art in the street

People tend to ignore art that is created or performed in the streets of our city however what these people do not understand is that at that moment they are underestimating a person’s creativity that might actually be very unique and special. As I was walking at the center of Athens I saw on one side of this building this beautiful painting that attracted my attention. Maybe it was all this color in the center of the city, or the size of the drawing that was shocking when the realization that it was drawn by hand was made. I decided to find out who painted the side of that building. His name is Alexandros Vasmoulakis, he is 29 years old, he studied fine arts he works a freelancer and he paints buildings. Googling his name I found out that he is well-known in Europe for his contribution to street art, his name is often mentioned in blogs about art and his name is the 8th result when one searches “street art Greece”. Simple as that he likes putting color in our lives, expressing the way he perceives life through a form of street art. Many artists choose street art as a way of expressing themselves and presenting their art; this is a way of thinking and if people exclude street art from their consideration set when talking or thinking about art they are missing a big part of artistic Athens. Street art includes music, graffiti, posters, stencil and many other different things. Moreover nowadays street art is recognized all over the world as a category of artistic creation and in many cities like Berlin or Los Angeles street art festivals are held and the work of independent artists is presented. Although Athens has not organized such a festival yet there are many sources of street art one could take advantage of. Start by going for a walk in Gkazi or Plaka and enjoy the music people play in the street and the graffiti’s that are decorating the walls of the abandoned buildings in the center of the city.

His website with interesting work here

teaching art

This year my younger cousin is graduating from school. Due to the way the Greek educational system is set up is very difficult for a child to decide at the age of 15 what they want to study and prepare accordingly by examining and evaluating their options. My cousin announced to her parents that she wanted to be an artist during Christmas. However, she cannot define this desire even further. As a result I decided to help her by presenting her options of studying art in Greece 6 months before she prepares her applications. This way I started researching and I felt the need to comment on my findings and ask the rhetoric question which forms of art can actually be taught? Where does talent leave off and knowledge take over? In my request for art schools in Athens I concluded that 2 are more popular about the level of the studies they offer as well as their reputation not only in Greece but also abroad. These are firstly the Athens School of Fine Arts and secondly Vakalo School of Art and design. The Athens School of Fine Arts is a very well known school in Greece established back in 1837; it is very difficult for a student to get accepted. I guess that makes sense since the level of the studies is high, the faculty consists of well-known professors as well as artists. Students there are taught painting, sculpture, printmaking, stage design, photography, multimedia, graphic design, mosaic, marble, plaster, metal, woodcarving, ceramic, fresco and icon painting and material technology. According to the school’s website its goals are “a. to provide theoretical and practical education in the fine arts and promote contemporary art,
b. To encourage the artistic sensibility of the public by organizing exhibitions of Greek and foreign artists and

c. to train art education teachers for secondary schools.” Vakalo is a different kind of art school, created in 1957, since the courses taught there are concentrated on graphic or interior design. I feel I need to recognize and point out that we are lucky than in a word driven by a self-centric approach to life art can still make its way into our lives, and that such schools enrich our cultural background by giving the necessary assets and knowledge for upcoming artist to stand out and contribute with their art in our everyday lives. if you are interested in the courses, programs or exhibitions of these schools visit their sites: http://www.asfa.gr/, http://vakalo.gr

It’s a tradition

It is has been almost one month since the box offices started selling tickets for the annual most popular Athenian Music event and everyone has been going crazy! After 13 years of success the Rockwave Festival of 2009 has been scheduled for the 27-30 of June! Almost every fan of rock and metal music out there must have been at the Festival at least once. And for this reason you know how it is; but even if you haven’t let me enlighten you so that you know what to expect if you decide to go this year for the first time. Summertime, great music, bands that we love, open space, an event area with a capacity of 15,000 people make this event special and loud! I think that the reason we embrace this event for 13 years, besides the fact that surprisingly enough every year great names from the music industry honor The Rockwave Festival with their presence, is the whole feeling that is created when you go there.. Everyone is excited for the concerts, the weather is perfect due to the summer season, and everyone is dancing and singing enjoying the music. The acoustic although the concerts are hosted in such an open space, is very good even if you are not that close to the stage. The only thing one has to be prepared for is the difficulty of leaving after the end of the show. Because the Terra Vibe park is located near the 37th km of Athens-Lamia national road in Malakasa everyone parks the cars on the road or in the parking -if you make it there early enough. As a result at the end of the concerts patience is required because sometimes you might need up to 1 hour to leave the parking before you get into the national road. Last but certainly not least what you need to know before you decide whether you are attending this year’s Rockwave Festival is the artists and bands that will be presenting their work. These include: 27 June Gogol Bordello, Moby, Placebo, 28 June Duffy, The Killers, 29 June Motley Crue, 
Monster Magnet,
 Arch Enemy, 
Lauren Harris. Ticket prices are set to 50 euro for a one-day ticket, 85 for a two day ticket, and 120 for all three days of the festival. See you there!

