Leonidas Oikonomou

Leonidas Oikonomou (b. 1981, Greece) is an architect, musician, and designer, holding a Master’s degree from the National Technical University of Athens. Throughout his career, he has been blending professional and artistic activities in favor of both. Either as a founding member of My Wet Calvin, a DIY shoegaze indie pop band (since 2004), or as a co-founder and creative director of the multidisciplinary design agency Role-Play (since 2013), he combines organizational skills with creative sensitivities, being capable of bringing unorthodox ideas to life.

Leonidas has been active in the Athens scene through numerous projects, including designs for emblematic cultural hubs such as SIX D.O.G.S (2013) and PLYFA (2023), or through producing and co-curating participatory music events like “Discovering All Great Events” (2009) and “Chamomile–Transit” (2023 ELEVSIS European Capital of Culture). He has successfully coordinated teams of artists, creatives, and technicians while maintaining an overview of the artistic vision. With both setups, he has boasted numerous distinctions and publications with presence in conferences and exhibitions.

In 2023, he co-curated and produced “Mystery 106, Chamomile–Transit”, a concert/guided tour on the upper deck of a tourist bus on its way from Athens to Elefsina. The work featured My Wet Calvin in a full-band formation performing a rendition of their western Athens-inspired single “Chamomile” (2020, Inner-Ear Records), along with a live narration by Alexia Sarantopoulou (Nova Melancholia, Motus) revisiting the Mysteries of Elefsina and the western suburbs of Athens.

Having a long-standing passion for fictional and historical maps, Leonidas situates the experience of the city through its socio-cultural layers and unspoken narratives at the core of his approach.

Leonidas Oikonomou is a participant of the Onassis AiR Extended Research Residencies program for 2024/25.