Controversy

Artormonument?

Is the East Side Gallery a site of public art or a monument – or both?

In 1990, 118 artists took part in a unique action to create the longest open-air gallery in the world. A year later, the State of Berlin placed it under a preservation order. But less than 20 years on, the paintings were almost completely ruined. In 2008/09 most were repainted to restore the Gallery. Here, the artists talk about the Gallery’s restoration and preservation as a monument.

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Is the East Side Gallery a monument and needs to be preserved as it was in 2009, or is it a living work of art, which is constantly changing?

The East Side Gallery is…

a monument
both equally
a living work of art
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