Art in the streets of the world

Ikastikos Kyklos Sianti has the great honor of presenting the first Street Art group exhibition in Greece, featuring four Athenian street artists of global recognition. Their names are: Manolis Anastasakos, Cacao Rocks, WD and Olga Alexopoulou. The four street artists will transform the gallery into a street art corner, reflecting the culture of modern Athens and life in its streets. From November 10 th until December 1 st the people of Athens will have the opportunity to participate in the creation of ‘living works of art’, interacting with the artists themselves. They will also be encouraged to share pictures of the artists’ hidden art on social media. Manolis Anastasakos with his vast experience on grand-scale murals, Cacao Rocks with his unique style of international recognition, WD who is renowned for his impressive “Owl” on an old Athenian building and Olga Alexopoulou, whose love for the sea and her work in Piraeus have become famous all around the world, will come together in Ikastikos Kyklos Sianti, to present their work in a unique exhibition which ‘brakes’ space limitations.

The opening of the exhibition will take place on Friday the 10 th of November 2017, at 19.00. On the same day, there will be a presentation of the book ‘Art for the streets of the world’ published by ‘Metaichmion’ Publishing House, a history of graffiti and street art, from its beginnings in the avenues of New York, until now. The book, created especially for this exhibition, includes texts by art historian Manos Stefanides, Associate Professor in the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and architect and art historian Thanassis Moutsopoulos, Associate Professor in the School of Architecture of the Technical University of Crete. It also includes interviews the artists themselves have given to curator Vassiliki Sianti. On the opening day, our visitors will also have the opportunity to enjoy surprising live performances.

At the same time, visitors will have the opportunity to take a piece of street art with them, as each artist has graciously created two silk screen printings of their most characteristic works, transferring street art into interior spaces. The Athenian street culture constantly gains in popularity, following in the steps of street art’s growing appeal all over the world. Artists comment upon social issues through their work, or simply light up gray walls with color, provoking an instant reaction. By inviting four street artists, who work both in Athens and abroad (each of which plays a significant role in this particular artistic scene) to occupy the gallery’s premises, Ikastikos Kyklos Sianti aspires to invoke a similar kind of involvement and commitment.

As Manos Stefanides points out: “The forbidden wall, with its almost metaphysical connotations in the minds of young people, who constantly feel imprisoned within walls, has the seductive power of a biblical, forbidden fruit, reconciling sin with paradise. That’s what graffiti is all about!”

In conclusion, as Thanassis Moutsopoulos mentions: “Many street artists believe that they serve society by ‘beautifying’ their environment though their work, thus contradicting the theoretical aspirations of left-wing or anarchist thinkers, who emphasize the clandestine element. Where does the truth lie? You can decide that for yourselves…”