Athens Street Art in photos.

I spent a month living in Athens and even though that was the case I only wrote one post about it. The post I did write about it was about how I did a whole lot of nothing in Athens. The truth is I did do nothing, but I also did a lot of searching for Street Art. By the time I arrived in Athens my love for Street Art had grown tremendously after finding Street Art all over the world and some of the best Street Art in Amsterdam. I was in Street Art heaven because I was finding it everywhere in Athens.

When I arrived in Athens it was December of 2011 (fuck nearly 2 years ago… that’s crazy) it was at the height of the financial crisis happening in Europe. Of the Financial Crisis it was Greece that was hit the hardest and protest would break out all the time in the capital Athens. I lived down the street from some of the most important Government Buildings and would find riot police at every corner, it was interesting to say the least. I remember seeing people shoot up in the street, hell I even saw a lady snort a line of something at the doorstep of my apartment complex. I saw so many homeless people and poverty everywhere. I also enjoyed many nights sitting on the balcony of my apartment watching prostitutes work. I remember always thinking Athens is the saddest city I have ever visited and I still think that today. I still wonder how a prosperous city like Athens could fall to ruins in the blink of an eye and be so noticeable at every turn. I even saw it in the Street Art I found all over the city as Athens was literally burning.

I love Street Art for many reasons, but most of all because it gives you a look at what is happening at the heart of the city you are visiting. Street Art is used as a medium for people who may not have a voice to share how they feel and express themselves on current events happening there at that moment in time. While I lived in Cairo, Street Art was about the politics and revolutions happening. The Street Art I found in Athens was clearly about the financial crisis, riots, anger, sadness, death, social unrest and unfairness happening at that time. As you scroll through the photos you will get a sense of what I just described yes it’s in fact a bit morbid, but at the same time just beautiful that people are talented enough to express themselves through art. Since it’s been almost two years since I have been there I am sure most of these are gone by now and that’s the other reason I love Street Art it captures the happenings of a city for that moment in time before it gets covered by others or the Government. Scroll slowly and see what you think each piece is interpreting.

—

—1—

—2—

—3—

—4—

—5—

—6—

—7—

—8—

—9—

—10—

—11—

—12—

—13—

—14—

—15—

—16—

—17—

—18—

—19—

—20—

—21—

—22—

—23—

—24—

—25—

—26—

—27—

—28—

—29—

—30—

—31—

—32—

—33—

—34—

—35—

—36—

—37—

—38—

—39—

—40—

—41—

—42—

—43—

—44—

—45—

—46—

—47—

—48—

—49—

—50—

—51—

—52—

—53—

—54—

—55—

—56—

—57—

—58—

—59—

—60—

—61—

—62—

—63—

—64—

—65—

—66—

—67—

—68—

—69–

—70—

—71—

—72—

—73—

—74—

—75—

—76—

—77—

—78—

—79—

—80—

—81—

—82—

—83—

—84—

—85—

Aside from the things I mentioned above that you may notice in all the photos above I am sure you also recognized a recurring character. The lady painted in black & white with long beautiful hair set in different settings with different emotions is painted by an artist named Sonke. If you do a Google Image search you will find so many amazing peaces of art done by him. He even has a website with his Gallery and a Facebook page. The ones I found of her are my favorite because while I was living in Athens I remember becoming obsessed with finding as many pieces of her as I could.

So what do you think about these pieces of Street Art that I was able to capture during my time in Athens? Which one is or ones are your favorite?

—

PREVIOUS IN PHOTOS

Comments

kami says:

October 23, 2013 at 2:37 am

I’ve never thought of Athens as a place with the great streetart scene (guess everyone, including me, focuses only on the ancient history) but after seeing these pictures I know I’d love it there! Thanks for this post, it was kind of eye-opening!
kami recently posted..breathtaking autumn in Estonia

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  October 28, 2013 at 9:57 am
  
  Yeah Kami, I was more fascinated by the Street Art than the Ancient History. Glad I was able to share a part of Athens, most people just look over.
  
Heather says:

October 23, 2013 at 7:26 am

These are great! I started keeping track of which were my faves, but there are too many good ones. I wouldn’t have guessed Athens had such a vibrant street art scene.
Heather recently posted..Maui road trip and the Road to Hana

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  October 28, 2013 at 9:58 am
  
  Ja thanks Heather… yes so many great pieces here. Sorry I posted 85 photos… I know that is a lot but I hate 2 part post.
  
