Big Boys Don’t Cry

The main element of this picture is a street-art clown with a spray can creating a “Base 23” flag | top left |. Base 23 is a highly versatile Berlin artist known for graffiti, drawings, paintings and installa-tions inspired from a wide range of sources: 1960s psychedelic art, ’70s underground comics, Japanese robots, typography and traditional patterns and fabrics. The number 23 is often being associated with conspiracy theories, but I associate it with my childhood when Berlin was still divided. The postal code of Moabit – where I grew up – was 21. In my teenage years some of my friends were sprayers and urban artists. Their art often referred to Moabit – long consid-ered a multicultural ghetto area – and the old postal code 21. I attended Menzel School in Tiergarten, close to the Siegessäule| bottom center |. In this area you can still find some of their street-art pieces, especially around Hansaplatz. The people with animal heads standing in a queue reminded me of people waiting to enter a club. Berlin has a great dance club culture. Some of the clubs have very strict so-called selectors at the door, backed by bouncers of course. Known worldwide for its strict door is the nightclub Berghain in Berlin. It is named after its location near the border between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. Berghain first entered DJ Magazine's Top 100 Clubs list in 2008, ranking at number 20, and reached the top position in the following year. It has remained in the top 20 ever since.Often some members of our group, especially the guys, didn’t get into the club that we had chosen to go to. The little boy crying| bottom left |represents the rejected people, outside, looking through an imaginary window into the club.My finances as a student were limited. Most of the time we went out for a dance and a couple of beers. Berliner Pilsner (Berliner crown cap) | top center | was created in 1902 as a small brewery with an adjacent beer garden. In 1969, Berliner Pilsner was nationalized and incorporated into the East Ger-man “Ost-Berliner Getränkekombinat”, a publicly-owned corporation. For many years during communist rule, Berliner Pilsner was the leading beer brand in East Berlin.