KLE’s Maria Callas mural wins Street Art Cities Best Of 2025 award: the first Greek winner ever.
The international Street Art Cities community crowned KLE’s monumental Maria Callas mural as the winning artwork, an achievement that marks a milestone for both the artist and the city.
Kalamata has officially entered the global street‑art spotlight. KLE’s monumental Maria Callas mural winning artwork, makes it the first Greek mural ever to claim the top spot.
This historic win marks a milestone not only for the artist but for Greece’s presence in contemporary muralism. The work now stands as one of the most significant public artworks in the country, resonating far beyond its seven‑story façade.
A mural rooted in place, memory, and cultural continuity.
KLE’s Maria Callas mural is not a portrait in the traditional sense. It is a layered narrative about place, identity, and the living nature of culture.
“Maria Callas is not presented here as a commemorative portrait or a historical reference, but as a symbolic presence, a body carrying culture that stands between past and present.”
Surrounding her, nature becomes a language of its own:
fruit, birds, and tree‑like roots evoke continuity, belonging, and the cycles that shape both land and people.
The mural suggests that identity is not static, it grows from the soil, from memory, and from the people who inhabit a place.
KLE sees the work as a subtle act of resistance:
“It is a reminder that culture is not static or locked in the past, but a living organism that constantly renegotiates its position in the modern world.”
This conceptual depth is part of what captivated the Street Art Cities community.
A wave of public support
When the mural entered the Best Of 2025 selection, the response was overwhelming.
“The response was deeply moving and honestly far greater than I had expected. When a work in the public space is embraced in this way, you realise that it no longer belongs to you, but to the people who live with it.”
For KLE, the support is not something to take lightly. He sees it as a sign of what people are longing for:
“People are searching for public spaces with meaning, care, and genuine artistic content.”
The mural’s victory reflects a broader desire for art that enriches everyday life.
“Seeing Greece rally behind this mural has been incredible. The passion, the pride, the sheer volume of people who showed up to vote, it’s a reminder of what Street Art Cities is really about. Our platform only works because people believe in the power of public art, and this Greek engagement showed just how strong that collective voice can be.”: shares Tim one of the co-founders of Street Art Cities
What the win means, for the artist and for Kalamata
For KLE, the recognition is both grounding and motivating:
“It is a moment of gratitude and a calm affirmation of a long journey. Not a finish line, but a motivation to continue working with the same sense of responsibility and attentiveness.”
For Kalamata, the win is a cultural milestone:
“Cities can engage with contemporary culture without losing their identity. When a city invests in culture, it ultimately invests in the way it understands and perceives itself.”
The mural has already become a landmark—one that locals photograph, visitors seek out, and the global street‑art community now celebrates.
The artist behind the landmark
KLE brings a rare combination of artistic depth, academic grounding, and public‑space experience to his work.
“My name is Kleomenis Kostopoulos. I am a visual artist and muralist, and for the past ten years I have been the Artistic Director of Greece’s only International Street Art Festival, ArtWalk.”
His journey spans the Athens School of Fine Arts, postgraduate studies in Stuttgart and Berlin, and art‑history seminars in Tübingen. In recent years, he has also become increasingly involved in cultural policy and the evolving role of art in the public sphere.
Urban art entered his life through ArtWalk in Patras, which he describes as an “open school of public art, dialogue, and collective experience.” That early encounter shaped his philosophy:
“The public space has a kind of honesty you cannot ignore. I try to create works that enter into conversation with the place, its memory, and the people who live around it.”
This ethos is at the heart of the Kalamata mural.
A new chapter for Greek public art
KLE’s Maria Callas mural is more than a competition winner. It is a statement about the power of public art to shape identity, spark dialogue, and connect people to their city.
It stands as a reminder that culture is alive, evolving, and deeply intertwined with the places we inhabit.
And now, thanks to the voices of thousands around the world, it stands as the Best Of 2025.