Why So Serious?

The Beelitz Military Hospital was built in the late 1890’s for the recuperation of injured soldiers. It was built in four sections that included hydrotherapy, surgery, psychiatric care and a rifle range. After WWII it was taken over by the Soviet Army as it fell on the Eastern side of Berlin and Germany. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 the hospital was slowly closed down with the last Soviet military patient leaving in 1995. Recently some of the buildings have been renovated for new use: a large block is now a long-term care facility for people suffering from Parkinsons and comas, another small block is now a hotel, and a former gate house is now an ice cream parlour, with more redevelopment on the way.

It's impossible to know if this graffiti was inspired by Heath Ledgers iconic performance as the Joker. Either way, its perfect placement in the psych ward of this abandoned hospital embodies a manic insanity and whimsy. It confronts us with the temporary and chaotic nature of our lives and asks us if we are going to let it get us down or are we going to laugh at the joke that is existence? After all, WHY SO SERIOUS?