Dedicated to

“Dedicated to” is Various & Gould‘s second mural in Berlin. It’s visually and thematically referring to their Rabotniki series. On the recently opened premises of the Stadtbad Oderberger Straße in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, the artist duo has created a surreal 170 m² scenery.
With suspended proportions, the giant protagonist – composed of multi-colored fragments – self-confidently trudges through the picture. Full of resolution, following her own rainbow, the main character seems to escape from her own story, willing to write a new one, taking over control. The English title “Dedicated to” can both be understood as the inscription of a book or the vigorous hymn of a passionate person. The exact interpretation, however, is up to the viewer.

In their Rabotniki series (the name derives from the Russian word for workers), Various & Gould question the development of today’s work environment in a playful manner. The wildly assembled figures evoke associations with patchwork life plans ranging between work, part time jobs and vocation. Furthermore, the duo often incorporate personal experiences of closeness, distance and deracination.
The result are poetic works that blur the line between reality and imagination: Surrounded by mysterious, partly disturbing sceneries, carnies, utopians and adventurists bear up with the unflinching confidence of a modern Munchausen.