Contemporary art in Greece

Angelo Plessas – Artist

Today, Athens sits at the centre of an endless play of ideas, where institutional spaces and independent initiatives come together and create a distinct scene. Visitors to Onassis Stegi and the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) can experience exhibitions and events that engage, provoke, and open up new horizons for the wider public. NEON mounts exhibitions in unexpected spaces, in situ exhibitions that shift how audiences view space.

Visitors in search of an alternative experience, should visit P.E.T. projects, Radio Athènes, and Akwa Ibom. In these spaces, art becomes a form of dialogue and experimentation — open workshops where the ordinary rules no longer apply.

Within the art market, galleries have been refreshed and expanded: Sylvia Kouvali, Intermission in Piraeus, and the galleries of Eleni Koroneou, Kalfayan, and Rebecca Camhi are among the established names in the Athenian scene. Newer galleries, like Hot Wheels, Alkinois, and Calliroe, have also emerged, while the Gagosian and Michael Werner galleries further affirm the global stature Athenian art deserves. Some might even say that the traditional art system is stepping aside as a gentle reminder that the cultural landscape should never stand still.

If you think Athens is only worth visiting for its antiquities, think again – yes, the ancient past is undeniably part and parcel of the city, but Athens has developed into a complex workshop of contemporary culture. The vibrancy, unforced chaos and energy of people from all over the world transform every nook and cranny of Athens into a place where the past and the cutting edge in progressive ideas can coexist.

But beyond Athens, Greece’s one-of-a-kind culture is on display no matter where you go, and each region has its own story to tell. In Thessaloniki, for example, Museums and initiatives like the Biennale offer a different perspective on Contemporary Art. On Greece’s islands – Chios, Samos, Hydra, Kythnos – small independent initiatives have transformed traditional spaces into international concept workshops, imbuing the local culture with a fresh perspective.

Put simply, while Athens is certainly a hub for Contemporary Art, in my view Greece displays a constantly developing, truly magnificent cultural experience that is worth exploring, whether by tourists or those of us who call this country home.