The Art Centre, together with the participating photographers, is organising Urban Art Project Athens (UAPA), the artistic venture born in the heart of Athens to capture the city’s urban truth. It has now announced its second edition, bound for Barcelona. The exhibition, ‘The Energy of the Metropolis’, is held under the auspices of the Greek Embassy in Spain and the City of Athens. It will be hosted at Haba Art Lab from 15 to 19 October, bringing Athenian identity to the heart of Catalonia.

The idea behind UAPA

UAPA looks beyond the idealised image of a city to reveal its full range, from the vibrant energy of the centre and its illuminated nights to the raw melancholy of its hidden corners. Rather than focusing on landmarks, it turns to the personality and human textures that define urban life. Its curatorial approach builds bridges between Athenian identity and the local gaze of each host city.

A proven success

UAPA’s journey began in 2017 at the Art Centre in Kallimarmaro, with the visual arts exhibition ‘Urban Art Project: Another Street in the Wall’, which aimed to bring street art into a gallery space. Gradually, the project evolved into a platform for photographic dialogue between Athens and the cities that welcome it.

Following a successful edition at the historic Kypseli Municipal Market, held as part of the This is Athens City Festival, UAPA is now established as an institution that captures the authentic identity of the capital. That exhibition presented the work of 44 selected artists and drew more than 3,500 visitors in person and over 19,000 digital impressions.

Taking the project to Barcelona

For its second edition, UAPA presents Athens and Barcelona through landscapes, faces, events, colours and expressions. The exhibition features 34 artists from Greece and abroad, aiming to create an authentic cultural bridge between the two Mediterranean cities.

Iannis Pantazidis, founder and artistic director of UAPA, said: ‘Urban Art Project Athens (UAPA) is an artistic initiative that emerged from the pulse of Athenian culture. Its aim is to capture urban truth beyond stereotypes, focusing on the raw energy, architecture and human texture of modern metropolises. Starting from Athens, with Barcelona as its first stop, UAPA explores the relationship between Human, Art and City through a photographic dialogue between the two cities, illuminating their similarities and contrasts.’

A multisensory experience, 15 to 19 October

The exhibition will be hosted at Haba Art Lab from 15 to 19 October, introducing Barcelona audiences to UAPA’s urban perspective. The opening will be accompanied by a live DJ set from the Greek DJ ‘LASK ATH’, whose ‘Mediterranean Soundscape’ will bridge the two cities musically. The experience will be enriched by interactive elements, such as a ‘Living Map’ of visitors’ memories.

Among the exhibition’s parallel events, a Short Film Night screening will take place on Saturday 17 October at 7.30pm, in collaboration with the Festival de Cine Chipriota y Griego.

Opening: Thursday 15 October, 7pm. Duration: 15 to 19 October. Opening hours: Friday and Monday, 4pm to 9pm; Saturday and Sunday, 6pm to 9pm. Venue: Haba Art Lab, Carrer de Sant Pere Més Alt 39, Barcelona.