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Home Balkans Travel and Street artGreece Travel and Street ArtAthens Choose Metaxourgeio
Athens

Choose Metaxourgeio

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Metaxourgeio Athens

Choose the Acropolis. Choose the Ancient Agorà. Choose Plaka. Choose Kolonaki. Choose the shopping on Ermou Street. Choose the marbles, the history, and the museums. Choose the cobbled streets, the souvenir shops and the panoramic view from the terrace of a fancy restaurant. Choose the cruise. Choose an idyllic Greek island. Choose the beach, the sea, the sun, and the cocktails with little umbrellas sticking out of the top. Choose to suck life in a disciplined way through a brightly-coloured straw.

But why would I want to do a thing like that? I choose not to choose the Acropolis: I choose something else. I choose Metaxourgeio. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin?*

*loosely based on Trainspotting’s monologue “Choose life”.

Metaxourgeio Athens
Metaxourgeio Athens

I don’t have heroin, although it wouldn’t be any difficult to find some in Metaxourgeio, that corner of Athens surprisingly close to the Acropolis and the pretty streets but, at the same time, forgotten by all those people who choose life.

Metaxourgeio Athens

Athens’ bustling and chaotic vibe drastically slows down here. Everybody moves in slow motion, on their inner slow pace -if they do move at all. More likely, they are simply sprawled on the sidewalk, withdrawn and skeletal figures leaving you wondering if they are still breathing. I walk into drug statistics, where each digit is a person, a sensitive hero.

Metaxourgeio Athens
Metaxourgeio Athens

The dodgy streets of Metaxourgeio are dirtier than everywhere else, rough and neglected. Street art is illegal and ground-breaking, green areas are wild, bars are smoky.

Metaxourgeio Athens
Metaxourgeio Athens

The buildings are crumbling, some of them are even partially burnt, and the ‘hood looks as if it had just been bombed. Sealed doors are covered with posters promoting concerts that happened months ago, greasy windows open on dubious bars and people lie around like cut flowers waiting to shrivel up.

Metaxourgeio Athens
Metaxourgeio Athens

At night, the decay is swallowed by the darkness; all I can see are some flashing OPEN-signs of brothels, whose lights on the entrances are anything but red.

Metaxourgeio Athens
Metaxourgeio Athens

All those things hidden by other cities, such as prostitution and drugs, in Metaxourgeio happen above-board and with a ‘so what?’ attitude, like a disgraced Hollywood star who is going to the grocery in a tracksuit. She doesn’t care about paparazzi spotting her, and lives her days without apologizing.

Metaxourgeio Athens

The acropolis is still there, towering over the ‘hood in the full moon and, with this romantic background, two drug users shoot each other up in the neck, surrendering like two lovers kissing in the night.

Table Of Contents
  1. Street Art in Metaxourgeio
  2. Contemporary Art Galleries in Metaxourgeio
    • Rebecca Camhi Art Gallery
    • Atopos Contemporary Visual Culture
    • The Breeder Gallery
  3. Restaurants and Cafés in Metaxourgeio
    • Seycheles Restaurant
    • Tavern Metaxourgeio
    • Bread Factory

Street Art in Metaxourgeio

metaxourgeio athens street art guide
Trust me, it’s way easier if you download my Google map!

In Metaxourgeio you can find some of the best street art in Athens.

Check out my Athens street art guide!

Contemporary Art Galleries in Metaxourgeio

Rebecca Camhi Art Gallery

9, Leonidou st. 

rebecca cahmi gallery metaxourgeio athens

Founded in 1995, this gallery moved to Metaxourgeio in 2008. It focuses on contemporary art and works with all media, from paintings to video and engravings.

rebecca cahmi gallery metaxourgeio athens

Last time I visited this gallery, the exhibition was a solo show by DeAnna Magania entitled “Something is in the house”, featuring works about the abstract nature of the cosmos surrounding us versus a seemingly predictable reality.

Atopos Contemporary Visual Culture

72, Salaminos st. 

Atopos is a cultural organization interested in the expression and adornment of the human body. It collects rare historical garments and original creations by contemporary designers relating to the human figure. Atopos’ branch office in Metaxourgeio opened in 2010 inside a neoclassical building that was abandoned. It now hosts Atopos’ offices, exhibition spaces and library and, occasionally, workshops, lectures and cultural events. This is also where the largest paper-fashion collection in the world (the Atopos Paper Dress Collection) is conserved.

The Breeder Gallery

45, Iasonos st. 

the breeder gallery metaxourgeio athens

The opening of this gallery in 2002 was an attempt at ‘cleaning the neighbourhood’ and I’m confident that –eventually- The Breeder will have its role in Metaxourgeio’s gentrification. The gallery represents Greek and international artists, both rising and established.

the breeder gallery metaxourgeio athens

Last time I visited the centre, the exhibition was “Method of Loci” by artist Item Idem, who explores new dialectics with local components and follows the principles of readymade contextualization creating a multifunctional environment that maps the current human condition.

the breeder gallery metaxourgeio athens

His artworks are made with sourced mass-marketed products and packaging, and he turns consumerism and the toxicity of the world into an art medium of itself.

Restaurants and Cafés in Metaxourgeio

Seycheles Restaurant

49, Kerameikou st. 

seycheles restaurant metaxourgeio athens

This is my favourite restaurant in the area and it serves Modern Greek cuisine. They have a seasonal and ever-changing menu, but you can also drop in for one of their renowned cocktails. The venue has maintained the 100-year-old decorations of this neoclassical building, and the furniture is beautifully retro.

Tavern Metaxourgeio

46, Leonidou st.

tavern metaxourgeio athens

A traditional restaurant with kitsch décor, but the food is good! It is located in the pretty central square of the ‘hood, in a picturesque building with old stones in view.

Bread Factory

2, Achilleos st.

Bread Factory metaxourgeio athens

I entered for a coffee, and I discovered a unique bakery! At the mezzanine floor, experienced bakers do their magic in view, while downstairs you can buy all kind of breads, biscuits and cakes. They also serve freshly cooked traditional meals and salads.

Plan your alternative trip to Athens with my Athens Google Map!

Athens street art map
Trust me, it’s way easier if you download my Athens street art map

You can hover over these (or any image) to quickly pin it!

Metaxourgeio Athens
Metaxourgeio Athens

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Giulia BLocal street art travel
Giulia Blocal

I'm a writer who is specialised in street art and graffiti. Since 2011 I have run this independent street art blog, which has been the media partner of important street art festivals around Europe. I create content for creative enterprises and museums, and my writing was published in street art catalogues and art publications.

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About Me

About Me

Hello, my name is Giulia. I'm a writer who is specialised in street art and graffiti. Since 2011 I have run this independent street art blog, which has been the media partner of important street art festivals around Europe. I create content for creative enterprises and museums, and my writing was published in street art catalogues and art publications.

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