Frankfurt Graffiti Artists Express Views on Capitalism

In Frankfurt, the construction site of the new headquarters for the European Central Bank makes for a surprising scene. Graffiti decorates the walls, some of which offer provocative views of the banking institution.

Published

12 months ago

Categories

Arts & Society

Topics

Arts & Culture

People

Angela Merkel, Mario Draghi

Places

Germany, Frankfurt

Transcript

SCRIPT: Along the banks of the Main River in Frankfurt, a construction site has been tranformed into a vast art gallery. Over the past year, young local and international artists have painted graffiti art at the site of the future European Central Bank. A show of artistic talent -- but also an outlet for political criticism. SOUNDBITE 1 Ren�� Giese, [graffiti fan] (German, 13 sec) "I think they are very nice. It's a shame they'll be destroyed when the construction is finished. There should be more opportunities to show this type of art to people." SOUNDBITE 2 Eberhard Gartner, [a passerby] (German, 11 sec) "I think they are very well done and I think that capitalism is well-represented in these graffiti works." In an ironic twist, the graffiti is financed in part by the European Central Bank, to the tune of 10,000 EUR. That hasn't stopped artists from venting their discontent. SOUNDBITE 3 Stefan Mohr, [coordinator of local project Under Art Construction] (German, 24 sec) "Young people have been greatly affected by the European crisis, particularly with the rising unemployment rate. There is a lot of distrust regarding the European Central Bank. You can see it in the drawings. Criticisms of the Euro and European monetary policy are reflected in these works." Next year construction ends and the graffiti will disappear -- apart from one of the works, that is, which the European Central Bank will hang in its new headquarters. SHOTLIST: FRANKFURT, GERMANY, JUNE 4, 2013. (Source: AFPTV) -WS Graffiti along the river -WS of the future BCE building in construction -VAR. Graffiti depicting Mario Draghi, the president of the ECB and German Chancellor Angela Merkel -MS of the first passerby interviewed -SOUNDBITE 1 -SOUNDBITE 2 -VAR graffiti -SOUNDBITE 3 -VAR graffiti