Anyone leaving the city in Pankow in the direction of the autobahn, or driving into the city via Damerowstrasse, can hardly miss the two striking murals on two walls as they drive past. For some time now, the fire walls of number 19 have been emblazoned with. Number 59 larger than life children. Emma and her kindergarten buddy are the. Painted on gray concrete by Emma's father, Rico Mau.
The 39-year-old is from Pankow, his real name is Enrico, and he has been painting since he could hold a pencil securely. The doodles at school eventually turned into a profession. As a facade painter Rico Mau usually works for housing associations, for the zoo and the zoo, but above all he brings gray Berlin fire walls to shine with advertising. On VOX he regularly paints cars for the TV format "Die Tuning Profis" – whatever gets under his paint can or paint roller becomes colorful.
200-square-meter street art work
So did the 200-square-meter street art piece in Damerowstraße. It should give hope and courage to those who see it in passing. The idea for the image existed long before Corona, but in times when many things have faltered, the message that the image conveys appeals to passersby even more vehemently.
The motif: a boy in the branches of a tree, awake he looks at what is and what is to come. "I look at tomorrow with hope. Love" has Rico Mau written under the picture.
Only a few meters further on the other side of the street Rico Mau has already immortalized his daughter once before. The picture shows Emma, a kingfisher has landed on her hand, another such moment of silence in the big city traffic rushing by. "Big Emma" is what father and daughter always call the picture when they pass by here. "I wonder if she'll ever be embarrassed by the picture?", Rico Mau asks himself. "We give life to our children, they give meaning to our life" he wrote next to his daughter's face.
With his art project "The Children of Pankow", he wants to make visible what really counts in life. "Many artists express themselves politically or critically with their works," says Mau. He was more of a heart man. Appeal to the emotions of the viewer. With his artist name "demut" he signs his works. Of course, this attitude is a program for life.
Changing the personal environment for the better, even if only in a small way, is Mouse's inner motor. "Well, make the world a little more beautiful, just," he grins. Not more, but also not less.
A week on the lifting platform
Mouse motifs symbolize the innocence that often seems lost in the adult world. Children's views of tomorrow are always first full of confidence before the world clouds them in. Just now, when too much is demanded from many children, the pictures remind us that children's eyes must shine. For his large work of art Rico Mau stood for one week in airy height on a self-controlled lifting platform. Raster by raster copied from the printout of his design on the wall. Very small looked the people who waved and shouted something to him from below. After the painting was finished, many residents thanked Rico Mau. The housing company Vonovia is also happy with the design of the wall. A little embarrassed Mau looks at the paint splotches on his shoes. Then his gaze lifts – already on the lookout for another good wall. If he has his way, there should be many more children on gray fire walls all over the city.