The Cultural Olympiad has done well to include Chromopolis - a festival of graffiti art - in its programme of events. Greece may usually be synonymous with ancient glory yet its modern inhabitants are active and creative exponents of global culture. And weaving the ancient and modern together is precisely the challenge of the 'Olympiad of civilizations'.

Graffiti, with its plethora of influences, is an exemplary way of bridging gaps between cultures and people, the very goal of the Olympic Games since antiquity. Chromopolis brought together 16 graffiti artists from Greece, Australia, Japan, China, Germany, Brazil and South Africa in a massive celebration of colour as the artists travelled in two teams to completely convert public walls in 10 cities around Greece.

The graffiti marathon kicked off in Thessaloniki in June and ended in Rodhos (Rhodes) on July 21. Greeks Livetwo, Jaysone, Bizare, Woozy, Impe and Reb joined the Brazilian Os Gemeos, the Japanese Phil, South Africans Falko and Mak1, Chinese Codeak, German Besok and Australians Stormie and Shime to create massive murals in Volos, Kalamata, Chania, Patra, Alexandroupoli, Ioannina and Mytilini.

Moreover, locals and passers-by, swept up in graffiti mania, were provided with free spray cans thus becoming active cultural actors and producers of art. Also held were classes in graffiti art, as the Cultural Olympiad wants to teach young people the right way to use this technique as well as to combine classical techniques with graffiti style. On location, DJs set the mood, while BMX cyclists, breakdancers and jugglers did their thing.

This unique event brought together two different and hitherto conflicting worlds: on the one hand the Cultural Olympiad committee seeking the ever-lasting message of "peace and unity of nations". On the other, the ephemeral nature of youth art, aptly summed up by Reb: "We aren't searching for something eternal but rather, something authentic - the expression of the moment."

A lasting seal
Once a sign of rebellion, this "intensely communicative art form", as culture minister Evangelos Venizelos puts it, now serves as a symbol of cultural unity, since the graffiti murals will stay long after the event was over. "It is not often," elaborates Venizelos, "that art forms, sprouting in the margins, in the so-called alternative cultural milieu, find their way into the established art world and create a niche for themselves."

Indeed the artists themselves were very enthusiastic about their participation. Says Stormie, "I think that the concept of Chromopolis was very exciting; the scale of the surfaces painted and the quality of the artists I was given the opportunity to work with was fantastic. I've never been to Greece before and what better reason to visit." Greek artist or graffiti writer Bizare was also happy to finally have permission to paint the large surfaces made available to artists.

Graffiti first appeared in Greece in the mid-Eighties on public transport vehicles as the hip-hop scene slowly attracted fans. Participating artist Rebs first experience came via a documentary on New York which inspired him to sketch at first and then try out his designs with cans on walls. He told an interesting little anecdote to Greek daily Eleftherotypia : "The strangest thing that has happened to me while spraying was when an elderly lady came out on her balcony and instead of getting angry she said, 'kids, do Alexander the Great'."