Non-profit cultural organization Art in Progress has just held its 5th International Street Art Festival of Patras | ArtWalk furthering the city’s significance as a street art destination.
The first mural of this year’s festival was to mark the 100th birthday of Greek icon and activist Melina Mercouri. An intense and much-discussed powerhouse; Melina’s life was characterized by her passion and disarming honesty. More importantly: Melina made a remarkable contribution to the country’s cultural development.
This special mural was collaborative effort from the Art in Progress team, under the artistic guidance of ArtWalk’s Artistic Director, Kleomenis Kostopoulos (KLE).
Cypriot artist EDMON 1419 completed a mural inspired by the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. He wanted to celebrate one of the most important composers of the classical music repertoire by creating a work of art that would be in complete harmony with its surroundings.
The artist said, “While researching the theme of the festival about Beethoven, I discovered many fascinating facts, but only one of them tied the theme itself to the wall’s surroundings. ‘The Creatures of Prometheus’, one of the unique ballets composed by Beethoven, is considered a very important work in his career and is associated with the beauties of Greek mythology”.
The two members of NSN997 spent 5 days creating their mural featuring the wording “Knowledge Belongs to Everyone”. The duo wanted to honor the entire scientific community of the past, and also the scientists who have been fighting relentlessly in recent months to limit the pandemic that is affecting the whole world.
NSN997 said of this mural, “We believe that during this tough moment, only the scientific community can save us. However, the value of the discovery of the vaccine does not belong to the big pharmaceutical companies, it belongs to everyone, freely, and to the whole scientific community.”
British artist Jay Kaes also created impressive large-scale piece in the urban fabric of Patras. His mural depicts a colorfully clothed child playing happily, looking down and “hanging out” with the other children in the Ionian Square.
The artist observed the joyful children who gather every afternoon and fill the whole space with their chatter and laughter, and his mural echoes the neighborhood’s gaiety and color.
