A towering street mural of Maria Callas in Kalamata, Greece has been named the world’s best for 2025 by the international platform Street Art Cities.
Created by Greek visual artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos (KLE), the large-scale work represents a major milestone for Greek urban art and has quickly become one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
Maria Callas mural in Kalamata, Greece gains global recognition
The mural spans the entire height of a residential building on Aristomenous Street, transforming an ordinary facade into a striking visual story. By combining portraiture with elements of nature, the piece blends color, movement, and narrative on an impressive urban scale. Originally commissioned locally, the project has since gained global attention through public voting and international exposure.
Following the announcement, Kostopoulos called the recognition a collective achievement, crediting supporters and voters who helped bring the mural to worldwide attention. He stressed that public art reaches its true value when people interact with it, talk about it, and make it a part of their everyday surroundings.
Street Art Cities puts Greece into spotlight
Street Art Cities, which organized the global vote, is an international registry and discovery network for street art. The platform catalogs over 83,000 murals across 1,918 cities, helping audiences find and explore works while giving artists worldwide greater exposure.
The Kalamata mural depicts a female figure inspired by Callas, surrounded by branches, birds, and fruit—visual motifs representing renewal, balance, and the connection between people and place. The symbolism resonates deeply with the wider Messinia region, where landscape and cultural identity remain closely intertwined.
Kalamata strengthens public art identity with Maria Callas mural
The project was commissioned by the Municipality of Kalamata as part of a broader initiative to enrich the city center with large-scale contemporary art. Since its completion, the mural has drawn steady attention from both residents and visitors and is widely shared across travel and art communities.
With this award, Kalamata cements its place on the global street art map, while Greece gains new recognition for contemporary public art beyond traditional gallery spaces.
