Street art in the Athens of crisis

Preserving the Democratic Acquis and National Identity

Bibliographic Data

ID4524731
AuthorsAristea Grivakou (University of Cyprus, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume29
Issue3-4
Pages181-205
Publication date2025-05-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCitizenship Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1362-1025 • E-ISSN: 1469-3593
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13621025.2025.2523255
OpenAlexW4411795488
LanguageEN
References cited20

During the Greek financial crisis, Athens’ urban landscape became a canvas for political expression, with murals emerging as a powerful visual medium of civic engagement. While street art is often framed as an act of resistance, this article argues that many crisis-era murals in Athens functioned as acts of preservation. Citizens, feeling that their national identity and democratic values were under threat, reclaimed historical symbols and narratives through mural art to critique austerity policies and their perceived erosion of democracy. Drawing on political theory and urban studies, this study explores how murals invoke historical figures, cultural references, and democratic ideals to reaffirm collective memory and national sovereignty. Rather than advocating for rupture, these artworks express an urgent desire to safeguard the democratic acquis and social cohesion. By shifting the interpretive lens from resistance to preservation, this article highlights how murals in crisis-era Athens reframe political participation – not merely rejecting the present but actively defending the past. In doing so, they transform public space into a site of historical continuity and political agency, illustrating how visual culture plays a crucial role in shaping the discourse of democracy in times of crisis

Aesthetics · Art · Citizenship · Democracy · Media studies · National identity · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Art, Politics, and Modernism · Gender Studies · Law · Law in Society and Culture · Public Spaces through Art

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