The photo series Seightseeing Berlin emerged from recurring wanderings through the city. It documents places and situations beyond the official image of Berlin – transitional zones, edges, disappearance and emergence.

The painting series Future Ruins is based on motifs from the Seightseeing Berlin series. It focuses on new developments, most of which are emerging on Berlin’s last remaining open spaces and, through their smooth glass and concrete language, overwrite many former urban voids. Observing these new complexes gives rise to a thought experiment: that these very architectural densifications – often built alongside already vacant office buildings – could themselves one day become future ruins, testaments to a change that has come too quickly.

Both works pose the question of who shapes urban space and how street life as a social place is altered by economic interests. Each work is informed by a critical perspective, yet not without a fond nod to a city that is constantly changing.

Simon Ostaschenko was born in Astrakhan, Russian Federation. In Berlin, he initially studied Social Work at Alice Salomon University and worked as a social worker supporting underage refugees. From 2023, he took on a role in Artist Care, assisting Kyrgyz artists in Berlin as an interpreter. Since 2023, he has been studying Fine Arts at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin) in the class of Thomas Zipp, with a focus on painting and mixed media.

@Simon_Ostwest