The Existence of Non-Existence

Hidden between the two buildings is one of Berlin’s oldest murals, Weltbaum – Grün ist das Leben (World Tree – Green is Life). This mural was created in 1975 by the late artist Ben Wagin and his friends. At the time, it was also one of Berlin’s most iconic large-scale street graffiti. Ben Wagin was born on March 25, 1930 in Poznan, Poland. He came to West Berlin in 1955 and was a legendary Berliner, known for his tree conferences called Parlament der Bäume (Parliament of Trees). He spent much of his life working for peace and environmental protection. He was straightforward, open-minded, and persistent spending most of his life planting trees, especially the ‘living fossil’ Ginkgo. His multiple identities make him even more prolific and difficult to define: he has been occupying spaces to plant trees since the 1970s, so he is seen equally as a performance artist or a pioneer of environmental art. He was also born a carpenter and once worked as an assistant to Karl Hartung, insisting on using his hands to create, so some say he is a sculptor. He was also a tree sponsor, with as many as 50,000 trees having passed through his hands.

Most people, however, define Ben Wagin as an artist, but he never saw himself as just that. He despised the art market, feeling that galleries could not fully convey the essence of his work. To me, he was more of a social activist, environmentalist, and guardian of history. His focus was not confined to the form or expression of art; he saw art as a tool to raise awareness of contemporary issues, rather than merely a means of self-expression or aesthetic pursuit. His sense of purpose extended far beyond the traditional role of an artist. For Ben, these activities were not separate from his art — they were part of his daily life, deeply integrated into who he was.

He was best known for his work, Parlament der Bäume (Parliament of Trees), a unique environmental art project located near the Bundestag Building in Berlin. This living memorial, consisting of trees planted in a symbolic arrangement, was created to honour and remember the victims of the Berlin Wall. It embodied the way trees serve as witnesses to war and symbols of reconstruction. He used trees as living monuments both to commemorate the victims of war and to symbolise hope for peace and renewal. Ben Wagin saw trees as a link between history and nature, especially in the context of war and reconstruction. He believed that trees bore the scars and memories of the past, but also represented resilience and the ability to regenerate life. In post-war reconstruction, trees symbolise new beginnings and harmony. Through his art, Wagin emphasised the close relationship between man and nature, reminding humanity to learn from history and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.