Poster exhibition in Berlin: Containers are greener on the other side

In Berlin’s Charlottenburg district, near the Ernst-Reuter-Platz, a unique art installation has taken over several billboards along the Guerickestraße 21–25. These walls, usually reserved for commercial advertisements, now display artistic photographs exploring themes of public space and urban life. The exhibition, titled “Wem gehört die Stadt?”, translating to “Who owns the city?”, features works by five artists, including Leonardo Flores, Lena Maria Loose, Vlad Brăteanu, Fabian Schubert, and Mirja Busch. The project, curated by Silke Nowak for her independent space Schneeeule, aims to challenge conventional notions of ownership and visibility in the city. The installation began with a photograph titled “Planet” by Leonardo Flores, part of his series “Ephemeral Sculptures.” The image depicts a lunar surface covered in craters, but upon closer inspection, reveals itself as a flatbread on black tar. This visual trick underscores Flores’ focus on overlooked traces of human interaction within urban environments. His work invites viewers to reconsider the mundane objects and moments that shape daily life in cities. The exhibition runs until Tuesday, August 11, and is accessible primarily through bike rides, encouraging engagement with the city's physical spaces. Nowak, who founded Schneeeule in 2012 alongside Matti Bergmann, describes the project as a long-held idea realized after years of planning. She emphasizes the unexpected nature of the artworks, which appear in locations typically dominated by commercial messaging. These include entrances and parking areas, where art replaces typical advertising. However, this approach posed challenges, particularly with the companies behind the billboards, which expect traditional promotional content. A compromise was reached: a subtle written reference to the Schneeeule website, avoiding direct textual promotion while maintaining the integrity of the artwork. At another location, near the Quedinburgstraße 2, a photograph by Lena Maria Loose captures the Rummelsburger Bucht in eastern Berlin, bathed in warm evening light. The scene reflects a past where residents sought affordable housing or open spaces, sometimes living on water in boats before being displaced. Nowak explains that the current whereabouts of these individuals remain unknown, highlighting ongoing social displacement issues in the area. Further down the street, two billboards on the Quedlinburger Straße 15 showcase works by Vlad Brăteanu and Fabian Schubert. Schubert’s photomontage juxtaposes the smokestacks of a nearby power plant with a digitally generated version of the same structures. By referencing AI-generated imagery, he critiques the effectiveness of traditional advertising messages and questions the role of technology in shaping public perception. Brăteanu’s piece, titled “Die Container sind immer grüner auf der anderen Seite,” comments on the greenery emerging behind construction containers adjacent to the billboard. While new homes with gardens are being built, Brăteanu argues that such developments exacerbate social divisions in Charlottenburg-North, a neighborhood already affected by poverty. His critique highlights the tension between urban renewal and community displacement. The exhibition concludes at the Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 33, where Mirja Busch’s photographs adorn two billboards. These images depict a small house with blue-and-white tiled surfaces and colorful window inserts. Nowak chose this location based on aesthetic appeal rather than cost considerations, underscoring the uniqueness of the site. The selection process, influenced by both financial and artistic factors, illustrates the complexity of curating such an unconventional exhibition.