From Athens with Love: Monastiraki

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Surprise street parade

Tonight I stumbled to a street party in the middle of Athens. There where hundreds of people dancing on the street and parading from Syntagma towards Thisio to a big party, as a dancing "police" girl next to me shouted.

The sight was surreal. All of the sudden there they were. Tens of people playing rhythm with big drums, one big group of marching people dressed as a police squad with cucumbers as batons and some people with urban circus costumes.

People on the streets were stunned by tempting dance rhythms and everyone had a big smile on their face. Some people were taken by the party feeling and started to follow the crowd. The parade danced the night away and Monastiraki was soon back on to its silent holiday strolling mode.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Intriguing taf

The Art foundation (taf) is an innovative and experimental concept to art. It wants to encourage people to engage in discussions and debate.

There is an old building in Monastiraki from 1870. From the small Normanou street 5 one can find tiny golden taf-sign on the graffiti painted wall. Right next to sign is an old wooden door just waiting to be opened. One most be well prepared and orientate carefully to find the place.

Concrete stairs leads to a basement which is actually a club in the yard surrounded by an art gallery.

The whole taf concept is rough and industrial-like but there is something in the atmosphere that causes an adrenalin rush when you enter from the well hidden door to the secret garden of temporary art lovers.

Open Mon-Sat 13.00-24.00, Sun 14.00-24.00. Normanou street 5, Monastiraki. Information 0030 210 3238 757.

Currently Lightroom Projects presents there photography exhibition called Ink – The Tattoo Project by Pantelis Zervos and Ilias Anastasiadis, which will run until February 13.

The exhibition explores aspects and meanings of tattoo in correlation with the portrait of their owner. It lets your imagination fly making up stories behind characters on the pictures.

There is almost 200 men and women ready to tell their story through 400 unique tattoos - if you dare to look under their skin.