Detroit Bankruptcy: 4 Ways Artists Have Captured the Real Detroit

Culture

Detroit is having a rough time. The city has been in decline for decades, and it filed for bankruptcy last week. There has even been talk of selling the city's art collection to pay down debts. But the picture of Detroit painted by the financial headlines is not all there is to the city. A number of artists, working in different mediums, have captured the real Detroit for the world to enjoy.

These are just a few examples. Leave your favorite Detroit art, from any medium or genre, in the comments. Let's start a PolicyMic "Love of Detroit" art fest.

1. Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre

Over the course of a five-year project, these millennial photographers from France captured the decayed state of many abandoned buildings in Detroit. Photos from their exhibit, "The Ruins of Detroit," can be seen on the pair's website.

2. Daryl Alexsy

German artist Daryl Alexsy has used monotyping, a form of printmaking involving etchings, to create a series of haunting and beautiful ink images that represent landmark buildings around Detroit. Her work-in-progress videos showing her process are fascinating to watch.

3. Taurus Burns

An accomplished and prolific Detroit artist, Taurus Burns has been painting scenes of life in the city since the early 2000s. His pen and ink depictions of Detroit are captivating, but his colorful paintings of figures (some NSFW) and cityscapes are absolutely breathtaking.

4. Eminem

Like it or hate it, no list of artistic interpretations of Detroit would be complete without the movie 8 Mile. The gritty depiction of life in one of the city's rougher areas was nominated for 19 awards and its theme won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.