Staining the city with colour

Colours and markings all over the grey walls. Some call them stains, others call them art. Walk down any street in Athens, and I guarantee you will find some form of graffiti -- a tag, or a throw-up, or a full on mural. Every wall in this city has been marked by someone.

For many (if not most) people, these expressions are seen as ugly,  as ‘mountzoures’ as they are referred to in Greek. Graffiti straddles the line between illegal and legal, its legality often depending on public acceptance. Most of the large scale murals in Athens have been funded by some entity, and are therefore considered to be art. Why is it that these large publicly funded murals make a place more “aesthetically pleasing”, while works that are not funded are seen as something that need to be removed? Are they not still art? Should the creative expression of an artist only be accepted or revered if they have been paid for their work?

It’s the smaller pieces hidden in the nooks and crannies of the city that catch my eye, put there by those with something to say. There are those who argue that stencils and stickers on random buildings ruin the look of the neighbourhood, but personally I think it makes it more beautiful. The images and words peppered throughout the streets of Athens represent the unintentional collective consciousness of the artists that make up this city. 

I struggle with my own appreciation of graffiti and street art. I can appreciate the meaning behind tagging and throw ups and I find murals quite beautiful but it’s the small, quick pieces that are my personal favourites. My confusion comes from wanting to stay true to the history and original purpose of graffiti and its place against the “system”, but also enjoying the publicly funded art because it’s aesthetically pleasing. 

Where do I, as an art historian and an artist, fit into the landscape of graffiti and street art in Athens?