Street Art

Athens Street Art

While street art can be found throughout Greece, the city of Athens is a particular hotspot for such art. Though the city may look simple from the outside, its streets are some of the most colourful. The city's street art success is attributed to the local government's desire to make Athens prettier than it already is. For this, the city appointed experienced artists to paint its streets full of colour. One of the famous artworks is "Knowledge Speaks, Wisdom Listens" by Wild Drawing. The mural is located in a suburb named Metaxourgio, about 2km away from the Acropolis of Athens. Metaxourgio is home to multiple fantastic pieces of art due to it being the hosting location for the Little Paris Art Festival. 

Knowledge Speaks, Wisdom Listens is a painting of an owl. It was created in 2016. The artist who created the mural describes it as a testament to the goddess Athena, citing the owl's long-range vision and implying that Greece tends to looks far ahead. The original Instagram post by the artist can be viewed here. The painting was not created with the intention of attracting tourists. However, its powerful symbolism has inspired art admiring locals while drawing tourism towards it as a result of its intricate detail. 


Knowledge Speaks, Wisdom Listens. Image Source. Mural Location.


There are multiple guides available online to help navigate through the many locations hosting local street art. Looking for some of these guides can assist in planning your day efficiently, resulting in a productive use of your time while you explore street art in Athens or around Greece. One writer, Giulia, has created a Google Maps template consisting of street art locations around the city of Athens. Her post and map can be accessed on the Blocal website.




References:






Location: Metaxourgeio, Athens, Greece

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Place Essentialism

Image
Stereotypes of Greek Food When one thinks of Greek food, they often think of a taco-shaped item with meat filling; souvlaki, or a wrap made of vegetables, sauces and meat; gyros. While it is true that these items are part of the famous Greek cuisine, they are not a complete picture of what the country has to offer. Greek cuisine is spread across a large range of items that differ from region to region as one moves through the country. For example, some islands are known for their seafood, others for salad and even stews!  Souvlaki. Image Source . Gyros. Image Source . The generalisation of a country's cuisine or any other cultural aspect, whether good or bad, leads to a restrictive idea of the place's local population. It creates a gap between the local people's actual identities and the identity that outsiders lay over them. It is important to conduct proper research about a place and its people before forming a concrete opinion about it. Without such an approach, a chain ...
Read more

Symbols

Image
The Parthenon Ancient Greece comprised of 3 main architectural styles: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. Each technique was used in equal amounts across the country. However, when one thinks of Greek architecture today, only one of these techniques comes to mind instantly, that is the Doric style. This is because of a structure that has come to become a symbol of Greece. When we think about the country, the first few thoughts that come to our minds are food, scenic views and this: Digitised Section of the Parthenon. Image Source . Parthenon in 1978. Image Source . The structure in both images is the Parthenon, first as its symbol and then as the actual structure. The Parthenon sits on the Acropolis of Athens, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Acropolis is a point at higher altitudes, usually on a hill, to serve as a natural defence. The Parthenon displays the classical features of Doric architecture that include simpler columns in comparison to other styles. Doric architecture was ...
Read more