Do you want to know what it’s all about in Frankfurt? Take a look at the title photo, which says everything – almost everything. Frankfurt takes pride on being both, the largest city in the federal state of Hessen and also the largest financial centre in Europe. But there is a parallel world beyond the hustle around dough. The second day of my trip to Frankfurt was suitable to reconcile me with the juggernaut. I started to explore Frankfurt’s graffiti scene.

Frankfurt’s street art scene does not have to hide from the big players like Berlin or Hamburg.  In addition to legends and sizes like Bomber, Herakut, Klark Kent und Case Ma’Claim, Frankfurt has a young, fresh graffiti scene since the city authorities sheer off from zero tolerance policy and provide legal walls for graffiti artists. I started the day with an exhibition of a local artist, Guido Zimmermann, who was born 1978 in Frankfurt, where he still lives and works. He had designed „Kunsttreppe Hospital zum heiligen Geist“ with a new mural and exhibits paintings and some of his „Cuckoo Blocks“, Zimmermann’s answer to the traditional cuckoo clocks from the Black Forest in Germany. They present a contemporary view of urban living and compelling architecture. The hull is new, but the soul, a clockwork with a cuckoo, is still an old one [1]. My information, regarding this event and the local hot spots of graffiti, derive from the local blogger Dosenkunst. (Thank you for the very informative articles.) The next aimed daily objective was Ratswegkreisel in Frankfurt’s eastend. The first thing I saw, getting off the tram, was the mural „Menage a Trois“, designed 2016 by Guido Zimmermann. It was the first mural of his crowd funding project Museum on the Street. My knowledge of the local graffiti scene is tightly limited and again taken from Dosenkunst. I was very curious and my expectations even being far exceeded. This Hall of Fame is a burner; Frankfurt has it’s own style and I felt like a school kid, start reading. My first impression was the intense smell of fresh paint. OK – it  would be clever, not to lean against those walls! It seemed that in a community action the Hall had been painted in the same colours. Frankfurt’s creme de la creme had put on hand. And even if I had a lot of trouble reading the scripts, I enjoyed it the most.  This days walk reconciled me with the city.

Riederhöfe / Ratswegkreisel

Riederhöfe / Ratswegkreisel

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