, 2024 Position: X=-5.6, Y=0.48, Z=16.88 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/ammazzo-poster-campaign) - **Ammazzo** — Ground Floor The artist, who works under the pseudonym HOGRE, is internationally known for his unauthorized interventions in public space. His artworks are especially characterized by irony and critical thinking towards media narratives. The first of HOGRE’s subvertising campaigns took place in 2006 when he covered Berlusconi’s election posters in Rome’s Tufello district with red noses and insults. HOGRE’s works are regularly shown in solo and group exhibitions, but despite his international fame, he prefers to remain anonymous due to the controversial reactions to his provocative art. “As long as war is a profitable market, there will be war.” In this exhibition, HOGRE presents his project Ammazzo, which means “I kill” in Italian—a fictional brand that sells and delivers weapons to anyone who can and is willing to pay for them. In this project, he uses three different media: a reproduction of the poster placed on billboards in Berlin and Rome, a painting on canvas in standard 16:9 screen format, and a video documenting the po sters being put up in both cities. The artist’s critical view on capitalism points to a brutal reality. In his own words: “… As long as war is a profitable market, there will be war.” On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Oil on canvas, 200 cm x 112 cm, 2024 Position: X=-5.67, Y=0.44, Z=14.93 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/hogre-screenshot) - **Werbepause** — Ground Floor This collaboration between HOGRE and Rocco and His Brothers invites the viewer to critically reflect on the influence of public advertising, and to contemplate what could potentially be gained by reclaiming urban spaces. The work was first shown at an exhibition at Kunstraum Kreuzberg in 2022. Werbepause (Commercial Break) is a collage of billboard posters gathered from various advertising spaces in and around Berlin; it exhibits a clear reference to TV test patterns. These relics from the analog television era can be seen as a symbol for the emptiness and repetitiveness of mass media and consumer culture. By placing the poster fragments within the test pattern of a dead channel, the artists create a subversive disruption. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Billboard collage, 382 cm x 311 cm, 2022 Position: X=-6.21, Y=0.44, Z=6.11 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/werbepause) - **Collisions** — Ground Floor New York based artist and activist Jordan Seiler, born in 1979, focuses his work on public advertising and on various ways of resisting it creatively. Having started taking over billboards and advertising spaces with his own artworks in the early 2000s, he has since developed various forms of subvertising, and organizes collective activism. “While public space is thought of as a collective resource, it often serves the interests of a few, outdoor advertising being one prime example.” Two series of works by Jordan Seiler are exhibited here: Collisions (2016–2020) is a series of augmented reality-enhanced photographs. By scanning the QR code next to the photo prints, you will be able to experience the augmented versions of the works, showing videos of the subverting acts. PublicAccess keys are functional sculptures that allow anyone to use for their own purposes the civic infrastructure of cities that are normally reserved for commercial messaging. Seiler has created tools to open advertising displays and offers a how-to guide for using them. The key box set PublicAccess (2020) for opening these advertising displays can be found here in the vitrines. With this project Seiler says: “While public space is thought of as a collective resource, often it serves the interests of a few, outdoor advertising being one prime example.” The project offers easy access to the resource of poster space which, for the artist, represents a model for democratic participation in urban space. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Fine art photographic print with augmented reality component, 70 cm x 46,67 cm / 100 cm x 66,67 cm, 2016–2020 Position: X=-5.98, Y=0.91, Z=10.32 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/collisions) - **PublicAccess** — Ground Floor New York based artist and activist Jordan Seiler, born in 1979, focuses his work on public advertising and on various ways of resisting it creatively. Having started taking over billboards and advertising spaces with his own artworks in the early 2000s, he has since developed various forms of subvertising, and organizes collective activism. The key box sets PublicAccess are functional sculptures that allow anyone to use for their own purposes the civic infrastructure of cities that are normally reserved for commercial messaging. Seiler has created tools to open advertising displays and offers a how-to guide for using them. The key box set PublicAccess (2020) for opening these advertising displays can be found here in the vitrines. With this project Seiler says: “While public space is thought of as a collective resource, often it serves the interests of a few, outdoor advertising being one prime example.” The project offers easy access to the resource of poster space which, for the artist, represents a model for democratic participation in urban space. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: A selection of artifacts from the PublicAccess Project, including the Key Box Edition, functional sculptures, and photos of media installed by the public using the keys., 2020 Position: X=-5.25, Y=-0.51, Z=10.31 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/public-access) - **Greetings from Iraq** — Ground Floor Shepard Fairey is a world-renowned American muralist, graphic artist, and social activist. One of his best-known projects is the HOPE poster which supported Barack Obama's presidential election campaign in 2008. In his prints, murals, stickers, and posters in public spaces, Fairey combines typography and imagery to convey his distinctive brand of social critique. For him, art also means initiating uncomfortable discussions and stirring unsettling feelings. Fairey first gained attention in 1989 with his iconic motif André The Giant. Soon after, he began his ongoing OBEY Giant project as an anonymous sticker campaign: a campaign that has no obvious meaning or commercial objective. Fairey states that his main goal is “… to reawaken a sense of wonder about one’s environment. The OBEY sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings.” On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Silkscreen and Mixed Media Collage on Paper, HPM, 76,2 cm x 104,14 cm, 2019 Position: X=-2.8, Y=0.35, Z=17.97 Links: [Buy Now](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/greetings-from-iraq) - **Paint It Black** — Ground Floor Shepard Fairey is a world-renowned American muralist, graphic artist, and social activist. One of his best-known projects is the HOPE poster which supported Barack Obama's presidential election campaign in 2008. In his prints, murals, stickers, and posters in public spaces, Fairey combines typography and imagery to convey his distinctive brand of social critique. For him, art also means initiating uncomfortable discussions and stirring unsettling feelings. Fairey first gained attention in 1989 with his iconic motif André The Giant. Soon after, he began his ongoing OBEY Giant project as an anonymous sticker campaign: a campaign that has no obvious meaning or commercial objective. Fairey states that his main goal is “… to reawaken a sense of wonder about one’s environment. The OBEY sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings.” On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Silkscreen and Mixed Media Collage on Paper, HPM, 76,2 cm x 104,14 cm, 2019 Position: X=-4.42, Y=0.35, Z=18.08 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/paint-it-black) - **Proud Parents** — Ground Floor Shepard Fairey is a world-renowned American muralist, graphic artist, and social activist. One of his best-known projects is the HOPE poster which supported Barack Obama's presidential election campaign in 2008. In his prints, murals, stickers, and posters in public spaces, Fairey combines typography and imagery to convey his distinctive brand of social critique. For him, art also means initiating uncomfortable discussions and stirring unsettling feelings. Fairey first gained attention in 1989 with his iconic motif André The Giant. Soon after, he began his ongoing OBEY Giant project as an anonymous sticker campaign: a campaign that has no obvious meaning or commercial objective. Fairey states that his main goal is “… to reawaken a sense of wonder about one’s environment. The OBEY sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings.” On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Silkscreen and Mixed Media Collage on Paper, HPM, 76,2 cm x 104,14 cm, 2019 Position: X=-1.18, Y=0.34, Z=17.88 