The
man known as "6" is difficult to find in Berlin, but his signature
is everywhere. 6 is a graffiti artist in a city that is drowning in senseless
graffiti, a man who leaves his mark - his "6" - on seemingly
everything. I was told he paints a "six" on objects, signs,
doors, and scenes that he deems broken, all that needs repair, all that
he believes needs tending to.
A city in the throes of severe unemployment and recession has many things
to repair. As Berlin has built beyond its means, 6 has been a wry social
commentator on what is working and what is not, a public critic with paint.
Walking through the center
of Berlin, you'll see a 6 on the door of an abandoned house, on a torn
billboard for Alfa Romeo, even on the lot of an apartment development
yet to be built - his sly judgement of misguided repair. His signature
"6s" are commentaries on the physical space of the city.He even
paints his Web site address on rocks and walls.
I searched for 6 up and down Chausseestrasse in the Mitte district
of Berlin for days, but all I ever found was his bicycle and cart locked
and propped up against a building. The bike sat there for days. I never
found him.
