During my childhood and youth – when the Wall was still there – the center of Berlin was simply Alexanderplatz and Karl-Marx-Allee. Both areas were built as showcase locations of the East German capital after the destruction of the Second World War. I have to admit that in those days, I did not know much about the eventful history of this part of Berlin. Like for many others, it was simply a place for going out and shopping – within the given limitations.

Around 2022, over 30 years after reunification, I decided to start a photographic investigation of this area to understand what had changed and how it feels now. My focus was on "the Alex" and its surroundings – a place of contrasts. Symbols of the old and the new political systems exist side by side without blending into each other. Masses of commuters and tourists stream across the concrete-paved surface, trying to avoid unpleasant views and smells. Even the new police station in the middle of the square cannot prevent the fact that at certain times and spots, it feels a bit dangerous. But there is also a counterpoint: people having a good time, children laughing, and street musicians playing their hearts out.

This series describes a place undergoing a long and painful metamorphosis into something new, which is not yet fully defined.