I would have loved Papierfabrik Wolfswinkel, an abandoned paper mill near Berlin, for the architecture, the atmosphere and the sense of history, but finding the walls daubed with Street Art was the icing on the cake.

When I suggested to Digital Cosmonaut and Irish Berliner (the man behind Abandoned Berlin) that we visit the disused paper factory in Wolfswinkel, I was thinking about the opportunity of capturing the dereliction, the industrial relics and the varying light conditions. And I got to do that, as you can see here.

Finding colourful Street Art (or maybe that should be Urban Art given that it wasn’t on the street) on many of the walls was a real bonus. And there was so much of it that I felt it needed a post of its own.

The cover photo on this post was in the first room we looked into and it was a taste of things to come.

Kim Köster

After many hours on the internet trying to find the artist’s name I now think that much of the art at Papierfabrik Wolfswinkel is the work of Kim Köster. If anyone can confirm that, or put me right, I’d be very grateful.

It wasn’t just the quality of the artwork that impressed me about the artist’s work. The placement was also spot on – many of the pieces interacted with their surroundings, as the best Street Art should.

Shadows were a key feature in a number of the pieces but at times the real genius was a combination of the clever placement and these shadows. The artist had incorporated the light and shadow of the surroundings into the art, which I first noticed with the shadow below the hammock in the next piece, cast by the pillar from which the hammock was ‘strung’ (note the hammock is painted on a wall some way back from the pillars).

I also saw a piece that I believe is by the same artist in the chapel at Kaserne Krampnitz, though I wasn’t able to get a decent picture because of a lack of light.

If you like the artist’s work, you should check out his website and I would recommend checking out his 99 Rooms project – incredible.

Unknown Artists

Not all of the art at Papierfabrik Wolfswinkel was by Kim Köster though. There was plenty of other great art. I haven’t been able to identify the artist for some of these next pieces so if anyone has any info please let me know in the comments so I can give the proper credit.

This piece Para Siempre (Forever) was a tableau of skulls.

There was a selection of Graffiti as well as the Street Art.

Remy Uno

I liked this playful piece by Marseille-based artist Remy Uno, proof that the eyes are the window to the soul.

EVOL

And finally, I have managed to find an EVOL in (or at least near) Berlin having seen my first Plattenbauten by the artist in London recently.

If you like Urban Exploration (Urbex) and you’re ever in Berlin, you should definitely head out of the city and check out the Papierfabrik Wolfswinkel – it’s well worth the trip for that alone. If you’ve also got an interest in Street Art it’s a no-brainer – go tomorrow.