Originals or Copies?

Duration: September 29 to December 7, 2025

The East Side Gallery is a world-renowned monument – colorful, political, and full of symbolism. What began as a temporary art project in 1990 evolved into the world’s longest open-air gallery, attracting several million visitors annually. Where concrete and barbed wire once separated Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, more than 100 works of art convey the hopes and fears of the artists during this period of upheaval.

Had the artists not restored their work several times, the murals would not be here today. Exposed to the elements and vandalism, the colors quickly faded. In 2009, the artists repainted their murals  — some changed the colors and style; others reinterpreted their images and created a different message.

The temporary exhibition shows how a few murals changed over time and traces the conflict between monument, art, and public space. Examples are used to demonstrate how the images and concrete are protected. The exhibition also explores the question of how we can preserve the East Side Gallery in the future.

Images from the time when the East Side Gallery was created are presented alongside original sketches and models, sculptures, documents and photographs from the artists’ archives that have never been shown before.

The exhibition is on display in the Visitor Center of the Berlin Wall Memorial, Bernauer Straße 119, 13355 Berlin.