Frankfurt repeatedly celebrates its numerous city partnerships, for example in the form of specially designed trains or with murals such as in the Messe subway station (Toronto) or Konstablerwache (Lyon). In the immediate vicinity of the latter, a new street art painting has now been created, which was presented last week. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the city partnership with Granada/Nicaragua, a joint work was created between Robert Barberena de la Rocha, artist from Frankfurt's partner city Granada, and the Frankfurt street artist Justus Becker. De la Rocha came to Frankfurt for this work on the initiative of the Städtefreundschaftsverein Frankfurt-Granada (Nicaragua).
The two artists worked together on the work, which from now on gives the B-level of the Konstablerwache more color. The result: a picture that expresses the solidarity of both cities as well as their peculiarities. The depictions of Goethe, the eagle and the skyline stand for Frankfurt. On the other side, the magnificent cathedral of Granada, one of the most important colonial buildings in Central America and the landmark of Granada. Next to it is a reference to Nicaragua's indigenous past, and the partially still active volcanoes represent Granada. The fire engine of the Frankfurt fire brigade stands for the cooperation between the fire department and the volunteer fire brigade of Granada, which has been supported by the city of Frankfurt for years. The merging of the hands and coats of arms of both cities in the middle show the bond in a tangible way. The two artists worked for several hours each over five consecutive days to create this piece of public art.
It is a strong symbol of twinning visible from afar that will receive attention in this busy and central location thanks to many passengers. It is an important contribution to urban culture in the public space and will in future point out to all viewers the special twinning with Granada.
"I am very pleased that we were able to bring a piece of art from the twin city of Granada to Frankfurt this year. In these difficult times, it is particularly important to maintain contact with our partners around the world. Together we can tackle the consequences of the pandemic and support the economy, such as the creative industries in this case," said Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann at the presentation of the mural.
Thomas Wissgott, Managing Director of VGF, added: "We are delighted that we have once again been able to provide an attractive space for this project. The new work fits in very well with the previous design of the B-level of Konstablerwache station, and there is already a mural on the Frankfurt Lyon city partnership at the opposite location. These murals receive positive recognition and create a unifying atmosphere between cities, nations and people."
