The Quiet Observer of Berlin Born in Luckenwalde, Germany, Michael Otto grew up as the son of a pastor. His early years in Erkner, near Berlin, shaped a perspective that would eventually turn toward the overlooked corners of urban life. By 1957, he had made Berlin his home, a city that would become the primary subject of his lifelong gaze. He studied at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin, learning under the guidance of the graphic artis…