Exploration activity: Tacheles Kunsthaus

Group 4: Mariah, Nigel, Natalie, Ryder

Upon returning from our exploration of Tacheles we were surprised to learn just how many layers of history have existed within the space that now houses the artist squat. It started as a Jewish mall, served as a Nazi administrative building and prison, was severely damaged by allied bombing, then became a GDR storage facility. Just before being demolished in 1990, it was taken over by an international group of young artists and shortly thereafter was declared a historical architecture monument because of its special steel construction. The artists even began receiving subsidies from the government for certain projects. In 2008, the lease with the property owner ended and half of the occupants left peacefully in exchange for 1 million Euro in compensation. With that agreement, Tacheles lost its cinema, restaurant, a gallery and much of their open space. Meanwhile, the remaining artists are under constant threat of eviction. They have offered to buy the building from the bank, but were turned down because the bank hopes to sell the building with the adjoining empty lot for 25 million euros. 

On August 9th 50 security guards, in cooperation with the local police, broke into Tacheles and destroyed thousands of euros worth of art. The attack was completely unexpected and has set a new tone for the space, a increasingly grim one. The Tacheles artists may have no idea what the future holds for them, but still hope to uphold their commitment to "freedom of public space, art, and thought."

 Pictures posted in sculpture garden of August 9th raids

In comparison to the use of the ruins for sex-trade discussed in "Life among the Ruins", one could argue that the use of Tacheles is similar because it has created a unified identity among the artists. Eans states that, at the time, "only a limited order could be imposed on these physical spaces through social welfare, policing and the law" which is essentially what the squatter/artists are proving together. Although there have been instances of police interference in the space, for the most part the message of the artists is clear from the patches being sold at the gift shops: "We stay."