Bleepsgr
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox artist
| image = The_stars_and_the_starfish.jpg
| caption = "The Stars and the Starfish"
2011
| name = Bleepsgr
| birth_place = Athens, Greece
| nationality = Greek
| field = Street art, artivism, Social commentary
| website = {{URL|http://www.bleeps.gr}}
}}
Bleepsgr (or Bleeps) is the pseudonym used by Vlassios (M.) Kakouris, who is a Greek artist. He creates political street art, paintings and installations;Helena Celdrán (7 July 2011), [http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/1102588/0/bleeps/grecia/arte-callejero/ "Aquiles también sale a protestar a las calles de Grecia"], 20minutos.es. he is associated with the artivism movement.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-germany-relations-idUSTRE79P3LN20111026|title=Greece Germany relations|publisher=The Reuters|last=Ferris-Rotman|first=Amie|access-date=26 October 2011|date=26 October 2011|archive-date=25 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325155453/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/26/us-greece-germany-relations-idUSTRE79P3LN20111026|url-status=live}} Much of his street art is in Athens, but his paintings are also to be found in other parts of Greece, and more widely in Europe.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/arts/in-athens-art-blossoms-amid-debt-crisis.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&sq=greece&st=cse&scp=4|title=In Athens art blossoms amid debt crisis|work=The New York Times|last=Donadio|first=Rachel|access-date=14 October 2011|date=14 October 2011}}
History
Bleeps was born in Peristeri district, which is located in the West Bank of Athens circa 1980 and he grew up in a low - mid class environment. Vlassios Kakouris aka Bleepsgr studied Dentistry in the University of Athens, having succeeded in the entry exams in 1996.
Bleeps started creating street art while he was in Bristol, UK, between 2003 and 2005, where he studied painting in City of Bristol College,{{cite news|url=http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/art-2/street-artist-responding-greeces-social-turmoil/|title=The street artist responding to Greece's social turmoil|publisher=huckmagazine|last=Ross |first=Alex Robert|date= 8 July 2015}} simultaneously becoming familiar with the local underground scene.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20553444|title=Greece bailout: How the crisis fuels the arts in Athens|publisher=BBC News|last=Lowen|first=Mark|access-date=2 December 2012|date=2 December 2012}}
Style and themes
Most of Bleeps' street art projects derive elements from conceptual art, folk art and various past art movements, while the protagonists depicted are associated with Bleeps' interpretation of social life.{{cite web|url=http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/beitrag/video/1507266/Griechenlands-Krise-als-Graffiti-Kunst#/beitrag/video/1507266/Griechenlands-Krise-als-Graffiti-Kunst|title=Griechenlands Krise als Graffiti Kunst|publisher=ZDF|last=Jessen|first=Corinna|access-date=12 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307003726/http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/beitrag/video/1507266/Griechenlands-Krise-als-Graffiti-Kunst#/beitrag/video/1507266/Griechenlands-Krise-als-Graffiti-Kunst|archive-date=7 March 2012|url-status=dead}}
His stated goal is to examine systemic figures such as religion, politics, monetary system and consumerism.{{cite web|url=http://www.ftd.de/lifestyle/outofoffice/:out-of-office-kunst-kommt-von-kummer/60132276.html|title=Kunst kommt von Kummer|publisher=Financial Times Deutschland|last=Bontrup|first=Hiltrud|access-date=22 November 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130211040137/http://www.ftd.de/panorama/vermischtes/outofoffice/:out-of-office-kunst-kommt-von-kummer/60132276.html|archive-date=11 February 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.francetv.fr/defense-d-afficher/en/#/bleeps|title=Défense d'afficher|publisher=France TV (An interactive documentary written by Sidonie Garnier, François Le Gall and Jeanne Thibord)|access-date=19 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401230356/http://www.francetv.fr/defense-d-afficher/en/#/bleeps|archive-date=1 April 2012|url-status=dead}}
Financial crisis
