TITLE: Mice Bunker - The Brutalist Relic

This series documents the infamous "Mice Bunker" in Berlin, a prime example of international Brutalism, captured through a lens that seeks to expose the tension between architectural iconicity and systemic neglect. Rather than providing a mere structural survey, the four works examine the building as a living, albeit decaying, organism that continues to project authority while simultaneously succumbing to abandonment.
The narrative opens with "Opposition," where the building's aggressive, projectile-like ventilation pipes are met by the sterile, observant eye of a modern surveillance camera. This visual dialogue establishes the core theme: the confrontation between the bold, utopian architectural gestures of the past and the cold, pragmatic control mechanisms of the present. The diagonal thrust of the concrete facade creates a sense of perpetual momentum, halted only by the static presence of the camera.
As the series progresses, the focus shifts to the building's increasingly desolate state. The rhythmic repetition of triangular windows and exhaust tubes, once symbols of scientific progress, now appear as scars upon a weathered skin. The culmination of this trajectory is found in the final work, which captures the rear elevation of the complex. Here, the architectural majesty is unceremoniously juxtaposed with piles of discarded waste sacks.
These rancid refuse sacks serve as a potent metaphor for the current ruthlessness and indifference shown toward this cultural icon. The stark black-and-white tonality emphasizes the texture of the stained concrete and the "filthy" piles of rubbish, stripping away the distraction of colour to reveal a sobering reality: a masterpiece of Brutalism reduced to a backdrop for urban neglect. The series is a silent indictment of the cycle of creation and devaluation, urging a re-evaluation of our architectural heritage before it is lost to the elements and apathy.

AUTHOR: Marcel van Beek (Germany)

Marcel van Beek (b. 1990, Bonn) is a Leipzig-based visual artist whose photography sits between fine art and scientific observation. Trained at Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences (BFA with distinction) and shaped by an early background in scenic design, he builds images with formal rigor and a quietly cinematic presence.
His work investigates how surfaces record time—stone, bark, concrete, water—turning micro-topographies into visual structures that read like architecture, notation, or maps. Often developed in dialogue with scientific institutions, his projects examine the human condition against ecological limits, yet remain grounded in materiality and precise composition. In recent series, he uses strictly in-camera approaches to reveal hidden geometries and optical thresholds where representation slips into abstraction.
Van Beek has presented solo exhibitions at the German Environment Agency, the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), and Leipzig University Library. His photographs are held in public collections, including Leipzig University, and are represented internationally via Cuencas Art Gallery on Artsy and Singulart’s curated In Focus program.