Graffiti – Amazing Street Artists of Athens Greece
Street art of Athens, Greece
Graffiti, the art of communication, has always existed in Greece; the word itself is Greek, meaning;
“To write”
Art has been a form of expression for thousands of years, older even than language; Greeks express their feelings through poetry, literature and, of course, art; ancient Greek painters expressed themselves with wall art: graffiti!
Street Art, has exploded in Athens, some saying that it is now
“The European Street Art Capital”
A serious rival for Berlin!
Every surface is being used as a canvas; this is not just mindless spray painting, it is the voice of the people, a form of expression.
“Mirror mirror, which persona shall I wear today?”
Graffiti is used to draw attention to the social and economic situation and to the unemployment, recently created by the Greek financial crisis.
It’s political, it’s artistic, it’s optimism, it’s hope, and it’s unique.
Street Art Athens – Photos by Beckie Enright
Some see graffiti as vandalism, others, as art, as a window through which to look and to understand Athens and her people, local life and history.
Dimitris Taxis Street Art Athens
Who are these artistic activists?
They’re not vandals, rioters and anarchists; they’re “normal” people, with “normal” professions, living “normal” lives.
Where can you find Athens Street Art?
Street art has played a huge role in transforming previously dull and grey industrial areas into vibrant, dynamic “places to be seen”:
Exarcheia; the most radical and anarchistic district of Athens; scene of riots, uprisings, and political activism, a place of diverse book shops, bohemian cafes, rare record shops and rebetiko clubs playing the “Greek blues”.
Metaxourgeio; a favourite haunt for street artists is located next door to Gazi and Kerameikos, home to Technopolis, an ultra modern cultural center, converted by the Municipality of Athens from an old gas factory.
Psyrri; the trendy neighborhood, brought back to life by the 2004 Olympics with the opening of restaurants, bars and music venues.
Famous Street Artists of Athens, Greece:
MaPet
By day, MaPet is a dentist and by night, he roams around Athens, attaching to walls stencils he has created with his dental drill.
MaPet, had become so enraged by the rise of the Neo Nazis in Greece and Europe that he had to do something; this is how he protests.
Street art Athens by MaPet
Bleeps.gr
Bleeps.gr, is a pseudonym used by Greek street artist and his helpers.
He started in Bristol U.K in 2003, his work, used as a weapon of influence, is now recognized all over Athens.
Bleeps. gr, calls his work: “ A social diary on public display”
Bleeps.gr Street Artist Athens – Revolution
Bleeps.gr Street Artist Athens – Akaie, I love you
Athens Street art by Bleeps – Bleeps a vote for nobody
The Krah
“The Krah” Athens Street Artist
The Krah, ( Meaning In Greek, the crash or collapse of a government, usually from corruption or from economical reasons), studied graphic design at university in Greece and later, the U.K.
“ In 1997” Krah says,” it was very difficult as an artist to get your work shown in galleries, our art wasn’t considered art, so we made the streets our galleries”.
The Krah Street Artist Athens
The Krah Street artist – Mythological Creatures – Psiri – Athens – 2020
The Krah Street artist – Mythological Creatures – Psiri – Athens – 2020
The Krah Street artist – Mythological Creatures – Psiri – Athens – 2020
Born in England and raised in Athens, The Krah is a prominent graffiti artist not only in Greece but in Europe, Japan and Thailand.
Fikos
Fikos, born in Athens, started painting at a very young age; at the age of thirteen he began studying Byzantine art and later, for a five year period, painted murals in Greek churches.
His work has been shown all over the world.
Fikos-antonios-simon-silaidis- Street Artist – Athens
Fikos-antonios-simon-silaidis- Street Artist – Athens
Fikos Greek Street Artist in Limerick Ireland
Absent
“Absent” Athens secret street artist, is the Greek answer to the U.K’s Banksy!
Absent first began with posters and then with large stencils, his work, which is profoundly political, has a very similar style to Banksy’s, he has also kept his identity hidden.
Absent Street Artist Athens
Absent Street Artist Athens
Sonke
Sonke started his Street Art career at the age of eleven; his iconic images are some of my favourite.
The story is quite sad, his girlfriend, whom he adored, abandoned him, leaving him heartbroken.
Ever since, he has walked in her footsteps, along the route she takes to work, the road she takes home, covering the walls with images of her, “The Sad Princess”.
The Sad Princess always has her eyes closed, on being asked why, Sonke replied: “I’m not very good at painting eyes”.
Sonke Greek Street Artist Athens – You put a lot of pain in my heart”
Sonke Greek Street Artist Athens
Sonke Greek Street Artist Athens
STMTS (Stamatis)
STMTS (Stamatis), studied at The Athens School of Fine Arts, he is very sensitive towards the plight of immigrant children, as you can see when looking at his work, which is usually “Paste-ups”; paper stuck to walls.
STMTS Street Artist Athens
STMTS Street Artist Athens
STMTS Street Artist Athens
WD (Wild Drawing)
WD (Wild Drawing) is a Balinese Street Artist, currently living and painting in Athens.
