If you’ve meandered along the Main you’ve definitely noticed the island in the middle with the funny looking gabled building on it. This island is more than a sanctuary for the many water fowl who fertilize the river’s banks: it’s also home to the art exhibition center Portikus (the gabled building itself), which has been displaying artists’ work in its small exhibition space since 1987.
Portikus is an association for contemporary art that is associated with the school of the Städel museum, famous for its diverse art collection and unique garden on the river’s southern bank. Exhibitions in Portikus span a variety of media and include painting, photography and digital/audio art, the latter of which is exhibited in the image above.
A visit is always free, so I like to stop in on weekend afternoons after I’ve visited the flea market or friends in Sachsenhausen. Though the space itself is quite small, exhibitions rotate frequently enough that you’re liable to see something new every month of the year. Check it out until September for an interesting multi-media exhibition by the British artist Michael Dean.