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/proud-parents) - **Post Vandalism** — Ground Floor Moses & Taps is a German artist collective duo, founded in 2007 by the two artists Moses and Taps. Together they have radically expanded graffiti by creating satirical actions and have led graffiti writing in completely new directions both formally and conceptually, with installations and actions within the urban environment and in the gallery context. Their signature colors of cyan blue and yellow are their trademark, as is their acronym TM for Trademark and Taps-Moses. Their first book International Topsprayer, published in 2011, is Germany’s top-selling graffiti book. Donation from the artists. Highlights: Spray paint on steel, 124 cm x 143 cm x 50 cm, 2024 Position: X=-1.38, Y=-0.17, Z=-7.47 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/post-vandalism) - **LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY** — Ground Floor LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY is a homage to the city and an invitation to rethink our urban environments and the role of art in shaping our collective experiences. What changes can art initiate in public space? What are the methods and motivations behind creating work in public spaces, and what effect does this have on society? This exhibition creates a framework to spark dialogue through art, beyond the confines of museum walls, with many works correlating to public space. We encourage you to re-examine public space, explore the streets, and rediscover your relationship with the city. The narratives of the city are present in the streets if you are open to seeing them. The all-encompassing, constantly evolving urban environment has long been a playground and inspiration for artists. Graffiti, urban and contemporary art, installations, and interactive sculptures have enabled artists to reimagine cityscapes, blurring the lines between the social and political, the physical and conceptual realms. Beyond aesthetic inspiration, cityscapes have encouraged artists to reflect on urban challenges and envision a more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable future. Themes of urbanization, gentrification, environmental degradation, and social inequality prevail, prompting critical discussion that can lead to positive change. The street is a stage where public life is performed. Arguably, the street is now a gallery. Where is the interface between art and daily living? How do institutions create dialogue through art that transcends just pretty pictures and technique? Featuring works by over fifty artists in the fields of graffiti and urban and contemporary art, the nine chapters of the exhibition are: CITY AS MUSE, KILROY WAS HERE, WORD ON THE STREET, LET’S TALK ABOUT GENTRIFICATION, SUBVERTED SPACES, SPACE HACKING, NOT ANOTHER PRETTY PICTURE, DE-CONSTRUCT TO CONSTRUCT, and LOVE LETTERS IN THE CITY. The nine chapters of the exhibition expand into the city through various murals and participatory actions. This approach aligns with the Berliner Leben Foundation's mission to support the enormous potential of art as a vehicle for cultural education and participation in the sense of social neighborhood development. Position: X=-2.89, Y=1.31, Z=-1.24 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/home) - **The Fallen** — Ground Floor Rocco and His Brothers, the artist collective from Berlin rooted in graffiti writing, are known for their installations in public spaces, which they have carried out since 2016. Known as “art activists,” they create provocative installations with a social framework. The Fallen is a series of four angels. Three of the angels are archangels made from parts of New York City subway cars from the 1980s. At that time, the first wave of the graffiti movement was at its peak. The fourth angel in the series, The Fallen, is composed of elements of Berlin S-Bahn trains that were in operation during the heyday of the Berlin Writers’ Bench at Friedrichstrasse station in the 1980s and 1990s. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Steel with original elements of the New York Subway, 1000 cm x 300 cm x 200 cm, 2024 Position: X=2.18, Y=0.54, Z=-7.64 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/the-fallen) - **Kill Roy WASSÏERE** — Ground Floor Dan Witz specializes in both photorealistic painting and street art. His realism is informed by the Old Masters of Renaissance and Baroque painting. He transfers the precise painting technique of that period to the present day by working with motifs from current subcultures. To this day, Dan Witz is amazed at “... the idea of drawing a horizontal line that magically creates space and becomes the top of a wall.” Witz was born in Chicago in 1957 and lives in Brooklyn. A street art pioneer, he began working in public spaces as early as 1979, painting hummingbirds on the grey walls of the city. Witz came across the famous graffiti Kilroy Was Here as a child. In 2006, he began to reinterpret the Kilroy motif, applying photo stickers to street signs. In some of his Kilroy variations, Kilroy’s hands make a surprising appearance. Witz called this subseries Ugly New Buildings, and it shows his reaction to the increased construction of luxury housing in Brooklyn. In this exhibition, Dan Witz presents a new work from his Kilroy variations project. The site-responsive work Kill Roy WASSÏERE, specially created for the URBAN NATION, fits unobtrusively into the space. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Oil and mixed technique on sintra, 50,2 cm x 50,2 cm, 2024 Position: X=0.41, Y=-0.63, Z=-3.96 Links: [Details](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/kill-roy-wassiere) - **Mauerspechte** — Ground Floor After the fall of the Berlin Wall, people from East and West came together to celebrate and actively participate in a historical event. As so-called wall woodpeckers, some of them broke pieces out of the wall with hammers and chisels. The pieces of the wall, often covered in colorful graffiti, were initially collected as personal memorabilia by Berliners and tourists. These pieces symbolized the overcoming of the border and the period of division as well as newfound freedom. A commercial market soon emerged. Smaller pieces were sold in souvenir stores, at street stalls, and flea markets. They were often cut into small, manageable formats and presented in transparent packaging or as part of commemorative plaques. To ensure the authenticity of the wall pieces and increase their value, they were often provided with a certificate. Over time, a professional trade in these wall fragments developed. The demand for authentic pieces of the painted wall increased worldwide. In June 1990, the GDR’s foreign trade company Limex-Bau Export-Import initiated the first international auction of painted wall segments in Monaco. This was the first time that large sections of the Wall were sold at high prices. The painted segments of the wall found their way into museums, public places and private collections worldwide. To this day, they are traded as valuable historical artifacts. Position: X=5.46, Y=-0.29, Z=-3.5 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/wall-trophy) - **Ghost Paintings** — Ground Floor French artist OX has been working in public spaces for almost forty years. He uses commercial billboards, which he transforms in discerning and humorous ways into something new and dynamic. OX works with optical illusion and patterns, creating a playful and thoughtful extension of billboards beyond the frame as he responds to forms, colors and the shadows surrounding them. “I am interested in the landscape, architecture, signage, street furniture, advertising or even shadows.” The new interventions in Berlin’s urban space were prepared in the artist’s studio on plastic underlay. The artworks were installed on the street and only paint outlines remained on the plastic sheets. Unlike the ephemeral street works, the Ghost Paintings presented here are permanent in nature. These site-specific new works can be seen in the museum on a screen, along with a video showing the actions that produced the artworks. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Acrylic on polyane tarpaulin and Video documentation of his poster campaign in Berlin, 547 cm x 366 cm x 40 cm, 2024 Position: X=-2.79, Y=0.77, Z=2.87 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/ghost-paintings) - **LA: Oceanwide Plaza** — Ground Floor Chop ‘em Down Films is a collective of cinematographers based in Los Angeles, spearheaded by filmmaker Zane Meyer. They specialize in capturing street art and graffiti actions worldwide; their goal is to act as a catalyst for the culture rather than to simply document. The work of Chop ‘em Down reflects the perspective of an insider. In their collaboration with the urban art scene, they often draw attention to social context and political issues. Three projects in Los Angeles, Miami, and London are presented here through films and a large photo series. LA: Oceanwide Plaza: The Oceanwide Plaza Project is a failed luxury real estate project that left behind empty and unfinished skyscrapers neighboring Skid Row, the area with the highest rate of homelessness in the United States. Graffiti writers began painting on the unfinished buildings in late 2023, transforming them into a giant canvas visible from afar. This graffiti takeover on more than twenty-five floors attracted international media attention and sparked discussions about speculation, housing inequality, and urban decay. