Street Art in Athens that Is Both Provocative and Beautiful

A mural in Athens by artist Bleeps (aesthetics of crisis/ Flickr)

If one word could describe the emotional climate in Greece right now, it would be “hope.” During my October trip to Athens, taxi drivers were anxious to get me where I needed to go, strangers stopped to talk to me, and chatty shopkeepers pleasantly pointed me toward their favorite local eateries. I felt that mix of optimism and anxiety throughout my stay, and in a very unrestrained way, again, when the mayor of Athens got on stage at the TBEX travel bloggers conference to let us know that Greece was getting back on track. In fact, during that week, it seemed like all the citizens of Athens were collectively ready to shed their forlorn, debt-weary image and express happiness and gratitude for the travelers returning to the troubled but gorgeous Mediterranean country.

Maybe they have good reason to feel that way.

As unemployment rates slowly decline, the European Commission predicts the Greek economy will increase from a modest 0.6% growth in 2014 to 2.9% next year. This exceptional change comes on the heels of a country-wide bankruptcy just five years ago, spoken about locally as simply “the crisis,” a catastrophe that hit hard the wallets and emotions of the strained middle class, triggering an increase in depression, exasperation, and crime.

It looks like the tide is turning for this country, but don’t call it a comeback. Greece still carries the most debt out of all EU nations, and citizens are only cautiously optimistic. While anger and aggressive behavior have calmed down considerably, the youth of Athens continue to remind the government that this isn’t over. They’ve taken to the streets, not to loot, but to express their frustrations in street art.

In between past and present by artist Dimitris Taxis (aesthetics of crisis/Flickr)

Graffiti is nothing new in Greece, but in Athenian neighborhoods that belong to the lower and middle class, high emotions have inspired beautiful scenery. The artwork on these walls focuses on political strife, mistrust, and the hardships endured by the working class, boasting both large, bright, poignant murals and simple turns of phrase. Images of modern politicians, relics of the past, and melancholic children are common, as are quotes that evoke the desire to rely on each other and repress the government. These works are scribbled by top-tier street artists and out-of-work professionals who are sick of watching their families suffer. Because it’s become so prevalent, graffiti is not just acceptable in Athens, it may very well be leading the way to economic change by providing artistic beacons of hope — and tourism destinations.

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A few minutes from the center of the city, Kerameikos is a neighborhood where the artwork is out of this world. Much of the graffiti exists as living public inquiry into the Golden Dawn, a Greek political party often described as both neo-Nazi-esque and fascist.

On the cusp of gentrification, you’ll see racially provocative writing scrawled across the walls of charming — and expensive — little restaurants like Polly Magoo, with colorful tables, homemade menus, and overflowing glasses of wine. No longer a public nuisance or deterrent, street art has helped this neighborhood to grow, but how much good it has done is debatable.

Mural by artist iNO in Athens (Street Art Utopia/Facebook)

Twenty minutes away, you’ll find the neighborhood of Exarcheia, the site of the 1973 Polytechnic uprising, a battle between students and police that left several young people dead. Thirty-five years later, 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was also shot by police during a student protest. A shrine to Grigoropoulos has become one of the major spots for artists to make dedications in Exarcheia, a neighborhood now known as a major hub of culture, art, and ideas.

Manolis Iliopoulos is an Athenian who loves his city. He’s been watching the landscape change with this movement, and he uses a website called Dopios, which connects travelers with knowledgeable locals. “Art was always important for Greeks. It is still. There is a strong community,” he says. Through Dopios, Iliopoulos shows travelers areas like Exarcheia and Kerameikos. He tries to show them everything, from large murals to drippings on the floor, that reflects how his countrymen feel.

If visitors are looking to experience the same fury of art and emotion in a more traditional setting, it’s possible. The Onassis Cultural Centre frequently holds exhibits of graffiti, like the show “No Respect,” a summer retrospect of 40 artists from across Athens. Indeed, the practice has become so commonplace that it isn’t unusual for amateur artists to take classes at the Athens School of Fine Arts with the intent of using their studies in the streets.

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Journalist Kostas Kallergis has been tracking the movement since 2011, and after public interest swelled on social media, he took to the streets for his documentary film, The Wake Up Call, following four politically charged artists while they conceptualized and planned their work. In this film, Kallergis introduces us to Paul, MaPet, Bleeps, and Absent, but he doesn’t influence their choices. He simply tags along for their existing projects.

Related: Not a Myth — Athens Is Booming With Culture Again

Love and war in Athenian graffiti (Jo Piazza for Yahoo Travel)

“We’ve had a big graffiti scene for the past 10 years, and even the municipality and the state have been inviting street artists to [paint], but the political art was something interesting for me, as a journalist, because I could see reactions to the news I was following every day.”

Kallergis said that while politics has been the central theme of Athens street art for the past 10 years, there’s a second, softer underlying feeling in the art.

“Love is used with a political context in many cases,” he says. “We might not be able to beat the system, but we still have love.” One of his favorite pieces in Kerameikos (and mine as well, coincidentally) is the simple phrase “Love or Nothing” scrawled across a broad building wall across from an empty lot.

With the economy still staggering on young legs, visitors, too, can share the love and take part in this movement to support Athenians. Visit neighborhoods like Psyri, around Omonoia Square, and around Kerameikos-adjacent Metaxourgeio. Shop at local stores, and break bread at neighborhood eateries. Or, as one friendly Greek redditor put it, “Go to a bar in Exarcheia, [have a few drinks] with the bartender, and ask them.” Greek citizens are anxious to tell their stories of trouble and perseverance and to show you their neighborhoods. And once you’ve visited, take home with you the stories being told on the walls, not the 5 o’clock news.

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