New south facade of ASH Berlin, designed by Maxi Obexer

Since July 9, 2025, a new south facade of the Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences (ASH) Berlin has been welcoming university members and the people of Marzahn-Hellersdorf with bright pink lettering. Akademie Schloss Solitude congratulates writer and former Solitude fellow Maxi Obexer (Field of Praxis: Literature, 2013/2014), who designed the facade with her specially composed poem von den Dächern (from the rooftops) and was awarded the Alice Salomon Poetics Prize by ASH Berlin in 2023.

About her poem, Maxi Obexer says: »It was important to me to create a textual body in which no ‘other’ is placed in opposition, in which even the subtlest linguistic boundary is dissolved—where there is a ‘we’ without appropriation, and where those who are threatened or affected are not inherently distinguished from those who are called upon.«

Obexer’s text has replaced the work of Barbara Köhler. Following a resolution by the university’s Academic Senate, the south facade of ASH Berlin is regularly updated with contributions from recipients of the Poetics Prize. This ensures that various laureates and their works gain visibility both within and beyond the university.

»We are delighted with the new design of the south facade by Maxi Obexer, the 2023 Poetics Prize laureate. Her work follows in the tradition of Eugen Gomringer and Barbara Köhler. Obexer’s text reflects an engagement with this place and an awareness of the values of our university. Our south facade remains a space for public art and a platform for showcasing the work of our award recipients,« says Prof. Dr. Bettina Völter, President of ASH Berlin.