Sofie says:

October 23, 2013 at 7:30 am

Wow you sure captured a lot!
So hard to find a favorite one. So many styles are present. I really likenumber 4 and 24 though!
Sofie recently posted..In search of the light: Second best

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  October 28, 2013 at 9:58 am
  
  Oh yes Sofie those are some of my fav!
  
Sam says:

October 23, 2013 at 10:06 am

This is a lovely collection! I especially like #3 and #51.
Sam recently posted..From Bean to Bar: Learning to Make Chocolate in Lima

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  October 28, 2013 at 9:59 am
  
  Thanks Sam, oh yes those are great ones too.
  
Chris says:

October 23, 2013 at 2:05 pm

WOW that’s some pretty awesome street art there!

Good work capturing the mood bro 🙂
Chris recently posted..My 2013 Reader Survey – And A Giveaway!

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  October 28, 2013 at 10:00 am
  
  Ah that is a good word to use Chris… MOOD. Damn that could have helped me in this post.
  
Hogga says:

October 23, 2013 at 2:48 pm

these are awesome
Hogga recently posted..Seeing Montreal with Le St. Martin

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  October 28, 2013 at 10:00 am
  
  Thanks!
  
Lina says:

October 23, 2013 at 4:03 pm

Jaime these are stunning!! You did a wonderful job at capturing each piece of art in the photos. They definitely take you on an emotional ride that creates empathy for what the people were experiencing during that time. Way cool, thank you for sharing!
Lina recently posted..TO DO LIST: 99 Days and Counting!

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  October 28, 2013 at 10:01 am
  
  Thanks Lina so much. It’s crazy how Street Art can capture so many emotions of what is happening in a city.
  
TammyOnTheMove says:

October 24, 2013 at 3:49 am

Absolutely stunning. I love street art. Have you been to Berlin. The street art scene there is amazing too.
TammyOnTheMove recently posted..My Cambodia homestay experience

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  October 28, 2013 at 10:04 am
  
  Oh yes I have been to Berlin…so many amazing pieces there too. I have so many from the East Berlin Wall. I need to go through them one day and share those too.
  
Gayla~ says:

October 25, 2013 at 3:10 am

Wow, these are amazing! Before I even read your words, I scrolled through the photos and was immediately struck by the ones of the lady with the long hair. Images with so much emotion, especially those with a teardrop. Very powerful!
Gayla~ recently posted..Things to do in Cadaqués – Visit the Portlligat House-Museum (Salvador Dali House)

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  October 28, 2013 at 10:05 am
  
  Yes Gayla, those were so damn powerful I loved them. I’d love to buy a piece of art from him one day.
  
josh says:

October 25, 2013 at 10:05 pm

Really powerful art. Great job with the photo’s. A lot of emotion in them!

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  October 28, 2013 at 10:09 am
  
  Thanks Josh!
  
Zuzana from Hotelchoosing says:

November 10, 2013 at 4:31 am

I never realized street art from this point of view. If you see it like fotos in a gallery as yours, it seems really amazing. Stencil art was my favourite. In every day life, I just walk by them and see it as crime on others property. Your collection is a really good job!

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  November 11, 2013 at 2:52 pm
  
  I like what you said Zuzana… street art is like photos in a gallery. That is brilliant way to put it. Glad you are able to see it that way now and am glad you liked my photos.
  
Marysia @ My Travel Affairs says:

December 29, 2013 at 3:47 pm

I love your street art series! This one is amazing as well!
Marysia @ My Travel Affairs recently posted..Friday Lens Affair #50

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  January 3, 2014 at 11:12 am
  
  Thank you so much!!!
  
Dennis Kopp says:

March 1, 2015 at 6:27 pm

Hey Jaime, this is great! The street art of Athens is simply amazing and I am very glad that you too got obsessed with the Curly Girl in black and white. I ended up chasing her all over Athens during my time there and I even put a whole post together about my love affair with her. Check it out if you like: http://www.seetheworldinmyeyes.com/street-art/in-love-with-with-sonke-curly-girl-of-athens/ She was clearly the star attraction on the colorful streets of Athens… 🙂

- Jaime Davila says:
  
  March 8, 2015 at 2:12 pm
  
  OMG just read your post and love it… I was so obsessed with Sonke too. Love all your photos!!!

Athens Street Art in photos.

—

PREVIOUS IN PHOTOS

Comments

Speak Your Mind Cancel reply