Jim Avignon

I’m Jim, and I’ll be your host during your stay at Hotel Berlin, Berlin. I’ve lived here since 1988, with the exception of a spell in New York. I’m a painter, illustrator, concept artist and occasionally a musician under the pseudonym Neoangin. My trademarks are vibrant colours, unpretentious materials, lightning-fast output and sardonic humour. I’ve even had a mural commissioned for the East Side Gallery, which I controversially repainted over in an organised flash mob in 2013. Check it out if you have time!

I don’t have a studio – most of the time I paint at home in my living room, in my pyjamas. Even better is combining painting with something else, like when I’m on the train or pumping new tunes through my headphones on the beach. Whenever I get on a train, I make a beeline for the nearest table and set up a mobile studio. Berlin, my old and new home, is a recurring motif in my pictures. The city isn’t beautiful in the conventional sense, but it’s always moving, mostly in good humour, and has a penchant for improvisation: Potsdamer Platz in the ‘80s, improvised clubs in unoccupied halls in the ‘90s, Tempelhofer Feld today.

When I came back from New York in 2012, it hit me just how much energy there is in the air here. The city is full of people from all over the world, and most of them don’t come for fame and fortune, but for the experience. Berlin’s the only city I know where you don’t get points for status symbols. That’s something special, and I hope it remains true.

All the best for your trip!

Jim