City Guide to Athens, Greece: Part 6 | Street Art
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Athens, Greece City Guides
We explored Athens from top to bottom and couldn’t fit it all in just one article. Be sure to read the rest of our Athens, Greece City Guides!
Athens, Greece is known for its Ancient Ruins and of course no visit is complete without seeing the Acropolis of Athens.
However, built among the Ancient Ruins, is a large city that has an emerging young and political art scene. Most interestingly, it’s not art that you’re going to find hung on the wall in a gallery. Instead, it’s all over the city and especially in Psyrri, Exarchia, Anafiotika, and Gazi neighborhoods.
It adorns the sides of buildings and often appears overnight; some call it graffiti, others prefer street art. Either way, Athens is budding with creative young artists who’ve taken to the streets to express themselves.
Athens Street Art
We didn't set out on a quest to find specific pieces of artwork, instead we found them organically as we explored Athens.
We found beauty and meaning in both types art and captured them with our camera...
The question you may ask yourself, is why are the hands facing downward? Could it be that it's not a human praying, but instead a God praying for the city below and its people? This piece was created by Pavlos Tsakonas as a result of the collaboration between the Ministry of Environmental Energy & Climate Change and the Athens School of Fine Arts. His inspiration was a 16th century piece by the German artist Albrecht Dürer.
Artist: Pavlos Tsakonas
Location: Hotel Vienna on Peiraios near Omonoia Square, Athens, Greece
Location: Eschilou and Platia Iroon, Athens, Greece
Location: Agiou Dimitriou and Melanthiou, Athens, Greece
The Colorful Warrior
Artist: Woozy, aka Vaggelis Choursoglou
Location: Monastiraki Metro Station, Athens, Greece
Location: Above the Ancient Agora of Athens site on Vrisakiou, between Pikilis and Kladou, Athens, Greece
Location: Tholou, between Alimperti and Klepsidras, Athens, Greece
Location: Athens City Pharmacy on Themidos and Miaouli, Athens, Greece
Location: On an Athens Metro train, taken at Monastiraki Metro Station
Location: On an Athens Metro train, taken at Monastiraki Metro Station
Is this J. Wellington Wimpy?
Location: Agiou Dimitriou and Melanthiou, Athens, Greece
Location: Aggiou Dimitriou and Kalamida, Athens, Greece
Artist: Alexandros Vasmoulakis
Location: Can be seen from the square at the center of Platia Iroon, Athens, Greece
Location: Where Aristofanous, Platia Iroon, and Eschilou meet, in front of H ΩΡΑΙΑ ΠΕΝΤΕΛΗ Greek Restaurant, Athens, Greece
Location: Monastiraki Flea Martket, near Monastiraki Square and Metro Station, Athens, Greece
Location: Monastiraki Flea Martket, near Monastiraki Square and Metro Station, Athens, Greece
Location: On Aggelou Vlachou near Adrianou, Athens, Greece
Final Thoughts
We hope the street art in Athens will make you reconsider what you think graffiti is, and help you realize that it can be more than simply a tag.
Graffiti can of course be just that, or it can be truly beautiful, meaningful, and powerful art.
When visiting Athens, we encourage you to venture beyond the tourist neighborhoods and take the time to get to know a different side of Athens, Greece. Who knows, you may find that when you dig a bit deeper and explore a bit wider, you could discover a whole new side and culture of this ancient city!