“Birth Of Kachinas” is a mural painted in the East Side Gallery. It was painted by Indiano in 1990 and then restored in 2009 by a local Berlin artist and digital media creator named Yvonne Matzat (Google Arts and Culture, n.d.). This painting represents much more than what meets the eye at the first glance. The painting is a cry for change for the environment as pictured above. The scene displayed behind the pop of words “Save our Earth” is a city melting away after it is rained on by the acid rain clouds from above. On the right-hand side of the mural are pictured cartoon faces from the bottom being more realistic as human figures with plastered smiles. As the figures drift toward the direction of the sun, one can interpret that their facial expressions change into an uneasy and sickly gestures. In particular, the male-looking figure in the bottom right might be depicted as the Kachina doll that represents the culture of the Navajo people which is known for their belief in the idea that all things of the earth carry a life force (The History of the Kachina Doll, 2019). This could be interpreted to mean that the people on this earth should be mindful and thoughtful of the impacts that they have on the Earth.
While the artwork itself is pertaining to sustainability, so is its canvas. Originally, known as the Berlin Wall, and has since become a place of fostering a relationship between memorialization and urban development (Thomas, 2018). Now known as the East Side Gallery, it has developed into a popular tourist spot for people to be able to view a piece of Germany’s past by looking at present-day art. The art shared on the sides of the wall encompasses the emotions, thoughts, politics, and opinions of the people surrounding it. Which was captured by the 118 artists from 21 countries who contribute to the 1316 meters of restored wall left that represented such a divide in the country for 28 years (East Side Gallery , 2022). These paintings help mirror the world connected as one through art to symbolize a change for the future. This also is a way Germany has been able to use its urbanized environment to showcase the need and want to help “Save our Earth”. By sustainable transforming the Berlin Wall into an open-air gallery, it has made a remarkable impact on the world to show that there must be a remembrance of the past in order for growth in the future.
As the “Birth of Kachinas” is viewed by more than 3 million visitors each year, they can interpret the mural based on their thoughts to be able to connect them with current climate change issues (East Side Gallery Berlin , n.d.). “Save our Earth” written in bold should not end at a first glance but have an impactful meaning to each visitor.
Bibliography
East Side Gallery . (2022). Retrieved from Visit Berlin: https://www.visitberlin.de/en/east-side-gallery
East Side Gallery Berlin . (n.d.). Retrieved from Künstlerinitiative East Side Gallery E.V. : http://eastsidegallery-berlin.com/data/eng/index-eng.htm
Google Arts and Culture. (n.d.). East Side Gallery . Retrieved from Google Arts and Culture: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/OgUhQELocAoA8A
The History of the Kachina Doll. (2019, November 18). Retrieved from Faust Gallery: https://www.faustgallery.com/the-history-of-the-kachina-doll/
Thomas, M. C. (2018). The Ever-Changing Role of the East Side Gallery: The Relationship Between Memorialization and Urban Redevelopment . TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange, 1-45.