WD, Street art Athens. Inspired by a Jimmy Hendrix quote that states: “Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens.” Metaxourgeio.
Before and after street artist WD, Street art Athens painted “Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens.” Metaxourgeio!
WD (Wild Drawing) Balinese Street Artist Athens
WD (Wild Drawing) Balinese Street Artist Athens. Photo by Beckie Enright http://www.bordersofadventure.com
WD (Wild Drawing) Balinese Street Artist Athens
“No Land For The Poor” – Emmanuel Benaki street, Exarcheia by Wild Drawing (WD)
Mora
Mora, is one of the very few spray painter women Street Artists in Athens, her work is easily recognized, it’s rather feminine in style.
Mora Street Artist Athens
iNO
“The Street Philosopher” or “The Masked Artist”
Maybe the Most well-known Street Artist of Greece
iNO – “The Street Phiosopher” or “The Masked Artist” – Maybe the most well-known street artist of Greece
iNO; “The Street Philosopher” or “The Masked Artist”, maybe the most well-known street artist of Greece, was born in Athens and studied at The Athens School of Fine Art and he creates the most enormous murals, often covering whole sides of apartment buildings and famously said:
“if you want to learn about a city, look at its walls”
“Snow-blind” by Athens street artist iNO – Omonia – a faceless businessman made blind by wealth
iNO “Access control” Street Art Athens
iNO “Clockwork” Street Art Athens
iNO Street Art Athens
iNO Street Art Athens
Caryatids Crying
The Latest Athens Street Art By iNO
“Caryatids Crying” – Ermou Street Athens – Monastiraki – By Greek Street Artist iNO – 2023
For over two thousand years, six Caryatids supported the roof of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis; today only five remain, now safe in The Acropolis Museum of Athens.
Their sister, taken by Lord Elgin in 1802, stands alone, in the British Museum, patiently waiting for the day she will come home.
“Caryatids Crying” – Ermou Street Athens – Monastiraki – By Greek Street Artist iNO – 2023
iNO’S latest work, completed at the end of 2023, three “Crying Caryatids” is located on the side of an apartment block on Ermou Street, Monastiraki, Athens.
The one standing on the left depicts the statue in the British Museum, looking in the direction of the Acropolis.
The one on the right looks towards the Greek Parliament building, questioning the country’s politics.
The statue in the centre portrays the corner statue of the Erechthion, looking out across Athens and the rest of Greece.
“Caryatids Crying” – Ermou Street Athens – Monastiraki – By Greek Street Artist iNO – 2023
Alexandros Vasoumakis
Alexandros Vasoumakis, born 1980 in Athens, is well known for his characteristic images and for arranging “Urban Artists Intermission”, held in a large industrial loft in Thisseon, Athens and attended by many international Street Artists.
Alexandros Vasoumakis Street Art Athens
Alexandros Vasoumakis Street Art Athens
Alexandros Vasoumakis Street Art Athens
Gera
Gera, digital artist – student in the school of fine arts in Thessaloniki, belongs in the generation of street artists which seems to know the path such an artist can acquire.
His childhood dream was to become a muralist.
Gera-Syros-Cyclades-2017
Gera – Larisa, Greece 2017
Hands – Gera – metaxourgeio – mezonos street – Athens – Greece.
Street art by Greek street artist – Gera
Take the Tour
Many of these artists started out with a can of spray paint and a wall, they are now being commissioned to paint large pieces, costing from five hundred to two thousand Euros.
“Praying Hands” by Pavlos Tsakonas – inspired by the engraving of the Renaissance painter and engraver Albrecht Dürer. Omonia, Athens
Their work can be seen mainly in the “Alternative Athens”, the areas of Exarchia (Site of the polytechnic uprising 1973), Monastiraki, Psirri, Metaxourgeio (Here is the yearly colour festival, where Street Artists are invited to visit and paint for free) and Gazi, an up and coming district around a former gas factory).
“Love is a riot” Street Art Athens by Goin, French Street artist
Athenian, Manolis Iliopoulos, is the brain behind Street Art Tours around “Alternative Athens”.
Manolis, at Dopios: A Better Way to Travel, will show you the amazing street art of Athens, which, as an ordinary tourist, you would never have known existed.
Street Art Athens. Artist “Hope”
Loukianos: Athen’s Protest Dog
Finally, I don’t think anyone has not seen or heard of Loukanikos, Athen’s protest dog whose name means sausage, who made it onto the cover of “Time” magazine!
Loukanikos the Greek riot dog on the cover of Time magazine
When Loukanikos died, he was immortalized with the image named: “All Dogs Go to Heaven”.
“All Dogs Go To Heaven”. Loukanikos, famous Athens protest dog. Street artists, SMART, N.Grams, and Martinez. Rigo Palamidou street. Psyrri
Well, what do you think; Graffiti, is it vandalism or art?
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