Blu's "The Pink Man"

This famous mural was done by famous Italian street artist Blu in 2007, whose work has a unique way of memorializing the historical significance of the piece's location and offering critical social and political commentary. Blu has done several iconic large murals in Berlin but The Pink Man is one of the only remaining pieces that has not been painted over. It is located in Kreuzburg at the west end of the Oberbaum Bridge.

The pink creature is made up of many entangled smaller people, pushed against one another, many with jarring facial expressions. They are all pink and lack distinguishable qualities and a sense of individuality. There is one however that

remains a different color who is about to be consumed by the masses, losing its individuality. One possible interpretation of this mural is a warning against the dangers of society embracing conformity. The pink people seem lost, in pain, and unaware of why they are trapped there or what they are doing. Erie and disturbing, it relates to Berlin and greater Germany’s history in more ways than one. This mural is one of the most iconic street art pieces and Berlin and is often praised for its reminder of the dangers of a society that promotes conformity.

Several of Blu's murals have been covered up by Black paint such as “Handcuffs”, “East and West” and “Global Warming”. The covering up of his large adjacent murals "Handcuffs" and "East and West " that were located near an old checkpoint that was functional during the physically divided Berlin era. The act of covering up these murals, largely recognized to have been orchestrated by the artists themselves reignited an existed debate about street art's largely unintended influence on gentrification. In more recent years, street art and murals have had the power to influence and inflate rent prices, one very prominent example being famous street artist Banksy. In a way the ability of the appearance and disappearance of Blu's art to generate conversation is a unique and impressive characteristic.

“Blu Murals Are Gone! Biggest Streetart Icon of Berlin Got Painted Over.” Street Art Berlin, https://www.streetartbln.com/blu-murals-painted-over/.

 “The ‘Pink Man’ Mural in Berlin by Street Artist Blu.” Street Art Berlin, https://www.streetartbln.com/the-pink-man-mural-in-berlin-by-street-artist-blu/.

“Why We Painted over Berlin's Most Famous Graffiti | Lutz Henke.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 19 Dec. 2014, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/19/why-we-painted-over-berlin-graffiti-kreuzberg-murals.