Berlin Art Trip

GCSE and A Level Art students enjoyed an action-packed week exploring the culture, galleries and street art of the German capital.

Over half term, the Art Department accompanied 30 pupils to Berlin; Amy, Minna, Teah and Poppy in Year 10 share their experiences below and the images above.

“Every day was filled with art galleries, street photography, coffee shops, flea markets and much more. We also learnt about the Berlin Wall, stepping on each side of where the wall would have been – with one foot in West Berlin and the other in East. Highlights included visiting the Hamburger Banhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, one of the largest and most significant public collections of contemporary art in the world. On arrival, we were graced with the monumental Eva Fàbregas’ Devouring Lovers installation – soft, slowly pulsating sculptural forms in a variety of pinks and corals. In another wing of the gallery, there was a fantastic video and sound installation, which was the transcript of an interrogation. The artist used colour and sound to heighten the tension, which kept many of us on the edge of our seats. 

Another highlight was an unforgettable tour of the Boros Collection: a huge private collection of contemporary art, displayed in an 80-room WW2 bunker. Stand out pieces included the ‘scratch paintings’ – sizeable, shiny black acrylic sheets which had been marked across the surface, and a display of ‘coal’, which was in fact boiled down Coca-Cola! Another favourite was a work of swinging lights, suspended from the ceiling, slowly falling out of sync. 

We all adored the fabulous guided street art tour through the city’s infamous clubbing district. We started bright and early in Friedrichshain, where we met our tour guide who talked us through the differences between graffiti and street art as well as teaching us about specific pieces, including a woman wearing a duct tape dress, resonant of Gustav Klimt’s ‘Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I’. We also learnt the different techniques such as tags, throw ups and pieces.” 

Congratulations to Minna in Year 10 and Amalie in the Lower Sixth, respective winners of the Berlin Art Trip Photography and Sketchbook competitions. Minna thoroughly impressed with original and creative darkroom printing from her black and white photographs which captured a real sense of the city, and Amalie’s sketchbook presented the most compelling beautiful and thorough visual diary of the trip. Well done to everyone who entered!