In February this year I visited Berlin, Germany (see earlier posts about the graff scene there). One of the places I visited was the Kunsthaus Tacheles (Tacheles Art House), an art squat in the Mitte section of Berlin, Germany. Continuously occupied since February 1990, there have been attempts over the years to evict the art squatters. Today, the building is home to art studios (with artists from all over the world), and until recently a cafe and performance spaces inside and out. The building is covered in graffiti inside and out. Out back, mini shack-like studios were erected, and there was space for performance, and a garden as well with gray-zone (read: unsanctioned) bars. Originally a rougher section of the city, Mitte is now decidedly upscale and the Tacheles property is quite valuable.
The properly is legally owned by HSH Nordbank and 2 other banks, who have attempted many times to remove the artists. The bank loaned money to the investor Fundus Group in 2008 to develop the property, and they allowed the artists to stay in the space until construction would begin, but then Fundus group defaulted on the loan, leaving the title to the bank.
In response to the eviction pressures, artists inside and outside the building had formed coalitions, but with competing aims. In early April last month, artists based in back of the building and on the ground floor (including Cafe Zapata) who had banded together reached an agreement with an anoymous buyer; they accepted a one million euro payout (wow!) to leave.
Berlin’s Department of Cultural Affairs is against the eviction of the artists. Last month a 25-foot concrete walls was erected to annoy the artists and probably to prevent new artists from moving into the squat. I visited Tacheles in February this year, about a month before the outdoor/groundfloor artist deal was struck and 2 months before the concrete barrier was put in place. Above you can see a video I shot showing the grounds. I will be very curious to see the future of this space. Although I was not excited by much of the art created onsite, I was inspired by the space itself and the coming together of so many different people.