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Fine art photographic and digital prints, 4 channel video installation, 2023 - 2024 Position: X=2.7, Y=0.86, Z=3.94 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/la-oceanwide-plaza) - **Diorama** — Ground Floor Vhils, born in 1987, is a Portuguese artist whose visual language is based on the removal of surface layers, using various unconventional techniques and tools. In his work, he has transformed exterior walls, exhibition spaces, and specifically manufactured objects/materials: this is a destroying in order to create and in order to expose what is hidden beneath the surface. Vhils has presented his work in over thirty countries, where he has collaborated with local communities and institutions to intervene in specific urban environments, carving, etching, drilling, or detonating his way through the layers of their respective identities. A striking work by Vhils can be discovered in the museum’s courtyard. The Diorama sculpture was created in 2017 by molding concrete in a cast. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Cast concrete sculpture, 2017 Position: X=8.19, Y=-0.12, Z=5.93 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/diorama) - **Word on the street** — Ground Floor The street is a stage where public life unfolds, where text and language sustain urban subcultures. Letters, writing, and language, when used in public spaces, offer reflections and commentary on city life, transforming the urban landscape into a powerful canvas for human expression. Position: X=-0.27, Y=0.76, Z=2.15 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/word-on-the-street) - **Kilroy was here** — Ground Floor “Kilroy Was Here” originated in World War II, a meme expressed as a graffiti image of a man peeking over a wall, symbolizing the unity of American troops and the connection to their homeland. After the war, Kilroy became a pop culture icon, influencing street art and graffiti. Mark making on walls precedes civilization and has always been a fundamental aspect of human expression. In the nineteen-seventies in New York, graffiti evolved to transform walls and subways into canvases. Berlin’s graffiti, both before and after the fall of the Wall, is a powerful blend of political expression and a claim to public space, turning symbols of oppression into platforms for resistance, creativity, and social change. The evolution of graffiti in Berlin reflects the city’s turbulent history and its enduring spirit of defiance and innovation. Graffiti is inherently political, reacting to unstable conditions and reflecting its environment. Its ephemeral nature today still echoes the transient yet impactful presence of “Kilroy Was Here.” Position: X=11.33, Y=1.24, Z=-8.47 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/kilroy-was-here) - **Let's talk about gentrification** — Ground Floor The relation of urban, contemporary, and street art to gentrification is complex and multifaceted. While art can contribute to the process of gentrification, it can also respond to it. It can attract new interest and investment, but it can also speak to the concerns and challenges of communities experiencing gentrification. How is gentrification resisted? What impact does it have on a neighborhood’s cultural and social fabric? How do urban spaces transform without generating social collateral? Streets serve as both protagonists and canvases in the public discourse around gentrification. Many artists protest gentrification through powerful visual statements, highlighting issues of inequality and displacement and challenging forces that erase cultural identities. Video and photography capture these ephemeral actions, documenting the ongoing dialogue and resistance while preserving the voices and experiences of communities facing gentrification. Position: X=1.72, Y=0.96, Z=6.92 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/lets-talk-about-gentrification) - **Subverted Spaces** — Ground Floor Subverting public space is a way of hacking and reclaiming urban spaces taken over by commercial interests or privatization. A form of media subversion, it alters advertising and reminds us that public spaces should serve the public interest. Subvertising, rooted in situationism, visually hacks advertising spaces to initiate reflection on propaganda and its impact on public spaces, while provoking thought about direct democracy. This practice, with its combination of “subversion” and “advertising,” creates parodic or satirical advertisements that critique mainstream advertising’s manipulative nature. Through public posters that merge billboard aesthetics with new artwork, subvertising brings the context of public spaces to the forefront. This media activism challenges the status quo and stimulates thought and discussion about the power and influence of advertising in society. By creatively rethinking the norms, rules, and uses of public spaces, subverted spaces encourage us to question the imagery we are confronted with in the public space. Position: X=-0.26, Y=1.04, Z=7.76 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/subverted-spaces) - **AK-47 (Q1)** — 1st Floor Chinese artist Zhang Dali, born in 1963, first came into contact with graffiti in the early 1990s when he was living in Italy. He fled his home country in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, which he survived as a protester. After returning, he became one of the very first graffiti artists in Beijing. Zhang’s key project in that period, Dialogue and Demolition, was a reaction towards the destructive aspects of China’s modernization and urban expansion. He spray painted the outline of his bald-headed profile on walls slated for demolition after the forced relocation of local inhabitants. Continued for over a decade, the project established a dialogue with the public and brought forth a questioning of the country’s modernization politics, the notion of “second class” residential areas, and the disregard for historical heritage. “Violence is not ‘on’ people, it is the very material people are made of, not a washable coating, but an integral part and the connecting tissue of their existence.” In this exhibition, Zhang presents works from two series: photographs from Dialogue and Demolition, and a painting from the series AK-47. AK-47 is derived from the well-known Soviet Kalashnikov assault rifle that has become a symbol of war. Zhang Dali started to use the tag AK-47 in his graffiti of the 1990s as a synonym of the violence permeating the rapid urbanization process. In the AK-47 series of works he uses the acronym to construct faces which derive from small portrait photos (as used in documents and IDs) found by Zhang at a flea market in a pile of abandoned photos from studio archives. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Acrylic on vinyl, 82 cm x 102 cm x 2 cm, 2009 Position: X=-6.8, Y=4.71, Z=1.11 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/ak-47-q1) - **B Faza 8** — 1st Floor The Spanish artist Sebas Velasco, born in 1988, captures urban environments of changing economic and political structures in large-format murals and oil paintings. In his paintings, he mixes collage-like snapshots from photographs taken on his research trips to former Eastern Bloc countries. “The painting is a tapestry of time, blending the threads of past, present, and future.” His work shown here, B Faza 8, is a visual ode to the enduring beauty of the mundane. Focusing on the bygone years of former Yugoslavia, Velasco intertwines the once-united cities of Sarajevo and Belgrade. This collage-inspired masterpiece of research photography celebrates the architectural remnants of socialist optimism: Sarajevo’s spaceship-like rooftops are juxtaposed with the iconic Yugo cars of Belgrade’s city streets. Velasco captures the dynamic light that escapes the nighttime and uses swift brushstrokes to illuminate the melancholic yet romantically nostalgic structures by street light. Through the evocative energy of these imagined landscapes, Velasco elevates the intricate relationships we share with transient spaces and the people who inhabit them. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Oil on canvas, 120 cm x 150 cm, 2023 Position: X=-1.34, Y=4.72, Z=-7.73 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/b-faza-8) - **Dequindre Cut** — 1st Floor Stephanie Buer, born in 1982, is an American artist who studied in Detroit and Vancouver, focusing on r ealist oil p aintings and char coal drawings. Her detailed works attest to a deep fascination for abandoned landscapes – for architectural decay in bleak urban and industrial environments. Buer’s atmospheric work seeks beauty and contemplation in silent processes of change, including change brought about by vandalism, by works of art, and by resilient nature. “It [the Dequindre Cut in East Detroit] was beautifully overgrown and a favorite spot to wander while I lived there.” The painting Dequindre Cut (2014) depicts a section of an abandoned railroad line in East Detroit, which inspired the artist to create a series of works. During the ten years that Buer lived in Detroit, this rail line was one of her favorite places for strolling and taking photographs – the basis for her paintings and charcoal drawings. A lot of graffiti could be found along the tracks, and it was preserved when the Dequindre Cut was turned into an urban recreational path. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Oil on canvas, 36 cm x 36 cm, 2014 Position: X=-2.67, Y=4.69, Z=-8.35 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/dequindre-cut) - **Mehrweg (Dresden Print #1, A.P.)** — 1st Floor Berlin-based artist Evol draws on his background in graffiti and uses his artistic skills to explore the inner workings of the city. In doing so, he makes us look at our surroundings in a new light. His work shown here, Mehrweg (Dresden Print#1, A.P.) (2010) is created on found cardboard boxes and pays homage to the architecture of earlier times, especially the Berlin townhouses built around 1910, typical of the neighborhood Evol has lived in for years. Here, these remnants of a bygone era have so far survived the ongoing gentrification process in the area. The patina of the cardboard, its existing marks and its structures echo the way time works on actual urban landscapes. Based on numerous photos taken in the urban landscape, he creates meticulous stencils to transform junction boxes, rectangular concrete elements, and cardboard objects into miniature buildings. Countless windows, balconies, and satellite dishes form an illusion of threedimensional facades and habitats. In both his studio pieces and temporary street installations, Evol distills the surrounding environment into manageable formats. This change in scale renders his work less intimidating; while it evokes stark urban settings, it also remains charming and approachable. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Spray paint on cardboard, 97 cm x 82 cm, 2010 Position: X=-7.43, Y=5.26, Z=-6.04 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/mehrweg-dresden-print) - **RAW-Gelände II** — 1st Floor Born in 1975, artist Susanna Jerger studied fine arts in Nuremberg and film in Karlsruhe. Her paintings reflect her fascination for the melancholy of urban landscapes. She captures quiet moments in the eastern part of Berlin, revealing the transient character of specific places. Buildings covered with graffiti are spotlighted in her work – many of these have since disappeared due to gentrification and urban development. For LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY, Jerger created a new work: RAW-Gelände II. It shows the crumbling walls of the RAW premises, a former rail yard built in 1867 which is now home to one of Berlin’s last independent socio-cultural centers. This constantly changing place is still alive with culture, acting as a huge canvas for urban art. It’s only a matter of time, however, before gentrification puts an end to this lively community space. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Öl auf Leinwand, 100 cm x 70 cm, 2024 Position: X=-7.45, Y=4.34, Z=-6.02 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/jerger-raw-gelaende) - **Lexington Avenue Local** — 1st Floor Born in Los Angeles in 1973, the artist Matthew Grabelsky grew up in New York City, which would become the recurring scene of his paintings. In his works, he captures everyday situations of individuals or couples on the New York subway. However, the realistically portrayed figures are strange, almost mythological hybrids with human bodies and animal heads. By showing bears or tigers during rush hour, everyday life is transformed into an unreal scenario. Grabelsky’s realization of these moments combines photorealistic painting with surrealism. “Deer, elephants or tigers in rush hour contrast the platitudes of the day-to-day with the presence of the extraordinary.” The piece exhibited here, Lexington Avenue Local (2015), is a work from the portrait series of couples in which only the male figure is a strangely realistic hybrid of human and animal. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Oil on wood, 41 cm x 51 cm, 2015 Position: X=-7.29, Y=4.91, Z=-2.88 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/lexington-avenue-local) - **Abeo’s Barbershop** — 1st Floor Painter, print artist and muralist Isaac Zavale was born in 1988 in Maputo, Mozambique, where his family lived before escaping to Johannesburg during the civil war. In South Africa, Zavale launched his artistic career and co-founded the printmaking studio Prints On Paper (POP). “My art invites you to immerse yourself in the heart of African culture, to reflect on the resilience of people and to consider the profound impact of informal trade on society.” His work is focused on social and political issues in South Africa, observed from the perspective of a Mozambican immigrant. Zavale’s paintings and prints often feature inner-city street scenes. The work Abeo’s Barbershop has two themes: first, the barbershop as a cultural hub and social gathering point that is deeply linked to African identity according to Zavale. Second, the painting is about informal trading—a necessary means of surviving for many people excluded from the formal labor market. Here, people give proof of their resilience, ingenuity, and adaptability to the modern world. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Acrylic on canvas, 90 cm x 120 cm, 2024 Position: X=-6.6, Y=4.82, Z=-1.71 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/abeos-barbershop) - **Tacheles** — 1st Floor Nika Kramer is a Berlin-based photographer with roots in the hip-hop scene, specializing in B-Boy/B-Girl (breakdancing), street art, sports, music, and photography, particularly of cultural events. Before turning to photography, she was an event organizer, editor, and author of two books on hip-hop. It was through these book projects that she met Martha Cooper, in 2010, who gave her her Nikon camera. This was the start of a new career, and of a fruitful collaboration between them. Kramer specializes in capturing the vibrant essence of subcultures and she goes to great heights and lengths to get the best shots. Her dynamic photographs vividly portray the energy and actions of these scenes and give the viewer a glimpse of the unique character and spirit of each moment. With a keen eye for detail and an innate ability to freeze motion, she transforms moments of action into compelling visual narratives. Her work not only documents these subcultures but also celebrates their cultural significance. Rather than being a voyeur with respect to these scenes, Kramer is part of the culture. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Fine art photographic print, 2011 Position: X=2.4, Y=4.48, Z=3.52 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/nika-kramer-tacheles) - **Tacheles** — 1st Floor Nika Kramer is a Berlin-based photographer with roots in the hip-hop scene, specializing in B-Boy/B-Girl (breakdancing), street art, sports, music, and photography, particularly of cultural events. Before turning to photography, she was an event organizer, editor, and author of two books on hip-hop. It was through these book projects that she met Martha Cooper, in 2010, who gave her her Nikon camera. This was the start of a new career, and of a fruitful collaboration between them. Kramer specializes in capturing the vibrant essence of subcultures and she goes to great heights and lengths to get the best shots. Her dynamic photographs vividly portray the energy and actions of these scenes and give the viewer a glimpse of the unique character and spirit of each moment. With a keen eye for detail and an innate ability to freeze motion, she transforms moments of action into compelling visual narratives. Her work not only documents these subcultures but also celebrates their cultural significance. Rather than being a voyeur with respect to these scenes, Kramer is part of the culture. Highlights: Fine art photographic print, 2011 Position: X=2.81, Y=5.15, Z=3.89 - **LA: Oceanwide Plaza** — 1st Floor Chop ‘em Down Films is a collective of cinematographers based in Los Angeles, spearheaded by filmmaker Zane Meyer. They specialize in capturing street art and graffiti actions worldwide; their goal is to act as a catalyst for the culture rather than to simply document. The work of Chop ‘em Down reflects the perspective of an insider. In their collaboration with the urban art scene, they often draw attention to social context and political issues. Three projects in Los Angeles, Miami, and London are presented here through films and a large photo series. LA: Oceanwide Plaza: The Oceanwide Plaza Project is a failed luxury real estate project that left behind empty and unfinished skyscrapers neighboring Skid Row, the area with the highest rate of homelessness in the United States. Graffiti writers began painting on the unfinished buildings in late 2023, transforming them into a giant canvas visible from afar. This graffiti takeover on more than twenty-five floors attracted international media attention and sparked discussions about speculation, housing inequality, and urban decay. