Monumental Graffiti: Tracing Public Art and Resistance in the City – Book Launch

On Friday November 29, 8pm, Hyper Hypo and the MIT Press invite you to the Athens book launch of Monumental Graffiti: Tracing Public Art and Resistance in the City by renowned curator and anthropologist Rafael Schacter.

The launch will be accompanied by a talk and discussion which will delve into graffiti’s role as a powerful form of expression, a challenge to public power structures, and a reimagination of graffiti as a contemporary monument in urban spaces.

Featured speakers Konstantinos Avramidis, Maria Chatzidakis, and Constantinos Diamantis, will offer insights into the Greek context and discuss the broader implications of graffiti on public art and urban resistance. The evening will conclude with a response by the author, Rafael Schacter, engaging with the presentations and expanding on the book’s themes of monumentality, voice, and visibility in public space. The event is coordinated by anthropologist Konstantinos Kalantzis.

The presentation will be held in English.

Accompanying the launch there will be a curated selection of video works from artists Alexander Bavard, Brad Downey, Christian Falsnaes, FATZOO, Matthias Wermke, and the collaborative duo Wermke/Leinkauf.

Monumental Graffiti challenges us to rethink the very nature of graffiti—not merely as vandalism, ornament, or art, but as a monument in itself. Schacter’s work invites readers to see graffiti through a new lens, redefining it as a form of public art that actively contests whose voices are included and whose are excluded in public spaces. The richly illustrated study offers a timely perspective on urban citizenship, public art, and contemporary resistance.

Rafael Schacter is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at University College London and head of the Material, Visual, and Digital Culture subsection. He is the author of Monumental Graffiti, Street to Studio, Ornament and Order, and the award-winning The World Atlas of Street Art and Graffiti. Schacter has curated exhibitions at London’s Tate Modern, Somerset House, and many other galleries. For more information, visit: www.rafaelschacter.com.