M05K, “We Are Here II,” 2020

Deutschsprachige Version des Artikels

When one enters the installation “We Are Here II” by M05K, created over the course of the Fresh A.I.R. Scholarship of the Stiftung Berliner Leben, the initial impression is a whirr of colors and signs only covering the canvases and the walls on which they hang but also going beyond the boundaries of these surfaces, extending onto the floor and the ceiling and encompassing almost the entire space. One sees turquoise, pink, yellow, and black swaths of color that overlap, blend into one another, or break off abruptly, giving the eyes a bit of white background where they can rest. On top of these surfaces of color and rendered in wild painterly gestures are lines in the same colors and often in black.

Here and there one can identify simple forms like circles, squares, or simply individual lines interspersed with symbols that not everyone can decipher. The space has been painted, scratched, and sprayed. The only figurative motif that appears repeatedly and is rendered in various styles is a face or parts of faces (apparently male, but who knows). Here and there, one can make out the words “HERE” and “WERE ARE STILL …” Of course, it is clear that someone was indeed here and left something behind— something that runs counter to the usual, or better said traditional, understanding of order. Excess paint has been allowed to dribble down from where it was applied; fabric has only been loosely stapled to the wooden frames of the canvases; and a film that is part of the installation is casually projected across a door onto the adjacent wall.

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The installation occupies a specific space, and with its overt references to the aesthetics of graffiti and subculture the work raises questions about who can lay claim to both public and private space. The intentional confusion of images—which reference the expressions of youth and protest culture generally considered scribbles and vandalism—contradict the clean, modernist aesthetic of the architecture of office buildings or luxury apartments built for the few who can afford them. M05K is the alias of an artist who positions himself against urban gentrification and the profit-oriented marketing of urban living spaces. With the slogan, “We Are Here” he calls to attention that we are in fact still here, and that we are not going to be chased away. Nevertheless, the work of M05K inherently raises the question as to who he actually means by “we” and whether through his art he is not also contributing (even if unintentionally) to the process of gentrification?

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Stylistic affiliations, categories, and origins do not seem to concern the artist, who borrows from all the styles that the twenty-first century has to offer. The whole spectrum of the history of art and images is open to him, and the tradition of the portrait confronts the graffiti imagery of the 1980s. Like many other artists coming from a Street Art and Urban Art context (such as the graffiti art duo Nomad Clan), M05K also uses a schematic crown to make reference to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988), an artistic and political role model for many artists, who fought against racism and oppression. When one reflects on these references and the powerful aesthetic of M05K, then one feels inspired to also raise one’s voice and call out to those wishing to build another new townhouse or office building: “We are still here!”

Text: Dr. Kea Wienand

About M05K

M05K was born in Amsterdam and grew up in Germany. His work combines abstract and figurative painting, typography and post-Graffiti components. It is inspired by autobiographical experiences as a graffiti writer and trained graphic designer with a focus on illustration. He mostly paints on things he finds in the streets, but is also specialized in painting large-scale murals and on canvases. Additionally, he gives creative workshops, lectures and curates exhibitions.

For more information about the artist:

Website / Instagram

The online showcase of Fresh A.I.R. #3

The online showcase offers an opportunity to get an overview of the highly diverse projects of the third group of Fresh A.I.R. artists with their different kinds of media and aesthetics.

On view are video and photographic materials about the individual projects, each of which is accompanied by an explanatory text that aims to offer insights into the work’s aesthetic experience.

learn more abouth the online showcase