COMMUNITY WALL BY DEVITA

The URBAN NATION MUSEUM presents a programme that goes beyond the current group exhibition ”Loneliness and Other False Friends”. In this programme some of Berlin’s most renowned artists, namely: Caro Pepe, Devita, Honey Beebs, Lake and Mate created a series of murals, the C-Walls, that address the exhibition theme in and around Bülowstraße.

Devita (born 1985 in Cuxhaven, lives and works in Berlin) studied art education in Osnabrück and Leipzig with a focus on visual media. Her stays abroad in Spain, Argentina and Mexico influenced her world view as well as her choice of motifs. Towards painting, folkloric elements often become a part of her portraits. Devita’s focus is mainly on portraying female characters whose thoughts, feelings and stories are significant. In her paintings, she explores the issue of emancipation and entrenched role models in our society. Devita has already painted in cities such as Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Melbourne, Adelaide.

Devita’s artwork shows a girl reading a book, lost in thought.It is located at Bülowstraße 4. The cover is adorned with the words “You can’t judge a book by its cover“. There are rockets, moons and stars flying everywhere.

Can we give the girl in the picture her own dreams? Or do we give the girl her dreams?

She went on to explain that we all too easily underestimate (and overestimate) other people based on their appearance. Social media likes to help us do this. Fake photos and opinion pieces suggest to us an image of a beautified, emancipated and modern society, but we are very quick to judge by appearances instead of first getting to know the person and their intentions.

“You can’t judge a book by its cover” reminds us to question our own opinions about someone (or something) ourselves first, rather than to determine them hastily.