Global Graffiti & Mural Project

Public art can be a powerful form of communication. Since the 2010 financial crisis in Greece, the city of Athens has become a virtual gallery, with images and words in dialogue with the world’s most pressing matters. In Iran's capitol Tehran, artist Mehdi Ghadyanloo's building murals number in the hundreds--and they were commissioned by the government. Through engagement with artists, students, and scholars abroad and close to home, the project reminds us we are all part of the same conversation, faced with new challenges, exploring new ways to see.

The Global Graffiti & Mural Project—a partnership between the Institute for the Humanities, Modern Greek Studies, and the History of Art—engaged the campus and larger community with international artists who offered a global perspective on public art. We wanted people to see, photograph, share, and meet these artists, to express their opinions, and to have a scholarly conversation about this important world cultural phenomenon.

In this video, Professor Artemis Leontis and IH curator Amanda Krugliak explain the project, and artists Cacao Rocks and Olga Alexopoulou talk about their work in this film: