ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS

Born in the mid-1980s, the core members of the collective have been an established part of Berlin’s graffiti scene since the turn of the millennium. Their practice of creating autonomous art and appropriating space developed into socio-political art actions and satirical works. In January 2016, the group founded the collective “Rocco und seine Brüder” (Rocco and His Brothers) to create large-scale installations in public spaces.

Since then, a high degree of anonymity has enabled its members to carry out subversive art actions, which often operate on the borderline of legality. Through the artistic and conceptual re-staging of everyday objects, their potential for social criticism is unleashed: they become iconic carriers of meaning that point to the blind spots of a capitalist-shaped reality.

The group’s public work has attracted widespread attention. Their very first work, the Berlin U-Bahn Room, generated a major media response.

In many of the actions undertaken by “Rocco und seine Brüder,” artistic practice merges with effective activism. Focusing on social grievances that occur in plain sight yet go unnoticed by the mainstream of society, the collective often operates “hidden in plain sight.”

In 2018, they created the film “Blaues Licht” (Blue Light).

They are currently involved in several museum projects, including the Berlin Global exhibition at the Humboldt Forum, the Urban Nation Museum, and the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art (MUCA) in Munich.