In 2005 Brazilian artists, Os Gemeos visited Berlin for the Backjumps 2nd edition festival where they painted a mural that has become famous in the Berlin street art scene.
Know as the ‘Yellow Man,’ this mural is visited daily by tour groups as an example of the high quality artworks adorning the walls of Berlin. It has become quite famous and known as one of the most detailed murals in the city.
But the Yellow Man looks a little different from the way he looked back in 2005. Over years exposed to UV rays the paint has lost its pigmentation causing the colours to fade. His once orange shirt is now white with only a few orange blemishes remaining.
Unlike a piece of art hanging in a gallery, in a controlled environment protected from deterioration, this mural shows the beauty of the impermanent existence of street art. Never made to last forever and so vulnerable to the environment. Whether its nature causing a change or graffiti artists that tag on top of the mural, it is doomed to have a tough life and one day disappear forever.
