Reaching for the skies: one block, two murals and a bit of cress

In August, in our first major alumna profile, we introduced Tini Emde and her ‘Sprücheklopfer’ (wordplay pieces) complete with cress. The latter seems to be sticking with us… Not far from the EMTI Studio, on 19 August 2026, we came across new, unexpected traces of cress. These, however, do not come from Tini Emde – the Hanseatic city now has its very own original cress artwork: Since the end of August, Bremen – now an official ‘Urban Art City’ – has gained at least eleven new murals by international urban artists. Among them are two artists from Bremen.

As part of the MURAL CITY FESTIVAL 2026, HfK alumna Edeltraut Rath and future alumnus Johannes Graf, alias Kresse, from Prof. Kati Barath’s class, each created their own artwork in public spaces at Fehrfeld 43 and 44. Under the theme ‘Beauty of Science’, they explored the academic disciplines of logistics and social sciences. Furthermore, both had the same accompanying science partner, who forged a link between their artistic work and research studies and lectures.

Johannes Graf-Kresse has already successfully completed a Bachelor’s degree in Art Therapy at the University of Applied Arts for Social Work in Ottersberg. For over ten years, the 38-year-old has been working artistically in the social sector and also works as a freelancer on projects in public spaces, amongst other things. And as if that weren’t enough, he is simultaneously studying Fine Art at the University of the Arts Bremen. His artistic career began at the age of 13 with graffiti. Through his degree course at the University of the Arts Bremen in Prof. Heike Kati Barath’s class, he has further honed his professional skills in painting and developed his own style. It took him three attempts to convince the university that, even as someone over 30, he was ‘still stylistically malleable’ and not too old for a second degree. His determination and perseverance have paid off – he is now nearing the end of his diploma programme and is enjoying growing interest from buyers. Spray painting is now a thing of the past. Sustainability is his top priority. Painting has clearly taken centre stage in his murals and works in public spaces. He and Edeltraut Rath demonstrate that urban art can thrive even without outlines.

A tenant living in the blocks of flats in Fehrfeld describes his work as ‘unfinished’. For Graf-Kresse, this is the finest compliment he has received to date for his mural entitled ‘zU HoeReEn (Listening)’ – because that is precisely what it is intended to be. A work that is perceived as unfinished initially causes confusion and raises questions. And questions are an ideal starting point for successful communication: Who is depicted? What is the person doing? Who are they listening to, and why? In his work, Graf-Kresse references Gerhard Marcks’ sculpture ‘Der Rufer’. Commissioned by Radio Bremen in 1966, it was originally intended to represent radio and television in a timeless way and to ‘send the message out into the world’. ‘Der Rufer’ became a symbol of peace and freedom of expression. A few months before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a cast of ‘Der Rufer’ was installed on Straße des 17. Juni between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column in Berlin. Another cast, dating from 1982, stands in Perth, Australia.

The starting point for the accompanying lectures by the Science Partner from the social sciences is the 40-year panel study ‘Life Under Nuclear Threat’. Conducted in twelve waves of surveys at Constructor University in Bremen under the direction of Prof. Klaus Boehnke, the study investigated the effects that fear of the nuclear threat during the Cold War had on children and young people in the 1980s. The study concluded that early and sustained political engagement contributes to greater resilience.

Through his work, Graf-Kresse adopts an approach that critically examines his own masculinity: “As someone socialised as male, I want to become aware of my privileges and make space (in the sense of listening) for the voices and perspectives of people who are overlooked or suppressed and who come from less privileged backgrounds. At that moment, one’s own view of things recedes into the background.” Johannes Graf-Kresse grew up in Nordhausen in the southern Harz region, on the inner-German border. In his work, he fundamentally questions his own male (Eastern German) socialisation.

Edeltraut Rath is not only one of the pioneers of public art in Bremen – she is also probably one of the oldest artists who, even at the age of 73, still climbs up scaffolding to carry out this physically demanding work. And yet the ten-metre-high wall created as part of MURAL CITY is actually one of her smallest projects: designing entire school complexes is one of her specialities. This includes the large mural project for the Carl von Ossietzky School Complex in Bremerhaven, with its five stairwells, completed in 2007. Given the area’s status as a business hub, she chose logistics as the overarching theme for this project – in keeping with her theme for MURAL CITY 2026 – and, in doing so, created her own logistical challenge by using 56 different shades of colour. Rath enlisted her husband as her assistant for MURAL CITY. As he gets older, he actively supports her with her large-scale artistic projects.

Another focus of Edeltraut Rath’s work is underpasses. Just recently, Rath designed the railway underpass between Berckstraße and Luisental in Horn-Lehe, based on a joint design with the Namibian artist Maria Mbereshu. One thing quickly becomes clear early on in the interview: Edeltraut Rath’s life story is so fascinating that we will be featuring this alumna in a separate article.

But first, a word on this: like Graf-Kresse, Rath also worked initially as an artist in the social sector after completing her first degree in painting at the HfK Bremen; she went on to complete a second degree and originally comes from a background in figurative painting – or, to be more precise, socialist realism. Today, her artistic style is characterised by clear, vibrant colours, geometric shapes and colour fields. This is also evident in her mural ‘Orchestral Sound 2026’, which, as part of the festival, represents the interdisciplinary field of logistics. The environment, health and sustainability are crucial factors in her choice of materials. Consequently, avoiding the use of tins is just as much a matter of course for her as it is for Johannes Graf-Kresse. Furthermore, only sustainable, climate-positive wall paints are used throughout the festival anyway.

Despite their 36-year age difference, Edeltraut Rath and Johannes Graf-Kresse share an unusually large number of similarities – apart from a shared building façade and a degree in Fine Art from the HfK Bremen: Both chose to pursue a second degree in art, were or are actively involved in creative work in the social sector between their degrees, have a background in figurative painting, have carried out projects with the Kunsthalle Bremen, amongst others, and share a strong awareness of sustainability as well as having studied at the HfK during turbulent times in world politics.

The example of these two artists shows just how much they have in common despite the significant age difference – even without knowing of each other’s existence. Perhaps we should all not only communicate more, but above all communicate well with one another. And in doing so, listening deeply is the real key.