A guide to street art in Athens

[ad_1]

Looking to explore the best street art in Athens? Keep reading for all the details you need to know.

Street art in Athens, Greece
without an address by Guido Van Helten (Emmanouil Benaki 40 & Gravias, Exarcheia)

Street art is a form of art that is created and displayed in public spaces. according to Wikipedia, “Many examples come in the form of guerrilla art, which aims to make a personal statement about the community in which the artist lives. The work has moved from the beginnings of graffiti and vandalism into new styles where artists work to communicate messages, or just beauty, to an audience.” . Street art stems from city life. It was created by the liveliest and restless part of society and reflects, in each period, the true spirit of the city and the concerns of its inhabitants. Based on the social, cultural, and political ideals of each historical era, street art paints a distinct image for each city.

There is a difference between graffiti and street art. Graffiti typically consists of written words intended to represent a group or community, while street art includes images and symbols. While both works represent a message, the difference between them is their audience. Street art generally wants to appeal to a broad audience, while graffiti is aimed at a specific group.

You’ll find street art in cities around the world, including Athens in Greece. If you’re visiting the city, here’s where to see the best street art in Athens.

See also: A guide to the best street food in Athens

Street art in Athens, Greece
The eternal traveler By Leonidas Giannakopoulos (Liosion 66, Sipolia)

The best neighborhoods for street art in Athens

Street art has developed mainly in large urban centers and Athens is no exception. The central areas of Athens have become one of the most important destinations in the world for street artists. The neighborhoods of Athens that are real street art galleries with many works (some made to order) are Psyrri, Metaxourgeio, Gazi, Omonoia and Exarcheia. But there are also many great works in Plaka, Monastiraki and Petralona (on Thessalonikis Street there are some very good examples).

Of course, this does not mean that there are no wonderful and unique works in other neighborhoods of Athens. In recent years, many excellent works of street art have also been produced in Athens around the port of Piraeus.

Related tour: Guided city tour of Athens street art

Without an address under urban law (Piraeus Port of Athens, Gate E2)
Without an address under urban law (Piraeus Port of Athens, Gate E2)
Without an address under urban law (Piraeus Port of Athens, Gate E2)
Without an address under urban law (Piraeus Port of Athens, Gate E2)

I walk

Psiri neighborhood is closely linked to the history of street art in Athens. From a neighborhood of fun and delinquency in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it has evolved into a neighborhood of workshops of various disciplines and finally into the center of nightlife in the contemporary city. Along the way, it has gone through many cycles of decline and recovery and is now back on top with its relaxed atmosphere and many dining and nightlife options. The narrow streets of Psiri are filled with famous works by both foreign and Greek artists, while today many works are being commissioned by businesses in the area.

metasurgical

Metaxourgeio is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Athens and was established near the ancient cemetery of Kerameikos. Although it began as a neighborhood for wealthy citizens, after the establishment of a silk factory (which gave the area its name), it developed into a working-class neighborhood. After declining and abandoning in the 1990s, it began to develop again in the 2000s.

Today, it is a busy area with restaurants, cafes, and bars, and is particularly popular with young people and students. The concentration of youth in this neighborhood and the presence of many old buildings has turned Metaxourgeio into an open-air gallery of pioneering and important works of art in Athens.

Gaseous

Next to Metaxourgeio is the area of ​​the former gas plant, called Gazi, by many The place where street art was born in Athens. In a neighborhood where the Athenian past blends with the modern present, you can admire some of the most impressive murals but also discover hidden gems of both Greek and international artists. He works with political and social messages as well as a strong interest in the future reflected in the area’s art.

Omonoya

Omonoia is the most central square in Athens, and was once the center of the city’s social and business life in the decades leading up to 1990. It then declined to become a hotbed of crime and a gathering place for illegal immigrants. In recent years, an attempt has been made to revive it and turn it back into a vital part of the city. The gray and impersonal buildings in the area around the square formed the canvas for some large-scale artwork that was able to beautify the impersonal streets this side of downtown.

exarchia

Exarcheia district is a lively alternative neighborhood in Athens. During Greece’s seven-year dictatorship (1967-1974), the region was the focal point of events of popular resistance, and thus, after the fall of the dictators, Exarcheia emerged as a quintessentially “revolutionary” region, bringing together intellectuals, anarchists, students, leftists and many others.

It was also, and still is, an area where the offices of the parliamentary left organizations are located on and off, as well as a place for anarchist groups to ferment and work. in this context, It is also a space of expression for street artists, whose works, in many cases, have a strong political and social character.

An example of street art in Athens, Greece
in the river by taxis and INO (Panormou 80, Ampelokipoi)

10 of the most famous frescoes in Athens

No one can record all the works of art found in the city’s neighborhoods. Apart from their great number, they are also living things that can be destroyed at any time, and others can take their place. Among the great works of art that can be found on the walls of the city, we have selected ten of the most famous ones as representative examples of the artists and the different artistic trends they express.

See also: A guide to Athens, Greece

Loukanikos, The Riot Dog by Billy G, Alex Martinez and N_Grams (Rega Palamedo and Sari, Psiri)
Loukanikos, the riot dog By Billy G, Alex Martinez, and N_Grams (Riga Palamedo and Surrey, Psiri) [Read here the story of Loukanikos]
Musicians by Paparazzi and Achilleas Michaelides (Riga Palamidou & Sarri, Psyrri)
musicians by Paparazzi and Achilleas Michaelides (Riga Palamedo and Surrey, Psiri)
Apocalypse Now by INO (Agias Eleusis 2 & Miaouli, Psyrri)
End of the world now by INO (Agias Eleusis 2 and Miaoli Psiri)
Too Many Books, So Little Time by SimpleG (Megalou Alexandrou 2, Metaxourgeio)
So many books, so little time by SimpleG (Megalo Alexandru 2, Metasurgical)
Access control by Aiva and INO (Peipaios 105, Gazi)
Access control permission By Aiva and INO (Pebayus 105, Gazi)
Untitled by M.Koan (Sokratous 6, Monastiraki near Omonoia Square)
without an address by M.Koan (Sokratous 6, Monastiraki near Omonoya Square)
Complex by Gera (Mezonos 24, Plateia Vathis near Omonoia Square)
Complex by Jira (Mezonos 24, Plateia Vathis near Omonoia Square)
    He prays for us or prays the hands of Pavlos Tsakounas, Manolis Anastasakos and Christis Crowe (Piraeus 20, Omonoia Square) and wakes up by INO (Colletti 13, Exarchia)
He is praying for us or a prayer hand By Pavlos Tsakounas, Manolis Anastasakos, and Christsis Crowe (Piraeus 20, Omonoia Square) & He woke up by INO (Colletti 13, Exarchia)
No Land for the Poor by WD (Wild illustration) (Emmanouil Benaki 84-86, Exarcheia)
No land for the poor by WD (Wild Drawing) (Emmanuel Benaki 84-86, Exarcheia)

Pollution or art?

Street art is seen by many individuals as a kind of pollution that disrespects the citizens of the city. In some cases this may be the case, but on the other hand, it is also a A manifestation of art in its purest form, which the government and citizens must accept and incorporate into the artistic, cultural and social life of the city. But at the same time, the citizens, their homes and their daily lives must be respected by the artists. Nothing is more amazing than a painting on the wall or the colorless side of an apartment complex.



[ad_2]

Source link

Related Posts

Precaliga