Berlin's Bethanien Museum hosts Italian artist Michela Picchi, whose bold murals blend pop art and surrealism for Nike and Airbnb. A peek inside where global creativity meets Kreuzberg's hip classicism.
08. Bethanien Museum, Source of Inspiration — Michela Picchi
Original Author Jin Jun-hwa, CEO of Pinzle (www.pinzle.net)
Adapter & Editor ONDA, Manager Somora
Monthly Artwork Pinzle Website: www.pinzle.net
Pinzle is Korea's only art subscription service. Every month, we spotlight one artist and their work. What do the lives and spaces of the artists we love look like? We created this series to inspire those shaping spaces of their own.
For inquiries about this series or Pinzle's art subscription service, reach out via KakaoTalk Plus Friend 'Pinzle.'
Some spaces evoke fantasy by their mere existence. Places where works are born that make you pause in contemplation or gasp in wonder. Studios, ateliers, workshops — spaces of artists go by many names. In them, time seems to slow. Even mundane moments feel ripe with inspiration. What do the workspaces of globally recognized artists actually look like?
Michela Picchi, born in Rome and now based in Berlin, is an Italian multidisciplinary artist walking a path entirely her own. She studied law and economics — an unexpected background. After graduation, she made the bold leap into graphic design. Then she moved to Hong Kong, where after much experimentation she developed her signature style. Her deep passion is unmistakable. She's collaborated with global brands like Nike and Airbnb, led massive mural projects, and even spoke at TED on "living authentically." Michela's restless experimentation has taken her around the world — and the workspace she chose? Bethanien Museum in Berlin.
Berlin's charm lies in how hip and classic freely collide. Kreuzberg especially — and within it, Bethanien Museum, where we arranged to meet Michela — embodies this hip classicism at its finest.
True to her multidisciplinary expertise, Michela's work brims with possibility. Her bold colors draw on pop art, surrealism, and dreamlike tiger motifs. Through countless murals on public and private buildings, she delivers intense, dynamic experiences within a single space. Knowing Bethanien wasn't just a museum but her chosen studio sparked all kinds of images in my mind.
Bethanien Museum exterior
The museum entrance
Standing at the main entrance, I found the building far more imposing than in photos. The brick structure loomed like a fortress. A quiet path lined with fallen leaves gave off a warm, gentle aura. And then — graffiti everywhere. Free-spirited tags and murals clashed with the stately old building, yet somehow blended into the scene with uncanny harmony. What hip works and artists would fill this classic shell?
The awkward wait ended quickly. As the clock atop the museum facade struck 2 p.m., Michela appeared at the entrance like a cuckoo from a clock, smiling brightly.
Following Picchi inside the museum
Inside, Bethanien greeted us with classic elegance and contemporary polish. Michela said she always seeks out spaces best suited to express herself and work. If a place feels right, she'll cross borders without hesitation — even leaving Italy. The Bethanien she chose reflects her ethos: artworks displayed freely, each asserting its own identity.
Free-flowing exhibitions
A red poster on one wall might seem out of place in Bethanien, yet its crimson hue didn't clash — it nestled right in. Was that wall painting graffiti or art? Hard to tell. A boat-shaped installation rounded out the eclectic mix. We slowly toured the museum's genre-spanning collection, then descended to Michela's studio in the basement. These shifts in environment and context have clearly widened the boundaries of her work.
Installation art on display
In the basement, we reached a white door plastered with multicolored words and graffiti. The scrawled phrases looked like a child's doodles — or cryptic tags you'd find under a European subway bridge. Pure Michela hip.
Behind the door: her workspace. Art supplies neatly organized according to some private logic. Sketches and studies pinned to the walls. Past works arranged freely yet seamlessly across the room.
Her artwork
A tiger painting hung in one corner, flaunting vibrant colors. Could any animal be more familiar to us than the tiger? From folktales to brand mascots to the crumpled shape on old maps.
But Michela Picchi's tigers share only the dictionary definition with those others. They pierce your eye as something wholly different. Human indifference in their gaze. Expressions neither fierce nor playful. Postures awkward. Her tigers. She loves tigers and wanted them as a vehicle for self-expression. That's probably why, among her many works, the ones with tigers resonated most.
