Youth and Subculture from the Plattenbau
The East ticks differently. This was once again evident in the most recent election results. Especially in the prefab housing estates in East Berlin, people predominantly voted for right-wing parties. A great deal of dissatisfaction and potential for conflict has clearly built up here.
Image gallery
POSTER Blackbook HSH
POSTER Blackbook HSH
Even in the 35th year of reunification, the different living conditions between East and West are still an issue. The people living in the large housing estates in the East, who are now between 45 and 55 years old, were children and teenagers at the time of the reunification, and like their parents, had to cope with the upheaval of the 1990s.
The life achievements of the adults back then suddenly no longer counted. Unemployment was often accompanied by a loss of direction and hopelessness.
The youth of the reunification era sought affirmation, community, compensation, and above all, identity. Subcultures like techno, punk, hip hop—or even being “right-wing”—were explored. The graffiti culture that spilled over from the West became an anchor for uprooted young people.
In the prefab neighborhoods of Neu-Hohenschönhausen and Marzahn-Hellersdorf, graffiti became a medium of self-expression and self-assertion for many youths.
The motto: I AM HERE! Distinction, rebellion, attention, expression. The approaches were diverse. Ultimately, a number of graffiti artists emerged from these housing estates who gained regional and national influence thanks to the quality and quantity of their work.
The exhibition "Blackbook" at Galerie M aims to recall the socio-cultural living environments in East Berlin’s prefab neighborhoods during the post-reunification period, and primarily approaches the topic through the expressive form of graffiti.
Other artistic forms of expression are also meant to complement the exhibition. How was the time of reunification perceived and processed? On display will be digital prints of graffiti on walls, demolition sites, streets, and legal surfaces. But also screen prints, urban art, poetry, documentaries, and interviews aim to bridge the gap from the reunification era to the present and convey the feeling of life in the large housing estates of East Berlin.
Blackbook HSH▪️Youth and Subculture from the Plattenbau
Vernissage: 26.04.25, ab 18:00 Uhr
LIVE
Hagen RILLA Stoll
DJ
- Q.Millah
- Caedosz
