There have been a number of documentaries dealing with the social and political impact of the greek crisis and particularly the violent rise of the neo-fascist party χρυσή αυγή - better known as golden dawn. Marsia Tzivara, a Greek filmmaker and video activist that has been living in Berlin for the past 2 years, takes a [...]
As the first year of Aesthetics of Crisis is swiftly coming to an end, I thought a thematic end of year review might be an interesting experiment. So here it is, a year in crisis street art, emerging from urban activism and social movements, featuring old and new icons, following no particular logic and informed [...]
After an eventful summer and a quiet autumn, I am happy to announce, that one of the projects I have been working on in the past months is finally out. The amazing people at sub\urban Zeitschrift für kritische Stadtforschung have included a photoessay of mine in their latest issue which explores the topic The Postpolitical City? If you read [...]
This interview with Tvboy, an Italian street artist and designer working both Milan and Barcelona, is the first one at Aesthetics of Crisis to look beyond the specific context of Athens. Even though he does not consider his work to be distinctly political, the context of the crisis has emerged for as a somewhat inevitable topic. [...]
Many political artists in Athens make use of stencils, but no one has perfected this art form like Mapet. He made his first attempt at a stencil in 2006 while living in Bristol, but these days he has an archive of about 200 motifs to chose from. The reason for this productivity boost is quite [...]
Graphic design student Refur has been exploring the creative potential of the streets of Athens for the past two years. In fact, she is one of the few Athenian artists strategically using the medium of the sticker. She also paints larger pieces, often in collaboration with other artists such as Mapet, EX!T, and Yiakou. Furthermore [...]
If you stroll through any major European city, you will most likely find a paste-up, sticker, or tile by Hamburg-based artist Tona. So of course I was not surprised to find some of his signature artworks in Athens. However, the sheer amount of them seemed extraordinary. I got in touch with Tona and found out [...]
Since its founding in 2009 Stroke Art Fair has established itself as an international institution for urban contemporary art. Alternating between Berlin and Munich, it showcases a growing number of galleries and artists from the fields of illustration, design, street art, and everything in between. Traditionally, galleries have formed the focal point of action, yet this [...]
Even before the disastrous night of September 17 the month had witnessed some meaningful events. First, the squatted Athenian theatre project εμπρος was evicted and with it a space of autonomous and often transnational creative interventions. Furthermore the teachers of Greece took to the streets to protest extensive layoff plans. And then that Tuesday night the unthinkable happened: the [...]
My first encounter with the short Spanish girl that goes by Galldindie was quite lucky: I found her spraying a wall in Exarcheia while I was just showing my new roommate the neighborhood. Naturally, I had to chat her up about the huge lion she was just painting. I found out she was an art [...]
If you happen upon one of the many artworks of Cacao Rocks in the streets of Athens, their colorful and unique style will most certainly leave an impression on you. In fact, the Corfu-born artist picked up the spray can for the first time at the tender age of 12. He talked to me about [...]
Unexpectedly, my exhibition this week has garnered a bit of media attention. I got to talk about my project and the exhibition to jetzt.de/Süddeutsche Zeitung, you can find the interview (in German) here. Here's what the printed version in the papers looked like, featuring artworks by Dimitris Taxis and WD.
Going back about 15 years, D! is a true veteran of the Athens graffiti and street art scene. Over the years he has arrived at a distinct aesthetic and typographic vision that stands out quite clearly from the chaotic walls of the city. Here's some more on his artistic evolution and intentions, his recent "Their [...]
Oré is one of the many international artists that have paid Athens a creative visit in the past years. Yet, his connection with the city is not a fleeting one but rather something that has been building for 30 years. Spending a few weeks of every year in Athens he has left quite a few [...]
I owe my acquaintance with Marina—or rather her spraycan-wielding alter ego Galldindie—to the lucky coincidence of running into her while she was painting her carnival de la vida trio on a wall not far from my house in Exarcheia. It only took a few minutes of chatting to realize that this short girl from Barcelona was [...]