Her studio lies beyond the door
The basement housing artists' studios
I stared at Michela's works for a long time. Color rule and line freedom sealed inside a smooth frame. Fascinating. Desire precariously enclosed — or perhaps desire that nothing can breach. Depending on your vantage point, it read differently. Either way, a crystallization of tremendous force.
On another wall, beneath a barred window, sat a small potted plant, a heater, and her desk. Green foliage outside. Dazzling color palettes birthed inside. On the desk: a stylish lamp and trinkets that looked like souvenirs from her travels. A maneki-neko cat from Japan. Totoro figurines. Tiger models. Other animal ornaments she loves. Her desk — filled with illustrations, phones, notebooks — and these charming tokens. When work got hard, did she glance at them to rest?
Picchi's desk
Beside the desk, a three-tiered cart held Picchi's closest companions. Tubes of paint in her signature colors and art tools confidently claimed the space, flaunting their charm like owners of the room. Michela Picchi calls every project an adventure. Failure, she says, is simply one of the most common occurrences for artists. Hearing that, I imagined her rejoicing after countless trials finally brought her close to the result she sought.
Before meeting her, my impression from her work was that she wielded trendy colors well. Maybe that's why I assumed her space would be feminine like her pieces. But the Michela Picchi we met in Berlin was candid, bursting with energy, and thrived on challenge. Her space wasn't the feminine realm we imagined. Calling her a "female artist" felt like forcing a mismatched puzzle piece. She's just an artist.
Picchi's closest friends
Doodle or artwork?
After the interview at Bethanien, we walked together to Mitte, the neighborhood where Michela lives. Rain had fallen sporadically, but now orange sunlight split the clouds and poured down. Mitte means "center" in German. True to its name, it's polished and refined. When asked her favorite neighborhood, Michela named Mitte without hesitation. The edgy curated bookshop <do you read me?> and countless galleries. As we strolled Mitte following Michela's lead, galleries in every color caught the eye. Just peering through storefronts at the artworks filled me with the emotional richness of a fine museum visit.
As we said goodbye outside her apartment, I recalled what Michela said as a TED speaker in 2015:
"I don't paint to express something. I don't want my work judged to validate myself. I'm happy when people like my work, but I don't feel bad if they don't. There are countless artists in the world, and I don't love every artist's work either. Feelings and thoughts inside me that even I can't explain — they're just woven into my work."
Saying goodbye in Mitte
I envied her fearless, self-directed life. What moves me is me. What holds me back is also me. Desire brings fear, but let's do it. Act. Nothing changes from thought alone.
Books and movies are mainstream today, but art still feels distant and intimidating. If you understand how a creator views the world before encountering their work, doesn't it reach you far more richly than as a mere image? Pinzle's art subscription service introduces one artist every month with this in mind. We visit globally acclaimed artists, document their lifestyles in video and magazines, and produce large-format artworks from selected pieces. We want to gift art to people who thought it wasn't for them — or who found the price too steep.
Michela Picchi's 'Universe'
Michela Picchi's <Universe> embodies her intense color sense and brushwork. A brush applying condensed energy in cosmic black. Set against a jade-green backdrop. When this energy pulls back the jade curtain, the vastness hidden within finally reveals itself. Densely layered colors and pop design captivate the eye — hard to look away — and deliver uplifting energy.
Just like the vibe in her work, Michela Picchi is an artist brimming with carefree spirit and fervent passion. She sets no limits on herself, doesn't fear trial and error, and roams the globe seeking new inspiration. For her, a giant wall becomes an easel. A TED stage facing thousands becomes a joyful playground. Could the intense energy in her work be distilled from that passion? She's an adventurer who brilliantly enjoys both art and life. What did you feel from this piece?
[Series Index]
(Tokyo Edition) 2018. 08 Modest Family Home, Takuya Bannai 2018. 09 Quintessentially Japanese Tatami, Kotaro Machiyama 2018. 10 Master's Atelier, Tatsuro Kiuchi
(Paris Edition) 2018. 11 Filled with Love, Severin Asso 2018. 12 Cozy Nest, Vincent Mahé 2019. 01 A Playground Built with Her Daughter, Tom Haugomat 2019. 02 Hip & Trendy, Akatre Studio
(Berlin Edition) 2019. 03 Bethanien Museum, Source of Inspiration — Michela Picchi 2019. 04 Smoke-Filled, Guillaume Kashima 2019. 05 Berlin University of the Arts, Carmen Reina 2019. 06 Form and Void, Clemens Behr
