MCL presents #5 Stadt im Wandel. Künstlerische Reaktionen auf urbane Veränderungen

In the organizer's words:

Who owns the city? Many players are active in urban space and claim it for themselves. In some cases, the ideas and implementations run counter to the reality of life for residents, leading to conflicts, gentrification and displacement. These changes often take place without the democratic participation of residents. In contrast, art that deals with urban space operates outside this power structure and shapes public space - usually without being asked. It can be an unintentional claim or an open criticism of power relations.

Berlin in particular was the focus of artistic debate due to the Wall, which physically and symbolically divided the city for almost 40 years. In the current issue of MCL presents #5, we take a closer look at historical and current artistic perspectives and their reflections on urban change.

Nicholas Ganz moderates the discussion with Christian Rothenhagen/deerBLN, who shares his personal and artistic view of the changes in the city, Cornelia Thiele, curator of the Berlin Wall Foundation, who talks about the meaning and reception of Wall art, and Fabian Buckermann, an artist who reports on his projects in and about public space.

Podium
Fabian Buckermann, also known under the pseudonym m05k, is a freelance artist who specializes in art in public space and the organization of temporary use projects. He also teaches design at a vocational college. In 2019, he took part in the artist-in-residence program Fresh A.I.R. of the Stiftung Berliner Leben.

Nicholas Ganz works as a freelance artist and author in Berlin. He painted his first graffiti in 1994 and published his first book "Graffiti World" ten years later, which became an international bestseller. In his artistic work, he mainly deals with contrasts. Both in his choice of techniques, in which he combines classic oil painting with the expressive forms of street art, and in the themes he chooses, in which he portrays the contrasts of human life.

Christian Rothenhagen/deerBLN is a freelance artist, designer and author who grew up in Berlin. He became known for his conceptual, architecture-focused drawings, installations and murals, which show urban change as snapshots of a city. His art can mainly be seen in galleries and museums as well as somewhat hidden in urban spaces. For over 20 years, his work has been exhibited in solo and group shows in Europe, the USA, Canada, Lebanon, China and Japan. In 2023, he published his book "Für immer ist morgen vorbei", in which he recounts memories of friendships, encounters, disappointments and successes.

Cornelia Thiele is a historian and curator specializing in contemporary history after 1945, the development of democracy, flight and migration. She has realized contemporary history exhibitions in various museums and has developed digital mediation formats in particular in recent years. She has been the curator of the Berlin Wall Foundation's collection and archive since 2022. Together with her colleague Lysette Laffin, she contributed the exhibit on the art of the Berlin Wall in the current exhibition "Love Letters to the City" at the URBAN NATION.