Top 11 street art icons in Berlin

Berlin is a magnet for international street artists. This is partly due to the history of the once divided city. Not only Thierry Noir has made the former "Anti-Fascist Wall" in the western part of Berlin a little more colorful, many other artists took the opportunity. Some of the pictures you can still admire today at the East Side Gallery. More and more murals and wall paintings were also created on desolate fire walls.

After the fall of the Wall, an exciting urban art scene quickly developed. Projects such as ONE WALL by URBAN NATION, the Backjumps Live Issues, the Graffiti Lobby and the Dixons Mural Fests brought internationally renowned street artists to the city. At the same time, an exciting scene developed in Berlin. 11 icons of the street art scene we present to you here, unfortunately only eleven, because there are so many more.

Therefore: Download our free story app ABOUT BERLINquickly, because here we introduce you to many, many murals and artists in detail. 

Tip 1: Shepard Fairey | Obey Giant

Not only is Shepard Fairey's Hope poster for Barack Obama's 2018 election campaign legendary, the U.S. street artist also set new standards for street art with his pseudo-marketing campaign Obey Giant. With the campaign for non-existent products, Fairey criticized commercialism and consumer culture. The fact that he later supplied the products for the campaign is another matter.

Here you can find murals by Shepard Fairey in Berlin:

• No Future and other murals: Schwerinstraße 3 | U2, U3 Bülowstraße
• Make Art not War: Mehringplatz 28 | U6 Hallesches Tor

Tip 2: Jadore Tong

With his cheerful elephant in Kreuzberg, Berlin-based street artist Jadore has certainly created one of the happiest murals in the city. Jadore Tong was inspired by a photo of an Indian ceremony in which elephants roam the countryside, bringing peace and joy to the villages. And it is precisely this joyfulness that the elephant brings to the once gray wall behind the basketball. By the way, Jadore Tong's pseudonym is S.Y.R.U.S. If you look closely, you can discover this tag or lettering, which stands for "Save your rich untouchable soul." also on walls in Berlin.

Murals by Jadore Tong in Berlin:

• “!” Elephant playing with a balloon: Wilhelmstraße 7 | U6 Hallesches Tor

Tip 3: Herakut

For their Giant Storybook project, Heraktu traveled around the world in 2012. With this project, the artist duo wants to show that there are topics and ideas that occupy and connect all people in the world. To this end, Jasmin Siddiqui, alias Hera, and Falk Lehmann, alias Akut, have developed a story around the brother and sister Jake and Lily. Jay is trapped in a world of perfection and reaches for the spray can to rebel. Lily lives in a parallel world, but eventually sets out with a couple of monkeys to find her brother.

Street Art by Herakut in Berlin

• My Home is no castle... : Luckauer Str. 14
• Junge mit Elefant: As Long As You Are Standing (Onur, Wes, Herakut): Stromstraße 36

Tip 4: Jim Avignon

Where are Jim Avignon and his colorful figures actually not to be found in Berlin? At first glance, they appear colorful and cheerful, but a closer look usually reveals the artist's critical view of the world - and in his murals, of course, especially of Berlin. On the mural in the interior courtyard of the Tagesspiegel, for example, the artist alludes to the debacle surrounding the Berlin Brandenburg Airport BER with three grim-faced penguins on a plane heading for a building with the lettering "Airport Closed.

Here you can find street art by Jim Avignon:

• Tagesspiegel, Askanischer Platz 3 | S1, S2, S5, S26 Anhalter Bahnhof
• Artpark Tegel, Neheimer Str. 8
• Adalbertstraße 7 | U1, U2, U3, U8 Kottbusser Tor
• East Side Gallery | S3, S5, S7, S9 Ostbahnhof, U1, U3 Warschauer Str.

Tip 5: Cryptik

Cryptik is an artist from Los Angeles who wants to bring some calm to the daily hustle and bustle with his works. In fact, his geometric works include mantras and prayers, which he integrates in a stylized version of English. Cryptik draws inspiration from ancient scriptures such as Sanskrit, Arabic, Hebrew or Hindi, spiced with a pinch of Cholo Lettering.

