Leah Harris

In July my sister and I were lucky enough to explore Tacheles, in Mitte, Berlin. Tacheles was a two decades-old artist squat/colony, originally formed after the fall of the Wall, when East Berlin was abandoned and artists moved in, taking advantage of all the free housing. Tacheles was an institution in the avantgarde art world and provided studio space and an (artistic) home for artists and culture for the burgeoning East Berlin. In September, after months of controversy, the building was finally successfully seized by a bank in Hamburg and Tacheles was closed for good. I am so happy I had the opportunity to explore Tacheles and meet some of the artists and see their art. Many are commenting that the close of Tacheles is in line with many of the commercial developments currently plaguing Berlin (particularly East Berlin). To orient one's eye, this image is of a staircase within Tacheles. There was no electricity or plumbing in the building in July, it had already been shut off by the bank that eventually shut the entire building down.