Ticket Sales Points: 
ΤΙCKET HOUSE Athens 
Panepistimiou 42, Tel: 210 3608366 
ΤΙCKET HOUSE Thessaloniki 
Mitropoleos 102, Tel: 2310 264880

Online sales, click here

The Breeder

When someone, in this case me, decides to talk about a gallery someone would expect the reference to a creative artist or a mind-blowing exhibition. However, in my case although the exhibition was indeed very interesting and the art pieces triggered thoughts and feelings of mine, I was mostly amazed by this alternative space that combines advanced and complicated concepts of architecture with a very simplistic execution. It was not until 2002 when George Vamvakidis and Aris Zambicos decided to create the Breeder. The Breeder is a very unique and different gallery with art exhibitions of famous and upcoming artists. Of course each gallery is special however unless you visit The Breeder you cannot understand the diverse levels in which it is differentiated from everything else we have seen in Athens the past few years. It not only the way people treat art and those interested in art at this place, nor just the beautiful art pieces someone can find available in their exhibitions. It is also the way the environment inspires the person, the distinctiveness of this building that I believe it has put its mark in the city’s landscape. It was in September when the gallery moved to its new “home” in Metaxourgeio transforming an old ice-cream factory in on of the most challenging and advanced spaces of Athens. Of course it is not only the building but also the location of the building in this upcoming central spot that gives this sense of uniqueness and takes this whole experience to a different level. The Breeder is definitely one of Athens must-visits so luckily enough exhibition of artist Ilias Papailiakis , “The Apotheosis of Bavaria” is already on and will be until 02.05.09! Don’t miss it!

Coming show: Jannis Vareas: 13.05.09-04.07.09

Iasonos 45, Athens 10436

Beautiful People

I think most of you out there would agree with me on that: music is a driving force, is color, is emotion. I was going over my cd collection and came across the soundtrack of “2” the play of Dimitris Papaioannou. This triggered my thoughts about this man and the admiration I have for his work. Dimitris Papaioannou is an artist. His work is the definition of what he does. He is a chorographer, a director, a dancer. There is not only one thing that could define his work. He is a talented and charismatic Greek artist and we are fortunate enough to have him in our country, when his work is globally recognized, creating alternative plays with an innovative and special approach. He became famous in Greece after directing the opening ceremony for the Athens Olympics 2004, a ceremony that the Time magazine and London Times described as a triumph. I do not know how many of you were lucky enough to see his play “2” in 2006. However, even if you missed the chance take my advice and buy the soundtrack by Konstantinos B. After “2” everyone anticipated his new work and finally 5 months ago the adaptation of a play he first directed and choreographed back in 1993 , Medea was a reality . Words cannot describe the astonishing result of his effort. May I just use the characterization of The New York Times when they congratulated his work describing the play as “amazingly tensed” and “incredibly passionate”. I just feel we need to appreciate this kind of quality work and take advantage of every opportunity to see or experience this kind of art. Unfortunately Medea is not still on however you can take a sneak peak at these videos from the two plays and we can all patiently wait for his next masterpiece.

below some of his magic:

Click here for his personal website

Greece is for lovers

It is common to refer to art as something rare or unique, expensive and difficult to find. This however is a big misunderstanding because art comes in many different forms, shapes and styles. The difficult part is recognizing its existence and appreciating its value. For people who want to decorate their house or buy an artistic gift “Greece is for Lovers” is the right place. In the heart of Athens this unusual and different store represents the innovative approach of designing objects inherited with Greek culture. From glasses and ashtrays to candles and plates this store carries diverse products for the decoration of your home all related to the Greek culture and specifically the Greek mythology. Walking by this place there is no chance you will not stop and take a look. It attracts attention as its stands out. There is nothing contemporary about this place from the creative people designing the objects sold in the store to its decoration and window. Take a look yourself at greeceisforlovers.com

for more news and daily updates, there is a nice blog made by the Greece is For lovers. Click Here

& in case you want to visit:

Greece is for Lovers
13a Karyatidon St.

Athens 117 42 Closest Metro : Akropolis

Mon-Fr: 11:00am- 7:00 pm

Weekends: 11:00 am- 3:00 pm