Here you can find the Mantradala by Cryptik in Berlin

• Mantradala: Bergfriedstraße 10 | U1, U3 Prinzenstraße

Tip 6: ROA

Even as a young boy, ROA was fascinated by bird skeletons and the skulls of dead animals, which he then drew. Perhaps this is where his merciless realism comes from, which can also be seen, for example, in Nature Morte, the French term for still life. ROA often chose animals native to the surroundings as models for his facade paintings. In Berlin, for example, there is still a wall on which several rats are climbing up a rope.

Here you can find street art by ROA: 

• Nature Morte: Oranienstraße 2 | U1, U3 Görlitzer Bahnhof
• Rats: Schönhauser Allee 116 | S2, S8, Ringbahn, U2 Schönhauser Allee

Tip 7: Victor Ash

On this mural by Victor Ash you see the Soviet pilot and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. You probably know the other astronaut of Victor Ash, who stretches out his hand to you from a Kreuzberg wall.

Here you can find art work by Victor Ash:

• Astronaut Juri Gagarin: Ludwigsfelder Straße 14 | M18, M6 Landsberger Chaussee/Zossener Str. 
• Astronaut | Cosmonaut: Oranienstraße 195 | U1, U8 Kottbusser Tor
• The big jump: Oderberger Straße 57 | U2 Eberswalder Straße

Tip 8: PichiAvo

PichiAvo is the name of an artist duo from Spain that has been tirelessly bringing more color to walls around the world since 2007. Both are visual artists and trained designers and like to combine classic art with modern street art in their works. Their aim is that art can be shown and seen everywhere, be it in a gallery, a museum or simply on the street.

Here you can find PichiAvo in Berlin:

• Two Faces: Friedrichstraße 9/Franz-Klühs-Straße | S1 Lichterfelde

Tip 9: WENU artist collective

The murals on the facade of the Holzmarkt are a real eye-catcher. Here you will find the colorful arrow circle from Klebebande and the large hidden object from WENU. WENU stands for the fact that the artists make art not only for themselves, i.e. "WE", but also for you, i.e. "U". The aim of the troupe, which consists of four multi-talented artists from Hong Kong and Berlin, is to "give the urban environments a uniquely crazy makeover". In the Holzmarkt itself you can still find works by El Bocho or Alexander Isakov. And around the corner, of course, the famous "Blue Indian" by Cranio. Many of the works were created as part of the first Mural Fest 2018.

Always worth a visit, not only for street art fans

• Holzmarktstraße 25 | S3, S5, S7, S8 Jannowitzbrücke oder zum Ostbahnhof (von beiden Stationen ist es ein Stück zu laufen)

Tip 10: El Bocho

El Bocho became known as a street artist with his two surveillance cameras "Kalle & Bernd", which delivered funny dialogues in speech bubbles. Or with his wild girl Lucy, who tries to kill her cat in all possible ways. The "Citizens" series, which also includes "Eyes in the Big City," is a bit more settled. In the series, El Bocho portrays young girls and women in the big city. By the way, "Eyes in the Big City" is inspired by a poem of the same name by Kurt Tucholsky.

Some placles, where you can find El Bocho in Berlin

• "Augen in der Großstadt": Lasdehner Straße 7 | U5 Frankfurter Tor
• "Citizens": Holzmarktstraße 25 | S3, S5, S7, S8 Jannowitzbrücke oder zum Ostbahnhof (von beiden Stationen ist es ein Stück zu laufen)

Tip 11: Nomad

The Berlin artist Nomad is considered a critic of the advancing commercialization of the street art movement. For him, the appeal in urban art lies in presenting art in a new context, away from the structures of the market and the gallery scene. Nomad became known with his Mr. Friendly, drawn in a line. New to the urban art scene at the time, the friendly male gives passersby advice such as "Don't fight your feelings" or sometimes comments on the situation with sayings such as: "It's their fault.

Hiere you can find "Rounded Heads" by Nomad:

• Rounded Heads: Oppelner Straße 44-46 | U1, U3 Schlesisches Tor

Tip: Streetart Highlight on our ABOUT BERLIN App

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You want to discover more great murals in Berlin? You want to know what stories are behind the murals? And which street artists were involved? Then download our free ABOUT BERLIN app now. In addition to street art tours including directions, you'll find videos and interpretive audio books. Let us explain the details of the murals and immerse yourself in Berlin's street art scene. Download now for free for iPhone and Android.

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