STMTS (Stamatis Mitsios), Tribute to Tassos Alevizos

A combination of street art and printmaking

The work depicts children standing in formation, with their faces marked by innocence and contemplation. At the centre, a girl carefully holds a white dove, a symbol of hope and peace.

Although STMTS is known for his street art, in this piece he transfers his signature style on canvas. This way, he combines the intensity of street art with the sensitivity and meticulousness of printmaking.

A tribute to the printmaking of A. Tassos

This is a moving and symbolic composition, inspired by traditional Greek printmaking.

The exclusive use of black and white, the strong lines and the shading directly reference the woodcut technique, paying tribute to the art and artistic style of printmaker A. Tassos, as well as to social messages he advocated.

Bridging past and present

STMTS’ choice to create this composition on canvas rather than on a wall adds a sense of timelessness and a museum quality to the work, without sacrificing its immediacy and street art character.

Tribute to Tassos Alevizos forms a bridge between the old and the contemporary, an expression of respect and continuity within the Greek visual art tradition, seen through the perspective of a modern creator.

His life in a nutshell

STMTS (Stamatis Mitsios) was born in Athens in 1993. He studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts.

From early on in his artistic career, he took part in exhibitions and worked with institutions in Europe and the USA. His works have been exhibited in a range of cultural venues, including:

• Benaki Museum
• Onassis Stegi
• National Hellenic Museum, Chicago

He has also worked with Carpisa, Patakis Publishers, the Athens Concert Hall and the Network for Children’s Rights.

Street art as the next step of his personal painting practice

His main interests are painting, illustration and, since 2012, street art.

STMTS’ street art works are among the most recognisable in Athens. They have also attracted international attention, featuring in global news outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian and Reuters.

Among his works, I Love Life stands out for its wide reach online and the symbolic meaning it has acquired in recent years.

Participation in an exhibition

Tribute to Tassos Alevizos was presented in the exhibition A. Tassos 1914–1985 at the Benaki Museum, Pireos building, organised by the Benaki Museum, the Alpha Bank Art Collection and the A. Tassos Society of Visual Arts. The exhibition ran from 30.11.2015 to 31.01.2016.

The work of art in our publications

Tribute to Tassos Alevizos by STMTS is included in the Alpha Bank publication A. Tassos, 1914-1985, 2015.

Buy the publication  A. Tassos 1914-198 on the Alpha Bank e‑shop (only available in Greek).

Tribute to Tassos Alevizos by STMTS is displayed at HUB26 in Thessaloniki.

You can visit it by appointment. Contact us to book your visit.