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Fine art photographic and digital prints, 4 channel video installation, 2023 – 2024 Position: X=3.36, Y=5.16, Z=4.98 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/la-oceanwide-plaza) - **Painting Dhaka Project** — 1st Floor The Berlin artist and filmmaker Lukas Zeilinger is the initiator of the project Painting Dhaka. He spent several months in the slums of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka to teach graffiti art to children in local schools, helping them to find ways to express themselves and become visible. In the course of this work, graffiti proved to be an important tool for self-empowerment and Zeilinger was deeply touched by his collaboration with the young people in the project. Friendships developed that filled Zeilinger with joy and sadness at the same time. From his experience there he then created a documentary: Painting Dhaka (2023). The film premiered at the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin and won multiple awards. The project has since expanded to other locations such as Berlin and Kosovo. Here in the museum, the artist is presenting a selection of documentation from this impressive work. “The more I spent time with the children, the deeper our bond became. It was a friendship that filled me with great joy and deep sadness. I couldn’t help but take a closer look behind the facade of a country and its capital that had been completely foreign to me shortly before.” On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Mixed media installation Compilation from the film “Painting Dhaka” 2023, 2019 – 2022 Position: X=3.36, Y=4.09, Z=7.27 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/painting-dhaka-project-mixed-media-installation) - **Local Legends: Spandau ONE WALL** — 1st Floor Lukas Zeilinger’s ONE WALL, Local Legends: Spandau – A Painting Dhaka Project, is situated at Blasewitzer Ring 12 in Berlin-Spandau. In the chapter LOVE LETTERS IN THE CITY, the exhibition leaves the museum space and expands with this project into the city of Berlin. On August 10, 2024, we unveiled our latest mural, the ONE WALL Local Legends: Spandau – A Painting Dhaka Project by Lukas Zeilinger. As part of the Painting Dhaka series, artist Lukas Zeilinger not only designed a new ONE WALL on two sides of the parking lot but also collaborated with local young people in a summer camp through our Stadtraum!Plus program of the foundation Berliner Leben in early July 2024. Graffiti, often misunderstood as mere vandalism, is in fact a vital subculture that offers a retreat for those in social hotspots. It provides a safe space, a parallel society where individuals can build self-confidence, find a sense of belonging, and form connections – often in challenging family or social situations. The workshop’s goal was to leave a positive impact on the young participants, both in their minds and on the wall. One result of the workshop was the Community Wall next to the youthclub. Staaken, a self-contained community within Berlin with limited connectivity to the rest of the city, served as the backdrop for this project. Instead of imposing an unrelated mural, Lukas Zeilinger engaged with local young people from Outreach B18 to reflect their stories and daily lives through colorful images. The result is a bustling visual narrative – a collage that invites awe, contemplation, laughter, and recognition. Commissioned work. Photos by Diana Păun. Highlights: Documentation of the project at Blasewitzer Ring 12, Berlin-Spandau, 2024 Position: X=2.8, Y=4.06, Z=9.69 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/local-legends-spandau) - **Local Legends: Spandau COMMUNITY WALL** — 1st Floor Graffiti has always been more than just graffiti, colorful trains or painted walls. Like any subculture that emerges in social hotspots, it offers a place of retreat for those who need it. A safe space, a kind of parallel society that functions away from the imposed norms. It doesn’t matter what demographic group you come from, how rich or poor you were or what religion you belong to. What sometimes looks like pure selfish self-fulfilment on the outside begins with the formation of a sense of self-awareness, a sense of belonging to something, a sense of attachment – often in difficult family or social situations. Lukas Zeilinger addressed this in a workshop at the beginning of July 2024 with young visitors to Outreach’s B18 youth club. The young people’s ideas, thoughts and names for a community wall were developed and sprayed together. The aim of the workshop was to leave something positive behind for the young people, both on the wall and in their minds. In July, Zeilinger developed the motifs further and artistically designed the parking garage at Blasewitzer Ring 12. On August 10, the completion of the project was celebrated with a hip-hop performance and a hip-hop battle in the parking garage itself. In the chapter LOVE LETTERS IN THE CITY, the exhibition leaves the museum space and expands with this project into the city of Berlin. Position: X=4.58, Y=4.11, Z=9.59 Links: [Read More ](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/local-legends-spandau-community-wall) - **Dots Project mit Omabunker** — 1st Floor Jazoo Yang, born in 1979, is a South Korean artist who often creates site-specific installations using found materials, and in so doing reveals the layers of history embedded in urban spaces. Playing an important role in her work are architecture, the exploration of urban environments, and city development. Her best-known Dots series started after she spent time exploring buildings slated for demolition, communicating with residents facing eviction and listening to their stories and memories. “Alleys, traditional houses, trees and everything that took a long time to embellish are gone in an instant without a trace. The act of imprinting each red Jijang is a promise to remember all of this and a temporal and spatial record.” The thumbprint—or “Jijang”—has great legal power in Korea and is equivalent to a signature; with just one thumbprint, people’s destinies can be shaped. Covering a building planned for demolition with her thumbprints, Yang questions the progress of urban redevelopment. When creating her new artwork for the exhibition at the museum, Jazoo Yang made reference to her Dots series and collaborated with a group of senior citizens who lived not far from the museum. This community mural aims to bring to the surface overlooked narratives and to give a voice to social groups which might otherwise remain invisible. Commissioned work Highlights: Traditional Asian ink, 2024 Position: X=4.31, Y=4.29, Z=11.32 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/dots-project-mit-omabunker) - **La Nuit Du Street Art** — 1st Floor Blek le Rat, born in France in 1951, was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris and is considered the forefather of the stencil movement. His first stencil works in the early 1980s were of black rats in the streets of Paris – hence his artist’s name “le Rat,” the rat, and “rat” is also an anagram for “art”. “[The rat is] the only animal that will survive the apocalypse.” Studying fine arts and architecture during the 1970s at the École des Beaux-Arts familiarized him with the techniques that would come in handy later, in his work on the street. It was during his studies that he became well-versed in the techniques of etching, lithography, and screen printing, and all of these methods, along with the study of architecture at the Architectural Teaching Unit, made him aware of the intricacies of planned urban space. His work, which he describes as “a gift to the inhabitants of the city,” influenced generations of artists and has become increasingly political over the years. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Spray paint on canvas, 140 cm x 215 cm, 2017 Position: X=1.57, Y=4.05, Z=17.28 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/la-nuit-du-street-art) - **Love Letters** — 1st Floor HA Schult, born in 1939, is one of the most important contemporary German artists, who became famous for his art actions in open spaces in different parts of the world. “The Trash People are an image of ourselves. We produce trash and become trash.” In the exhibition LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY, HA Schult presents letters and documentation photographs of his project Love Letters Building. In the summer of 2001, the artist issued a public call for people to write personal affirmations of love. Within a few weeks, more than 100,000 letters were received. The most beautiful of these were scanned, enlarged and printed in their thousands on a waterproof, paper-like material. HA Schult covered the entire exterior of a former post-office building in Berlin with these letters, transforming it into an “emotional monument.” Social engagement is at the core of Schult’s work. The five red newspaper boxes, which he used as frames for the photographs and which are presented here, refer to his artistic charity project “Verlust bringt Gewinn” (Benefit through Loss). With each box sold, Schult donates the proceeds to the association Kunst hilft geben e. V. in support of homeless people. On loan courtesy of Kunst hilft geben e.V. Photos by Thomas Hoepker Highlights: 2002 Position: X=-3.18, Y=3.76, Z=17.86 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/ha-schult-love-letters) - **Paraglyph Jellyfish** — 1st Floor For more than fifteen years, Berlin artist and filmmaker Mr. Paradox Paradise has been covering buildings with his mysterious vertical letters. He works at great heights with a rope and professional climbing equipment, and the way he accesses the rooftops has come to symbolize freedom. His distinctive visual language is known under the name “paraglyphs” and has become an integral part of the Berlin cityscape, characterized by the colors red and blue. Along with his desire to perfect his aesthetic, he is driven by the strong will to share his social, environmental, and spiritual message. His commentary opens frequently up a vigorous debate. Works by Mr. Paradox Paradise are also shown in galleries, yet the public space remains his preferred canvas. In his films, his actions are staged from idea to realization, revealing the secrets of his process and the tools he creates for it. Mr. Paradox Paradise expanded his art into the third dimension by creating sculptures in urban space, carefully adapted to the surrounding architecture. To prevent his sculptures from being stolen, he uses ropes to install them in places that are difficult to access, and he even equips them with GPS trackers. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Styrofoam, 150 cm × 250 cm, 2024 Position: X=-6.1, Y=4.25, Z=15.3 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/paraglyph-jellyfish) - **Wall Cleaning** — 1st Floor Spanish artist, designer, and photographer Octavi Serra, born in 1990, lives in Barcelona. His interventions in urban spaces reflect the irony and frustrations of our time. By placing objects and signs in the cityscape, he creates situations that he captures photographically. He does so with a great sense of humor, but at the same time he poses serious questions about the modern world. Each of his works contains a socio-political message: many things come into play, such as state surveillance, corruption, ecological destruction, working conditions, and consumer behavior. “They have sold us a base pattern to live in the world, [and] if we do not make an effort to overcome it or change it, it’s easy to end up looking like automata.” The object interventions in public space are often short-lived, but the ideas and the effect of their implementation live on through the photographs. In this exhibition, Serra presents the site-responsive work Wall Cleaning. He intervenes in the gallery by cleaning the walls of artworks – a humorous form of hacking the exhibition space. Commissioned work Highlights: Mixed technique, Acrylic on picture frames and wall, 2024 Position: X=-2.92, Y=4.93, Z=2.84 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/octavi-serra-wall-cleaning) - **Gangsta Rat (Green)** — 1st Floor Banksy is one of the world’s most famous artists, but despite his global following, his identity remains unknown. He rose to prominence after he began spray-painting his now trademark stenciled designs around Bristol in the early 1990s. Renowned for his political, humanitarian, and poetic-satirical works, the artist works across a variety of mediums and formats in the urban environment: from stencils and spray-painting, pop-up shops, and urban interventions to his Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem and his dystopian amusement park Dismaland. The artist does not restrict himself to scale and medium but rather responds to context. In many of his works, Banksy comments on the commodification of art. With works such as Love is in the Bin, 2018, a performance and live destruction of his artwork that was shredded moments after being sold at auction, he questions the value placed upon art. Whilst he ridicules the art market, landowners and councils rush to profit from the buildings chosen for his latest interventions. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Screen print on paper, 35 cm x 50 cm, 2005 Position: X=0.92, Y=2.76, Z=9.49 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/banksy-gangsta-rat-green) - **Thank You All** — 1st Floor The Wa is a French visual artist who lives and works in Berlin. His practice, closely linked to the urban space, is dedicated to the fight for the ideal of a better society – a society free of domination. As a precise observer with social awareness and a keen sense of humor and provocation, he uses various methods and materials to lure viewers out of their usual modes of perception and comfort zones. Italian artist Elfo is known for his conceptual street art, which conveys direct messages in a raw tone and in an ironic and self-deprecating way. His practice includes web performances, criticism of image overload, self-sabotage, and hacking, making him a pioneer in futuristic urban art. The collaborative work between The Wa and Elfo, shown here, was originally created in a ghost village in Italy. Their project Thank You All is about proclaiming messages without a message: for this work they produced a large number of absurd demonstration signs. The slogans move erratically between different perspectives, together creating a loud chaos of demands, nonsense, and protest statements. On loan courtesy of the artists. Highlights: Mixed media installation, 2023 Position: X=-6.44, Y=4.94, Z=3.08 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/the-wa-and-elfo-thank-you-all) - **Bottled Monkey** — 1st Floor Artur Bordalo aka Bordalo II, born in 1987, lives and works in Lisbon. While studying painting, he discovered sculpture and experimented with various techniques, eventually arriving at waste as his material. His work strongly criticizes the catastrophic production of waste, and thus the destruction of human and animal habitats. Bordalo II creates murals, sculptures, and installations from discarded objects that critique overproduction, excessive consumption, and environmental destruction. Since 2012, he has collected around 225 tons of unused material that is considered inferior. His works are spread across the globe – from Singapore to the USA, French Polynesia, and Europe. His latest work Bottled Monkey (2024) is a part of an ongoing series Pixels, in which he organizes familiar discarded objects such as car tires and facemasks in accordance with a certain structure and using repetition. For the new work made especially for this exhibition, the artist has created a large-scale installation from discarded single-use plastic bottles and programmed LED lights. Each bottle now becomes part of a whole, like a pixel that can reproduce both an image and a movement. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Used plastic bottles, LED lights, formwork and iron structure, 332 cm x 521 cm Position: X=-0.88, Y=2.99, Z=11.54 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/bottled-monkey) - **MAP OF CONCERN, Test 1** — 1st Floor Johannes Mundinger was born in 1982 in Offenburg, Germany, and is based in Berlin. His abstract wall paintings interact directly with the surrounding architectural elements and atmospheres he perceives. The works also often refer to the site’s historical and social context or play aesthetically with elements and atmospheres in order to develop the subject matter. His murals can be found in many European cities, but also in Mexico City, Jerusalem, and Atlantic City. Mundinger graduated from the Münster School of Design and also studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. Mundinger’s new work, shown here, is about coping with the overwhelming number of simultaneous disasters happening around the world – from right-wing extremist attacks in Neukölln to state persecution of gay men in Chechnya. He collects records of these events in his constantly growing online archive, and then works to anchor this online archive physically: starting from the canvas, it expands further onto the wall. