For more than twenty years, Oliver Rednitz has been a quiet yet unmistakable force in Berlin’s urban landscape. His work isn’t confined to galleries or museums. It’s on the walls we walk past every day. Starting with a simple yet powerful statement, “Jesus loves you,” Oliver has turned the act of pasting posters into a long-running love letter to the city.
I first encountered his message decades ago at the Carnival of Cultures in 2004, captured in one of my earliest photographs of Berlins blooming street culture. Later, when I finally met Oliver in person, what followed was more than an encounter with an artist. it was the beginning of a friendship between two creators who share a belief in the power of images to transform.
This week, during Berlin Art Week, I got to know one of Oliver’s most cherished places: the Haus der Liebe on Auguststraße. For over two decades, its façade has been his canvas, layered with poster after poster, until the building itself became a living archive of love. The site, once a Jewish orphanage, revealed its name only recently: Beit Ahawah (House of Love). A name as if written for Oliver’s life’s work.
Oliver Rednitz, creator of Litekultur & Jesus loves you
His latest show, aptly titled “THE SHOW – a SEHSCHAU over the last 22 years”, unfolded as both exhibition and intervention. Announced as a political gathering so that the space in front of the building could be used, it became something far greater: a temporary agora of art, memory, and presence. Visitors encountered collages, torn layers, and reassembled fragments: Oliver’s PAPERWORX. These works, born from décollage and reconstruction, invite dialogue about time, faith, beauty, and, above all, love.
From the world’s religions to goddesses, from divine symbols to the simple recognition that we are all gods and goddesses Oliver’s journey has been one of peeling back illusions and reminding us of the essential: the love we carry for ourselves and each other.
It was an honor and joy to capture this moment through my lens to document not just an exhibition, but the presence of a true legend of Berlin’s street culture.
So here’s to you, dear Oliver: for keeping love alive on our walls, in our streets, and in our hearts.
The photos of Oliver Rednitz at the Haus der Liebe – a visual homage to a man who has been spreading love in Berlin, one poster at a time.
photos: Alexander Klebe
Who wants to learn more about Oliver’s work, can also check out his Youtube Channel for more Behind the Scenes.
