Frankfurt Plaza Receives Macabre Makeover

The Schirn gallery of Frankfurt is hosting "Street Art Brazil," an outdoor exhibition featuring São Paolo's Herbert Baglione. Alongside Baglione, 11 other street artists will be displayed at various locations throughout downtown Frankfurt, as reported by The Atlantic Cities.

As part of his ongoing 1,000 Shadows series, Baglione's art consists of shadowy wraiths spilling onto a sidewalk in centrally located Hauptwache plaza. The slightly morbid focus of Baglione's art fits the location since Hauptwache plaza was formerly home to a formidable prison and the site of a lethal 19th-century student rebellion.

In a translated interview with Schirn, Baglione explains that his dark subject material arises from the central themes of his work: "sexuality, faith, death, chaos." His style is reminiscent of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, yet also jarring in its own fleeting, skeletal way. The piercing horns and xylophone ribs of Baglione's spectres send chills down the necks of commuters and tourists alike.

"Street Art Brazil" will run in Frankfurt until Oct. 27.