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Acrylic on canvas, extended onto the wall, 180 cm x 210 cm, 2017 Position: X=1.98, Y=4.46, Z=-2.71 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/map-of-concern) - **Bülowstraße-Berlin II** — 1st Floor Liviu Bulea, born in 1989 in Turda, Romania, is an artist and curator with a special interest in collective memory in relation to communities and specific places – he can be described as an installation artist with a social practice. Bulea’s work encompasses installation, photography, video, text, and objects created with found material from urban and natural environments. Bulea was diagnosed with cancer as a teenager – a key moment that led him to a creative exploration of existential themes. He started examining historical and environmental issues as well as architecture, and he delved into community archives. The driving force behind Buleas’s art is the necessity of social change, especially in regards to the LGBTQ+ community which he is part of. “Viewers are invited to reflect on how spaces shape our identities and how communities, in turn, infuse spaces with meaning. ” In this exhibition, Bulea presents a diptych, which was made in response to, and compiled from, found material from the street Bülowstraße. The first work was made in 2019 during Bulea’s artist residency at Fresh A.I.R. The new work, Bülowstraße-Berlin II, was created especially for this exhibition. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Mixed technique, 63 cm x 63 cm x 6 cm, 2024 Position: X=9.39, Y=4.15, Z=-0.69 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/bulea-buelowstrasse-berlin-ii) - **Bülowstraße-Berlin** — 1st Floor Liviu Bulea, born in 1989 in Turda, Romania, is an artist and curator with a special interest in collective memory in relation to communities and specific places – he can be described as an installation artist with a social practice. Bulea’s work encompasses installation, photography, video, text, and objects created with found material from urban and natural environments. Bulea was diagnosed with cancer as a teenager – a key moment that led him to a creative exploration of existential themes. He started examining historical and environmental issues as well as architecture, and he delved into community archives. The driving force behind Buleas’s art is the necessity of social change, especially in regards to the LGBTQ+ community which he is part of. “Viewers are invited to reflect on how spaces shape our identities and how communities, in turn, infuse spaces with meaning. ” In this exhibition, Bulea presents a diptych, which was made in response to, and compiled from, found material from the street Bülowstraße. The first work was made in 2019 during Bulea’s artist residency at Fresh A.I.R. The new work, Bülowstraße-Berlin II, was created especially for this exhibition. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Mixed technique on found windows, cement and pieces of buildings, 63 cm x 63 cm x 6 cm, 2019 Position: X=9.38, Y=4.88, Z=-0.69 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/bulea-buelowstrasse-berlin) - **Riders of the Storm** — 1st Floor James Reka (Reka One) grew up in Melbourne, Australia, and divides his time between Berlin and Malta. In his works, vivid abstraction meets creatures influenced by pop culture, cartoons, and illustration. Sharp lines and bold colors, geometry, and the dynamics of graffiti are interwoven in his unique aesthetic. Reka’s public paintings can be found on four continents, and he has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows all over the world. His works have been acquired by the National Gallery of Australia for their permanent collection. James Reka’s wall-mounted installation Riders of the Storm (2017) is part of an ongoing project he started in abandoned industrial buildings and Soviet military bases. At these sites, he found painting materials such as empty spray cans and paint tins – tools that had already been used by others to create art. He decided to turn these discarded objects into works of art in their own right. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Spray paint on metal, 93 cm x 120 cm, 2017 Position: X=6.62, Y=4.5, Z=-0.49 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/riders-of-the-storm) - **Kottbusser Tor** — 1st Floor 2501, born in 1981, is an Italian artist whose multidisciplinary approach ranges from painting, installations, and sculpture to photography and film. He is intrigued by maps, city architecture, and the relations between cyclical patterns and urban topography, all of which is reflected in his complex works. Using dynamic line structures, he creates the impression of a lively, three-dimensional geometry that unfolds from different perspectives. The inspiration from the city and its cartography is impressively transferred to façades. The dominant colors in this interplay of painting and architecture are black and white. “The idea for this specific piece is to represent geographical areas as if the point of view were aerial and zenithal.” Kottbusser Tor is a study painting for the long-term project Animated Landscape. In this project, 2501 transfers the act of painting in public space to the medium of video, capturing the process and its gestures and establishing new “atmospheric” relationships with the places involved. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Acrylic on canvas, 140 cm x 180 cm, 2017 Position: X=8.11, Y=4.54, Z=-0.61 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/2501-kottbusser-tor) - **Post Graffiti** — 1st Floor Moses & Taps is a German artist collective duo, founded in 2007 by the two artists Moses and Taps. Together they have radically expanded graffiti by creating satirical actions and have led graffiti writing in completely new directions both formally and conceptually, with installations and actions within the urban environment and in the gallery context. Their signature colors of cyan blue and yellow are their trademark, as is their acronym TM for Trademark and Taps-Moses. Their first book International Topsprayer, published in 2011, is Germany’s top-selling graffiti book. Their new work Post-Graffiti (2024) has been created specifically for the exhibition and is a prime example of how they transfer graffiti to a new medium. The parcel delivery truck has been deconstructed and the PVC tarpaulin, inspired by covered freight trains, has been expanded and extruded to create a folded graffiti painting. Parcel delivery trucks are embedded within the city, and in times of proliferating online orders, you just might find a new work of art in front of your house. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Spray paint on steel and PVC, 800 cm x 280 cm x 30 cm, 2024 Position: X=5.86, Y=4.17, Z=-7.76 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/post-graffiti) - **Center of Momentum Frame** — 1st Floor Carlos Mare aka Mare139, born in 1965, is one of the pioneers of New York subway writing. With his signature lettering style, he began creating metal sculptures in 1985 – a way of extending graffiti writing beyond the two-dimensional wall to contemplate graffiti from different perspectives. This innovative approach still characterizes Mare’s work as a visual artist today. Mare139 became known as a sculptor with the metal sculpture K, the beginning of a series of large-format sculptures that retained the shapes of graffiti lettering but were folded into space. In the following years, he has increasingly drawn inspiration from Constructivism, Cubism, and Futurism. Mare’s Center of Momentum Frame (2011) is inspired by his early graffiti sculptures from the 1980s. Dynamic arrows emerge from the surface and intertwine with one another. The work also pays homage to the corner reliefs of Russian avant-garde artist Vladimir Tatlin, and to the high-relief works of the recently deceased New York sculptor Frank Stella. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Carbon steel, 89 cm x 61 cm x 56 cm, 2011 Position: X=13.17, Y=4.56, Z=-3.53 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/center-of-momentum-frame) - **Untitled** — 1st Floor Vhils, born in 1987, is a Portuguese artist whose visual language is based on the removal of surface layers, using various unconventional techniques and tools. In his work, he has transformed exterior walls, exhibition spaces, and specifically manufactured objects/materials: this is a destroying in order to create and in order to expose what is hidden beneath the surface. Vhils has presented his work in over thirty countries, where he has collaborated with local communities and institutions to intervene in specific urban environments, carving, etching, drilling, or detonating his way through the layers of their respective identities. The installation Untitled was created directly on the wall in 2015, before the museum opened. The work is part of Scratching the Surface, an ongoing project that Vhils started in 2007. The series brings portraits of anonymous people to different places around the world, shaped by intricate removal techniques using hammers, chisels, and drills, while carefully preserving the brickwork’s integrity. Drawing connections between the depicted unknown person, the processed surface, its surroundings, and the viewers, Vhils invites us to reflect upon identity in our present-day urban societies. Another striking work by Vhils can be discovered in the museum’s courtyard. The Diorama sculpture was created in 2017 by molding concrete in a cast. