Ten Unique Murals in Athens, From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

Athens is a city filled with graffiti and painted murals of all kinds. When exploring Athens, looking at the abundant street art which decorates it can be a great way to gain an understanding of the city’s character.

In this article, we have collected a list of some of the most impressive murals currently adorning Athenian walls.

Murals around the Greek capital

“Is this modern society?”

This piece of street art, by artist Jupiterfab, was painted in 2018. It can be found in Psirri, Athens.

It is titled “Is this modern society?” and depicts a rather plump young boy using a gaming console to play a video game.

“IVAN”

This next mural is an amazing example of collaboration in the graffiti world. Street art is generally very community-based because all artists share the same canvas; however, pieces that are so explicitly collaborative are slightly rarer.

The green side, which seems to have preceded the other, is by the artist who calls himself Mambo. The side with the yellow background is by the artist Move. This piece was created in 2020 and can be found in Psirri, Athens.

“One Consuming Love”

This piece of street art was created by famous Greek graffiti artist Naip N_Grams in 2014. This piece, which can be found in Exarcheia, is reminiscent of a great deal of other anti-capitalist artwork in the area.

It uses the wheatpaste poster technique, which can often be useful to artists who do not want to get caught while producing more complicated pieces.

“Ouch”

This next piece of graffiti is an expected twist on a classic summer treat. The artist, named Mayya, has subverted expectations by transforming a popsicle into a cactus.

This brightly colored piece of street art, which can be found in Psirri, was added to the walls of Athens in 2018.

Athens’ own “Bruderkuss”

This mural was painted by the artist Jupiterfab in 2016. It is located on a wall in Psirri, Athens and shows former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras leaning down for a kiss with the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel.

Those who view this mural may think it is vaguely familiar, but that’s because this image is based on a much more well-known piece of street art.

The original “Bruderkuss” mural, which can be found on the Berlin Wall, depicts two socialist politicians engaging in a socialist kiss as a way to express their fellowship. In the Athenian version, Tsipras and Merkel are portrayed as being about to take part in the same fraternal greeting.

“Can’t you see it?”

The next mural, which can be found in Metaxourgeio, Athens, was  photographed in 2020. This piece, by Barba Dee, seems to be a warning of sorts.

It depicts a pair of eyeglasses with the image of the Acropolis and the rest of Athens burning. The image could be interpreted as saying that things have already gotten to the point of burning down, and people are not able to see it even though it’s right in front of their eyes.

“Petit Paris d’Athenes I”

This massive piece, which scales the entirety of the side of a building, can be found in Kolonos, Athens. This incredibly detailed and almost photo-realistic mural was created by artist Simple G.

Although the whole piece is extremely impressive, the unique choice Simple G made to paint the shadows of the figures in the art make it seem all the more real. The hand holding a flower almost seems to be jumping off the side of the building in 3D!

“Unemployed, maybe…”

This piece of street art takes the form of a sticker, which is a popular way for artists with a message behind their art to disseminate their work.

The text on the piece reads “Unemployed maybe…but never a disgraceful racist.” It was produced in 2020 and can be found in Petralona, Athens. The artist is Antifa lab.

“Cocktail Party”

This mural was photographed in 2020 in Psirri, Athens. It displays a beer bottle, manufactured by Greek beer makers Alpha, which has been turned into a Molotov cocktail.

The sardonic piece, which is titled “Cocktail Party,” is by artist Barba Dee.

“Birds”

This stunning mural was painted by the artist Atek in 2017. It is shown in a 2018 photograph taken in Psirri, Athens.

This straightforward piece, which is titled “Birds,” depicts two beautiful black and white birds along with some splashes of color. The “beads” floating around the birds seem to be open to interpretation, and could be understood to be marbles, beads, or even birds eyes.

Clearly, Athens has a lot to offer when it comes to graffiti and street art. Those who visit should keep their eyes peeled in order to be able to have a look at all the amazing murals which decorate the city. A walking graffiti tour is the perfect thing to do on a day out in town!