Since the beginning of the Greek financial crisis in 2008, Bleeps has been creating a series of works related to the crisis' impact on ordinary people{{cite news | url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/greece-graffiti-vote-idUKL5E8H790B20120615 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020104111/http://uk.reuters.com/article/greece-graffiti-vote-idUKL5E8H790B20120615 | url-status=dead | archive-date=20 October 2016 | title=Greeks vent election despair through graffiti|publisher=Reuters|last1=Tagaris|first1=Karolina|last2=Osborn|first2=Andrew|access-date=15 June 2012|date=15 June 2012}} and the lower middle class, globally and in his country, in the form of critical discourse.{{cite web|url=http://tvthek.orf.at/programs/1310-Report/episodes/4201287-Report-Spezial|title=Report-Spezial|publisher=ORF TV THEK|last=Hafner|first=Patrick|access-date=18 June 2012}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web | url=https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/publication/8e81440f-1b97-4832-ac69-3a06568bf502 | title= HOPE WANTED |last=Stampoulidis |first=Georgios |access-date= 1 January 2016 |pages=66–73}}{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2011/aug/03/greece-crisis-in-pictures#/?picture=377548531&index=0|title=Greece in Crisis | work=The Guardian|last=Smith|first=Sean|access-date=3 August 2011|location=London|date=3 August 2011}}{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/06/16/155169610/greece-prepares-to-give-elections-another-go|title=Voters To Decide Outcome of Current Greek Drama|publisher=NPR radio|last=Poggioli|first=Sylvia|access-date=17 June 2012}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book |last=Tsilimpounidi Myrto |first=Walsh Aylwyn |date=27 June 2014 |url=http://www.zero-books.net/books/remapping-crisis-guide-athens |title=Remapping 'Crisis': A Guide to Athens |publisher=Zero Books |access-date=23 January 2019 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023458/http://www.zero-books.net/books/remapping-crisis-guide-athens |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite book |last=Vodeb Oliver |first=Janovic Nikola |date=5 February 2014 |url=http://www.memefest.org/en/indebtedtointervene/ |title=InDEBTed to INTERVENE |publisher=Octivium Press, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University & Memefest |access-date=23 January 2019 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092758/http://www.memefest.org/en/indebtedtointervene/ |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite book |last=Yvan Tessier |first=Stéphanie Lemoine |date= 15 October 2015 |url=http://editionsalternatives.com/site.php?type=P&id=1416 |title= Les Murs Revoltes |publisher=Editions Alternatives }}
- {{cite book |last=Ayers David |first=Hjartarson Benedikt, Huttunen Tomi, Veivo Harri |date=December 2015 |url=http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/456770 |title=Utopia The Avant-Garde, Modernism and (Im)possible Life |publisher=Degruyter }}
- {{cite book |last=Maria Boletsi, Janna Houwen |first=Liesbeth Minnaard |editor1-first=Maria |editor1-last=Boletsi |editor2-first=Janna |editor2-last=Houwen |editor3-first=Liesbeth |editor3-last=Minnaard |date=September 2020 |title=Languages of Resistance, Transformation, and Futurity in Mediterranean Crisis-Scapes |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-36415-1?fbclid=IwAR2LbGFpbJWIEJFHfPD_sYDYfrhnLwjA3qoZG5y9RhiqbW_wQObiFDuNXxg#toc |publisher=SpringerLink |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-36415-1 |isbn=978-3-030-36414-4 |s2cid=240756700 }}
- {{cite book |last=Stampoulidis |first=Georgios |date=22 May 2021 |title=Street Artivism on Athenian Walls |publisher= Lund University Sweden |isbn=978-91-89213-49-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SCFszgEACAAJ }}
- {{cite book |last=Tsangaris |first=Michael |date=November 8, 2021 |title=Radical Communications: Rebellious Expressions on Urban Walls |url=https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793608567/Radical-Communications-Rebellious-Expressions-on-Urban-Walls |publisher= Lexington Books |isbn=9781793608567 |pages= 60–62}}
Selected Media Publications
- International Herald Tribune, (The Global Edition of the New York Times), p. 1 (Cover Photo), p. 3 (Interview), 15–16 October 2011.
- Financial Times DEUTSCHLAND, p. 28, 22 November 2011.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.bleeps.gr/}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:21st-century Greek artists
Category:Greek graffiti artists