Spree Pirate (No.5)

About

This artwork is part of a 12-piece series developed while I was spending a few winter days in Barcelona, my hometown. During that stay, I found myself reflecting on what it would feel like to return to Berlin. To me, Berlin is a grey city, especially in winter. I wouldn’t describe it as beautiful, but it is undeniably interesting, dynamic, and original. I found myself thinking in particular of Alexanderplatz: its rigid geometry, its cold monumentality, and the lingering weight of its communist history. Grey, austere, and wintry, these are the qualities that surfaced again and again in my mind. At the same time, I thought about another side of the city: its multicultural energy, its raw originality, its slightly trashy yet innovative spirit, and the graffiti that gives so much of Berlin its visual pulse. This painting grew out of that atmosphere — out of memory, contrast, and the emotional tension between two cities that inhabit me very differently.

Process

The process began when I found a fluorescent acrylic paint bottle with a fine applicator tip in an art store. I was immediately drawn to it, thinking about how it could introduce a vivid highlight into a painting. A few days later, I decided to experiment with it. Using it alongside grey, white, purple, and blue acrylic paint, I built up a composition of layered shapes and marks, then finished the piece with white acrylic marker details. Finally, I varnished and signed it.