In choosing to focus this edition of Paper Visual Art Journal – PVA 16 – on Berlin, we are continuing a series of city-specific editions, following on from those that focused on Dublin, Cork, and Limerick.

We have done so partly because of our long-standing connection to the city. Our editorial staff is split between Dublin and Berlin, and we were interested in exploring the relationships between these places, decades after the emergence of Berlin as a destination for visual artists. We wanted to take a look at the current conditions of a city that was for many years seen to be affordable and supportive of visual-art practices. Over the last twelve months, this survey has become more politically focussed than anticipated. Aspects of German politics and policing have come to the fore in this time, contributing to a sense among artists that Berlin is not quite the utopia it was once considered to be.

The contributions collected here reflect on art, architecture, and culture in Berlin, unearthing aspects of its history, its connections to colonialism, its legacy as a divided city, and its relationship to its artists today.

With contributions from Laurence Counihan, Mark Curran, Adrian Duncan, Andy Fitz, Aingeala Flannery, Marcel Krueger, Sabrina Mandanici, Rebecca O’Dwyer, Doireann O’Malley, Sue Rainsford, Rory Rowan, and Daniel Seiffert.

November 2024,
Design: an Atelier project
Kindly supported by the Arts Council
ISSN: 2565-6376