Knowledge speaks – Wisdom listens — WD (Wild Drawing), Athens
WD (Wild Drawing) · Konstantinou Palaiologou & Samou, Metaxourgeio · Athens, Greece
Photo from Street Art Utopia’s archive; photographer and capture date are unrecorded. Artwork: WD (Wild Drawing). Full photograph shown; resized for display.
An owl’s face wraps around an old one-storey corner house, its beak landing exactly on the corner and its orange eyes watching both streets. WD painted it in Metaxourgeio in 2016 for the Petit Paris Athens festival and borrowed the title from a Jimi Hendrix line. This Is Athens · AthensLive · LiFO Checked
5 things to know
- A Hendrix line as a titleThis Is Athens and LiFO both say the title comes from Jimi Hendrix. LiFO gives the line as “Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens”. This Is Athens · LiFO Checked
- Painted for Petit ParisAthensLive’s interview and LiFO both place the work in the Petit Paris Athens festival. AthensLive · LiFO Checked LiFO names the organisers as the Athens Art Network, the City of Athens culture, sport and youth organisation and the Attica Region, with support from the French Embassy. LiFO Reported
- An owl for Athena’s cityIn a Facebook post quoted by LiFO, WD wrote that the owl symbolises wisdom and is the symbol of Athena, who gave Athens its name, and that in a dark period it was time to recall the creature’s wisdom. LiFO Reported
- Viral within weeksOn 25 October 2016, LiFO reported that the owl was circulating online and had been the most popular thread on Reddit the day before. LiFO describes the wall as part of an abandoned house. LiFO Reported
- Tagged “viral”, then rescuedOn 9 February 2017, LiFO reported that someone had sprayed the word “viral” over the owl in pink. Conservation students from TEI Athens and the Staco street art conservators planned to clean and restore it that weekend. LiFO’s October 2017 street art map says Staco took on the restoration. LiFO, Feb 2017 · LiFO, Oct 2017 Reported
Check-in guide
- 📍
- Corner of Konstantinou Palaiologou and Samou streets, Metaxourgeio, Athens 104 38. This Is Athens · LiFO Checked
- 🕰️
- The newest dated report we found is from October 2017. This Is Athens still lists the owl, but its page carries no date, so the wall’s present condition is not established. LiFO, Oct 2017 Unconfirmed
Sightings
- 201625 Oct
LiFO: going viral
- 201614 Nov
AthensLive interview
- 20179 Feb
Pink “viral” tag reported
- 201710 Oct
LiFO map: Staco restoration
All four stamps are publication dates; we found no photograph of the owl with a camera date. The February 2017 tag damaged the work but did not remove it. The status stamp records the newest dated report we found.
On the record
An abandoned house goes viral
“Ένα εντυπωσιακό και περίτεχνο γκράφιτι που κοσμεί τον τοίχο ενός εγκαταλελειμμένου σπιτιού”
“An impressive and elaborate graffiti that adorns the wall of an abandoned house”, LiFO’s opening line on the owl.
Why an owl
“η κουκουβάγια συμβολίζει την σοφία και την ίδια στιγμή είναι το σύμβολο της θεάς Αθηνάς, αυτής που έδωσε το όνομα της στην πόλη της Αθήνας”
“The owl symbolises wisdom and at the same time is the symbol of the goddess Athena, who gave her name to the city of Athens.” From the artist’s Facebook post.
Vandalised in pink
“με ένα ροζ σπρέι έγραψε πάνω από την κουκουβάγια τη λέξη «viral»”
“with a pink spray can wrote the word ‘viral’ over the owl”
A city landmark
“His haunting owl is one of the city’s artistic landmarks.”
From the city guide’s street art round-up, which places the work at Palaiologou and Samou.
The facts
- Work
- Knowledge speaks – Wisdom listens, an owl mural on a corner house. This Is Athens · AthensLive · LiFO Checked
- Artist
- WD, also known as Wild Drawing. This Is Athens · LiFO · AthensLive Checked
- Location
- Corner of Konstantinou Palaiologou and Samou streets, Metaxourgeio, Athens. This Is Athens · LiFO Checked
- Date
- 2016; reported as new in October 2016. AthensLive · LiFO Checked
- Festival
- Petit Paris Athens (Το μικρό Παρίσι των Αθηνών). AthensLive · LiFO Checked
- Building
- An abandoned single-family house, according to LiFO. LiFO · LiFO, Feb 2017 Reported
- Restoration
- TEI Athens conservation students and Staco planned to clean and restore it in February 2017; LiFO’s October 2017 map says Staco took on the restoration. LiFO, Feb 2017 · LiFO, Oct 2017 Reported
- Status
- Seen Oct 2017: the newest dated report we found. No later dated photograph or report located. LiFO Reported
- Archive photograph
- Street Art Utopia media item uploaded 3 May 2022, reused unchanged. No photographer or capture date appears in its attachment fields. Source post Unconfirmed
Related
- Odd Art and Architecture (12 Photos): the SAU collection that includes this owl.
- Beautiful 3D Art by WD! (8 Photos): more of WD’s illusions.
- Owl (Pink Wisdom) by Tech Moon, Bristol: another wisdom owl, with its own Artwork File.
All sources (5)
City guide and interview
- This Is Athens: Athens street art, Athens visitor guide, undated. Title, artist, Hendrix origin of the title and the corner of Palaiologou and Samou; photo credited to Thomas Gravanis.
- AthensLive: It’s time to recall the owl’s wisdom, 14 November 2016. Interview with WD; caption dates the work to Athens 2016 and links it to the Petit Paris Athens Festival.
LiFO (one outlet, counted once)
- LiFO: Ένα εντυπωσιακό γκραφίτι στο Μεταξουργείο προκαλεί θαυμασμό σε όλο τον κόσμο, LifO Newsroom, 25 October 2016. Location, Hendrix quote, festival organisers and WD’s Facebook statement.
- LiFO: Βανδάλισαν ένα απ’ τα διασημότερα και ομορφότερα έργα της αθηναϊκής street art, Thanasis Charamis, 9 February 2017. The pink “viral” tag and the planned restoration.
- LiFO: Πατήστε τα σημεία του χάρτη…, 10 October 2017. Street art map entry giving Samou & K. Palaiologou and noting Staco’s restoration.
Artwork File · Last checked 14 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files