“Funeral of Affordable Rents” by the artist collective Rocco and his brothers
© Rocco und seine Brüder | Photo: Kulturprojekte Berlin und Stadtmuseum Berlin, Oana Popa-Costea

Funeral of Affordable Rents

In the room “Free Space” at BERLIN GLOBAL stands the “Funeral of Affordable Rents” by the artist collective Rocco and his brothers. In 2016, the artists installed the work on a street corner in Kreuzberg to draw attention to the exploding rents. In the series “Favourite Object” we present the object restored for the exhibition.

by Stefanie Friedlhuber, Kulturprojekte Berlin

Set-up of the installation at BERLIN GLOBAL

Sound on ‒ Bizim Kiez talks about the importance of socially just rents for alternative lifestyles to thrive in Kreuzberg.

Moritz van Dülmen, managing director of Kulturprojekte Berlin, tells us why the funeral is his favourite object at BERLIN GLOBAL.

Moritz van Dülmen next to the installation in BERLIN GLOBAL
© Kulturprojekte Berlin und Stadtmuseum Berlin | Photo: Alexander Rentsch

What is your job on the BERLIN GLOBAL team?

I’m the managing director of Kulturprojekte Berlin, which developed and coordinated BERLIN GLOBAL. Program manager Simone Leimbach and I initiated the exhibition, did the first concept sketches and produced BERLIN GLOBAL.

Why is the “Funeral of Affordable Rents” your favourite object, Moritz?

Because it’s topical and original. Freedom and open spaces are signature elements of Berlin, and a focal topic of BERLIN GLOBAL. The exhibition also deliberately addresses ambivalences in the city’s recent history. For example, Berlin’s popularity caused the rental market to boom and many open spaces to be lost ‒ the victims of gentrification are often the tenants. The work by Rocco und seine Brüder captures these events like no other.

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