Graffiti in Berlin

          One of the first things I noticed in Berlin after leaving the airport and driving to the hotel was the graffiti that was plastered on almost every visible surface. I automatically had a slightly uneasy feeling. I do appreciate these wall paintings as art, but I also see them as lack of maintenance or care in the facility that the work is displayed on. This was confusing, because many of the places where it was displayed were nice restaurants and shops, like a quaint little café down the street from our hotel, across from an old protestant church. As I began to explore the area around the hotel even more, I realized it was more prevalent than what I imagined. The graffiti did not seem to signify a bad or dilapidated area, but it also did not seem to add much to the area either.

            I asked Britta on our walk home from dinner why it was so common and if it was seen as unnecessary to cover it up, because it would just be painted over again. She thought the reason was two-fold. Yes, it would be somewhat of a hassle to cover it up, because it would constantly be getting repainted. Also, graffiti is often seen as art and didn’t have such a negative connotation.

            This made sense; even while taking the city bus tour yesterday, I noticed it on more building façades in downtown Berlin, even on other art work, like the sculpture that France had given Germany for its 750^th birthday. Although I realized it is part of the culture, I still found it disrespectful and inconsistent with the perception I have of a modern city with the ability to cover up or prevent the graffiti from being such a dominant visual. It seems that it doesn’t serve a true purpose for the city and therefore, seems unnecessary.