RISE - Berlin Graffiti
Written by Andi Schmitz
Published on May 20th, 2025
Berlin’s walls tell a story of division and resilience from the days of the Berlin Wall to today’s political tensions. Graffiti remains a voice for the unheard and a mirror to society’s fractures. For activists like RISE, the wall is both a canvas and a battleground.
Graffiti occupies a contentious space between free expression and vandalism. In Berlin between 2022 and 2023, right wing crimes, including hate driven vandalism, increased by 5%, whereas left wing crimes often associated with anti-fascist and and education movements saw an 18% increase.
Berlin’s walls will continue to speak. Sometimes helpful, sometimes hateful. For artists like rise, there remain a space for resistance and raw truth.
Watch the Video on UP’s YouTube to Learn More
Alexia Marmara is a UK based researcher, archivist, artist and curator specialising in uncovering and celebrating the unsung. She curates and programmes at The Horse Hospital in London and is a recipient of The Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Research Grant.