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Wall mounted installation, 550 cm x 300 cm, 2015 Position: X=15.25, Y=4.24, Z=-6.91 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/vhils-untitled) - **I will build you up while they put you down** — 1st Floor Italian street artist Millo was born in Pescara in 1979. His large-scale murals and canvas works feature friendly-looking figures who explore their urban surroundings. By using distinct black and white lines with sparse accents of color and numerous fine details, Millo’s narrative paintings open up a world unique to itself and express existential emotions ranging from love and hope to loneliness and fear. Whether the protagonists are individuals or couples, they appear to exist in a labyrinth of imaginary cityscapes and in a state of introspection, seemingly stopping the hectic flow of time. The work by Millo shown here was created in 2017 on a wooden panel in the URBAN NATION before the museum was officially opened. On loan courtesy of the Gewobag collection. Highlights: Acrylic on MDF, 232 cm x 289 cm, 2017 Position: X=-2.87, Y=4.8, Z=-1.29 Links: [Details](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/i-will-build-you-up-while-they-put-you-down) - **Chinatown in Brooklyn - Bay Pkwy** — 1st Floor Stipan Tadić was born in Zagreb in 1986, and currently lives in New York City. He grew up in Austria and is inspired by art forms such as Expressionism, Dadaism, and Croatian Social Realism. The politically charged expressions and anti-war notions found in these influences strongly resonate with his own views and works. In his paintings, he explores the city by night and the idea of cities as dreamlike environments that each retain their visual identity. Humor and nostalgia, his fascination with nightlife, and the aspects of human nature that emerge after dark form the basis of his creative process. He is captivated by the transition from day to night, especially in his adopted hometown of New York with its “retro dystopian” aesthetic and electric lights. For the artist, the changing light conditions reveal different dimensions of the city. On loan courtesy of the artist. Animation: Petra Balekić SFX: Luka Hrgović Highlights: Video animation Position: X=-5.73, Y=4.85, Z=-7.95 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/chinatown-in-brooklyn-bay-pkwy) - **Love Letters** — 1st Floor HA Schult, born in 1939, is one of the most important contemporary German artists, who became famous for his art actions in open spaces in different parts of the world. “The Trash People are an image of ourselves. We produce trash and become trash.” In the exhibition LOVE LETTERS TO THE CITY, HA Schult presents letters and documentation photographs of his project Love Letters Building. In the summer of 2001, the artist issued a public call for people to write personal affirmations of love. Within a few weeks, more than 100,000 letters were received. The most beautiful of these were scanned, enlarged and printed in their thousands on a waterproof, paper-like material. HA Schult covered the entire exterior of a former post-office building in Berlin with these letters, transforming it into an “emotional monument.” Social engagement is at the core of Schult’s work. The five red newspaper boxes, which he used as frames for the photographs and which are presented here, refer to his artistic charity project “Verlust bringt Gewinn” (Benefit through Loss). With each box sold, Schult donates the proceeds to the association Kunst hilft geben e. V. in support of homeless people. On loan courtesy of Kunst hilft geben e.V. Photos by Thomas Hoepker Position: X=-1.86, Y=3.3, Z=17.7 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/ha-schult-love-letters) - **Space Hacking** — 1st Floor Urban space is public space. Artists continue to challenge and reclaim the streets, playing a vital role in urban areas. These alternative and often marginalized spaces provide communities with a sense of identity, belonging, and expression for individuals who may not fully identify with mainstream culture. In the face of globalization and urban homogenization, artists create site-specific and site-responsive artworks that resist being swallowed up by generic urbanization. By appropriating unseen and overlooked spaces, artists offer a form of resistance and social commentary that often emerges organically in response to societal issues or political climates. Urban installations take many forms, introducing humor and thought-provoking messages. Temporary or permanent, large or small, these transformations help us reimagine the urban landscape. Though fleeting, they can also leave a lasting impression, challenging our perceptions of the city environment. Position: X=-0.66, Y=4.75, Z=17.88 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/space-hacking) - **Bottled Monkey** — 1st Floor Artur Bordalo aka Bordalo II, born in 1987, lives and works in Lisbon. While studying painting, he discovered sculpture and experimented with various techniques, eventually arriving at waste as his material. His work strongly criticizes the catastrophic production of waste, and thus the destruction of human and animal habitats. Bordalo II creates murals, sculptures, and installations from discarded objects that critique overproduction, excessive consumption, and environmental destruction. Since 2012, he has collected around 225 tons of unused material that is considered inferior. His works are spread across the globe – from Singapore to the USA, French Polynesia, and Europe. His latest work Bottled Monkey (2024) is a part of an ongoing series Pixels, in which he organizes familiar discarded objects such as car tires and facemasks in accordance with a certain structure and using repetition. For the new work made especially for this exhibition, the artist has created a large-scale installation from discarded single-use plastic bottles and programmed LED lights. Each bottle now becomes part of a whole, like a pixel that can reproduce both an image and a movement. On loan courtesy of the artist. Highlights: Used plastic bottles, LED lights, formwork and iron structure, 332 cm x 521 cm Position: X=-0.84, Y=4.18, Z=12.07 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/artwork/bottled-monkey) - **Not another pretty picture** — 1st Floor An increasing number of artists are turning away from traditional muralism towards holistic urban interventions that go beyond purely aesthetic or decorative purposes. Transcending traditional aesthetics, their work often serves as a platform for social and political commentary, inviting us to look beyond the surface to consider underlying messages, and thus also challenging us to think about the lasting effects and implications of muralism. While traditional muralism brings light and color into an area, how can artworks on walls go further to explore deeper themes, social issues, and philosophical questions, and make political commentary? One approach is through interactive and participatory projects that invite the community to engage directly with public art. These projects foster a deeper connection between the artwork and its audience, transforming passive observers into active participants. By involving the community, artists draw attention to social issues, lending relevance to their work and giving participants a sense of ownership. Position: X=1.86, Y=4.76, Z=6.99 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/not-another-pretty-picture) - **De-construct to construct** — 1st Floor This chapter encourages us to reflect on the intricate interplay between human behavior and the urban landscape, and reimagines deconstruction as a creative force. Rooted in graffiti, artists repurpose urban elements, turning overlooked aspects of the cityscape into profound artworks. By infusing destruction with new aesthetic significance, they elevate the mundane into emblematic representations of city life. By challenging conventional views of destruction and transformation, artists reveal hidden beauty in overlooked objects. Creating from elements of the city fabric, they engage in a game of appropriation and reappropriation that allows us to see familiar objects in a new light. This chapter invites you to explore the unexpected possibilities that emerge when we break down the familiar to construct something new. Here, we witness how breaking down the old can open up new avenues for creativity, innovation, and expression. Position: X=5.02, Y=4.42, Z=-0.63 Links: [Read More](https://mediaguide.urban-nation.com/de-construct-to-construct) ## Data Payloads - [Spatial Directory](/view/urban-nation-interior/llms.txt): Lightweight sitemap and index.