Berlin is no doubt an excellent city for street art. Perhaps one of the best in Europe, even. There are so many pieces to see, from huge murals several storeys high, to small works that you could easily walk past without noticing.
There is an even larger amount of ugly tagging and graffiti which may not be considered art around, so sifting through that to find the good stuff can be hard if you don't know where to look.
Of course there is the East Side Gallery, which is considered the longest street art gallery in the world, and there are several famous pieces nearby just across the Spree, but I wanted to focus instead on some lesser known works. Here are some of my favourite pieces of Berlin street art, as seen through my Instagram account.
Bei Papa Weg, Neukölln
https://instagram.com/p/ykrMXOoiOg/
Between Hermannstrasse and Tempelhofer Feld is a footpath called Bei Papa Weg. On the wall separating it from the adjacent cemetery are several pieces of playful and vibrant street art, mostly faces, by an unknown artist. I especially like the face on the left.
Stralauerstrasse/Mühlenstrasse, Friedrichshain
https://instagram.com/p/zb2RS7oiD9/
At the far east end of the East Side Gallery is this piece, a collaboration between Sokar Uno and Julia H. To this day, this Instagram post is one of my most liked posts. I love the mix of creepy and cute here, and finding it in such a relatively touristy location was a pleasant surprise.
Thomasstrasse/Rübelandstrasse, Neukölln
https://instagram.com/p/4OiAvEoiFB/
I absolutely love getting creeped out by this weird piece of street art in Neukölln by Satterugly, and indeed it's much bigger than it appears from this picture. I also love that it's seemingly in someone's garden on just a regular, residential street and how the bright yellow background and the mostly black and white figures contrast so delightfully.
Potsdamerstrasse/Alvenslebenstrasse, Schöneberg
https://instagram.com/p/4_wYAAIiOL/
This piece by Vhils, depicting photographer Sven Marquadt (who is famous for being in charge of deciding who gets in to Berghain), blends so well with its surroundings it can be easy to walk by without noticing. This artist's works can be recognised by the ingenious method of chipping away at plaster to expose underlying brickwork, something which looks so simple but in reality must be incredibly intricate and delicate.
Augustusstrasse/Koppenplatz, Mitte
https://instagram.com/p/74iHoOIiJJ/
By an unknown artist, this piece outside Galerie Deschler is no doubt a take on Thomas Baumgärtel‘s single yellow bananas placed outside art galleries, denoting that they are worth visiting. It's very small, low down on the wall and easily passed by so keep your eyes peeled!
Oranienstrasse/Manteuffelstrasse, Kreuzberg
https://instagram.com/p/8fP7b5oiN2/
The world-famous Belgian street artist Roa has several pieces around Berlin and this one was recently a new discovery for me. Macabre, yet somehow elegant, Roa's pieces are often large and ambitious, and this one certainly lives up to that standard.
Here's a map showing the locations of all the pieces mentioned in this post:
To help you find more street art in Berlin, I highly recommend the free iPhone app, Street Art Berlin, which is a curated collection (not a comprehensive guide) of street art, big and small, form around the city. I also wrote more extensively about street art in Kreuzberg for Meininger Hotels.
