It was almost strange. She was waiting for me in Athens and it actually took a while before I even noticed her when walking around. It was a slow process. First she appeared only in the background of some of my photos and then she made a full introduction. She was sad. She was beautiful. Her eyes were closed, her head was slightly leaning to the side and sometimes she was dressed in nothing but her curly hair. She seemed to know exactly where I was going in the city and whenever I arrived, she was already there.
After noticing her beauty, she actually began to follow me and I saw her everywhere. Like a siren with her singing, her long sprawling hair was almost hypnotic looking and her endless curls drew me into her ban. Sometimes her hair reminded me of the tentacles of an octopus or the extensive web of a spider, catching the attention of the observer and not letting go again. All of a sudden it was me who was following her, chasing her through the streets and alleys. I was obsessed. I was madly in love with the beautiful curly girl of Athens…
Meet the Street Art Curly Girl
Athens Curly Girl with closed Eyes, leaning Head and hypnotic looking Hair
Sad looking Street Art Curly Girl with a striped Dress and a Teardrop in Athens
The beautiful Curly Girl of Athens in her typical Pose and sprawling Hair
The simple beauty of the Curly Girl was quite compelling, especially because she was all alone in her silent sadness. How did it get to this point and why was this black and white beauty in such a melancholic state of despair?
Beginnings of the Sad Girl
Crying street art Curly Girly with almost straight and short Hair in Athens
Long straight Hair and some curls of the Lonely Sad Girl by Sonke in Athens
Sonke’s street art Curly Girl slowly maturing with longer Hair and Curls
Created by the street artist Sonke after a breakup, the sad-looking Curly Girl with her left tilted head allegedly resembled his former love. Rumor has it that she was drawn crying and with almost straight hair along the ex-girlfriend’s way to work. Eventually her character matured and she grew up, as her hair grew longer. Nowadays the Curly Girl could be found all over Athens, not only alone but even with some company.
The Curly Girl with Company
The Sonke Curly Girl in Company of a naked Boy in Plaka, Athens
Wrinkly and aged looking Street Art Curly Girl with Company in Athens
The Curly Girl and her Street Art Companion on an old Stone Wall in Athens
Twin Curly Girls left and right of an Entrance in the Psiri area of Athens
Although the Curly Girl first appeared to me alone, I later saw her more often than not with some company. Sometimes she was with a boy, sometimes with a girl, but in any event she was mostly naked. But due to her fluid forms she never really looked sexual, she rather seemed pure, simple and innocent.
The Sad Sonke Curly Girl waving her flying red Heart good-bye in Athens
Empty Hearted Street Art Relationship of the Curly Girl in Athens
The Head-less street art Curly Girl of Athens in sad Company
Usually the Curly Girl looked quite content in her sorrow, but at times she appeared headless, empty hearted or waving her glowing red heart good-bye. If that in itself was not sad enough, sometimes she could even be found in really bad company or in a bad condition as well.
Bad Company and Condition
The Curly Girl Princess in the Company of shady Characters in Athens, Greece
Empty hearted Curly Girl by Sonke grabbing for the Liquor Bottle
Busted looking Curly Girl with a broken Heart in Athens, Greece
Sexy street art Curly Girl by Sonke with Silicone Breasts and one open Eye
Crazy looking Curly Girl with open Eyes demanding Love in Athens, Greece
The twisting Curls taking over the Saddest street art Girl of Athens
The street art Curls developing their own evil Existence in Athens
Occasionally she seemed to hang out with shady characters, grab for a liquor bottle and appear either busted or extremely sexual looking. As a result, the Curly Girl not only had a crazy look on her face as she demanded to be loved, but her curls would sometime take over completely and develop their own evil existence.
Appearance of the Curly Girl
Hidden Curly Girl in simple Street Art Lines on a Wall in Athens
No wonder that the Curly Girl was hiding sometimes. Too much had happened and she tried to forget and move on.
Floating Curly Girl by Sonke with Friends on a Facade in Athens
Luckily her friends would stand by her side and they would just float along the face of buildings, almost blending in completely with the shape of the structure.
The Curly Girl Sisters in Athens – original Photo by the Crowded Planet
At times, she and her sisters would cover entire facades, hiding behind their curls and only when one paid close attention they would slowly appear.
Me falling in Love with the Street Art Curly Girl of Athens in Greece
Seeing her was truly something special. She was unique and she was everywhere. She was the Curly Girl of Athens. And I was absolutely in love with her…
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TIP: Chasing the Curly Girl around Athens is great fun and probably the best way to get to know the city. Be seduced by her, follow her trail of curls and she will never let you go again…
Do you like seeing street art, especially when it’s as beautiful as the Curly Girl?
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The paintings look fantastic. I will definately be on the look out for the Curly girl when I visit Athens later this year. Are there any areas or streets in particular that you can recommend?
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Thanks a lot Richard! It’s great to hear that you like the Curly Girl street art as well and it’s even better that you are going to Athens as well. If you simply start exploring from Monastiraki Square and wander through the Psiri, Keramikos and Gazi area, you will see her a lot. But you can practically find her all over Athens and discovering her curly appearance is actually part of the fun…
That’s great. Thanks Dennis.
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Beautiful work. Wonder if the “rumours” are in fact true.
It’s great that you also enjoy the street art of Athens and the Curly Girl. If the rumors are actually true is not quite certain as Sonke never disclosed this secret to me. There usually is some truth in every rumor, but maybe we just have to take it as what it is, beautiful street art with an interesting whisper behind it…
I’m very impressed! As you know Dennis I’m a huge street art fan and I’m always looking to discover new artists and their street art where ever I go. I’ve never heard of Sonke before, which is a real shame considering how talented he is, I love his art. Thanks for this post Dennis, I now have an extra reason to visit Athens 😉
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It seems perfect that you found this post Franca, since I too think that this kind of street art is nothing but excellent! As a lover of all graffiti you definitely have to check out Athens and explore the streets. No other city I have ever seen has so much public art to offer and the Curly Girl is certainly one of the star attractions…
This is so beautifully written Dennis – I was compelled to read every word! I saw a lot of street art in Buenos Aires last year and it really got me interested in it and I would be fascinated to discover and visit Athens one day and to do so by chasing and following the curly girl. Great pics!
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Thank you very much Sikkha! If you are enjoying street art as well, then Athens will be a real feast for you. In literally every street you can discover some graffiti and you simply can’t escape the beautiful designs of the Curly Girl…
Dennis, I saw the curly-haired girl several times, even have a few photos myself, but I didn’t know the story. Love it!
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Thanks a lot Corinne! It’s great that you also saw the Sonke Curly Girl during your time in Athens and it’s even better that you took some photos yourself. She really was an inescapable street art beauty, was’t she?
Very interesting designs I see in your pictures, I visited Athens last summer but I don’t remember of seeing such things there.
I need to go there again this summer to see this cute street with my friends.
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You are right Mary, the Curly Girl really is a great design! If you actually missed the wonderful street art of Athens, than it might as well be worth going back just for that…
OMG LOVE IT… I was so obsessed with her too. She actually even has a name Sonke! Yeah just google it or even search the hashtag on Instagram and you will see. Love the shots you got. I’m a bit jealous, cus I wanted more.
Jaime, it’s so great to see that we both share the passion for Athens’ street art and the Curly Girl! I actually chased her for so many days that I ended up with a lot more photos than the select ones of this post. But still, some of the designs you caught, I hadn’t even seen. So I guess there is plenty more to explore for both of us on the next visit to Athens…
I’ve seen her in the suburbs too. There’s a nice big mural where there are about 4-5 Curly Girl mermaids. I must remember to take a photo next time.
Please do take a photo next time Thalia and let me know where I can see it. I reckoned already that there must be a lot more Curly Girls in Athens than I have seen and those curly mermaids sound really cool…
Whoever the artist is that did this is incredibly talented … awesome photos!
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What a beautiful piece of street art … thanks for sharing it with us!
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Of course David! I am very glad to hear that you like street art as well and especially the lovely curly girl of Athens…
Very creative!
But the sheer number of variations… it’s just crazy!
Love street art. So far, the best places I’ve found were Lisbon, Valencia, Athens, Madrid and Barcelona. I hope they take good care of them to preserve them for later times.
Hey Dennis! I have a question: where is Curly Girl in Psirri? in what street?
I´ll visit Athens next year and I´d like to take a picture.
Your information is very important for me!
Thank you very much!
Hi Carlos, if you start walking from Monastiraki Square and wander into Psiri, you really can’t miss the Curly Girl. She is hiding behind almost every corner and finding her is the main attraction. Enjoy your stroll through Athens and you will not be disappointed…