Athens, January 22, 2026 – The vibrant contemporary Greek art scene takes center stage today as three distinct exhibitions open across the city. These shows offer a compelling snapshot of the breadth and vitality of artistic expression, ranging from painterly meditations on homeland landscapes to tributes to iconic Athenian kiosks and a visceral exploration of abstraction.
Miltos Golemas’ ‘Plateau’ at Zoumboulakis Galleries
Zoumboulakis Galleries mark two decades of collaboration with Miltos Golemas with the opening of ‘Plateau’, a new solo exhibition. Running from January 22 to February 22, 2026, the show features large-scale oil paintings inspired by the artist’s homeland. These landscapes transcend mere description, functioning as deeply personal statements.
Art historian and curator Christoforos Marinos describes ‘Plateau’ as “a self-portrait; the portrait of a restless, talented, and mature artist,” noting Golemas’s own sentiment that this body of work is the first in which “the work is me.” The paintings, charged with passion and inner tension, unfold like musical compositions, yet are marked by balance and hidden harmony. Marinos suggests they are “landscapes to sit and meditate before,” inviting long contemplation.
Poet and translator Krystalli Glyniadakis echoes this sense of intimacy, likening Golemas’ paintings to places of refuge-an “eternal and multi-coloured childhood” where even storms feel familiar. She notes their fluid brushwork and focus on sensation over depiction, comparing them to Monet’s water lilies rather than expressions of trauma.
Andreas Finch’s ‘On the Wings of the Winds: Athenian Kiosks’ at Athens Municipal Arts Center
Artist Andreas Finch, known as Finch of Athens, presents ‘On the Wings of the Winds: Athenian Kiosks’ in collaboration with Art Place – Kyriakos Petalidis Gallery. Hosted at the Athens Municipal Arts Center and supported by the City of Athens’ cultural organizations, this exhibition runs from January 22 to February 22, 2026. Admission is free.
The show traces the social, architectural, and folkloric history of Athens’ kiosks through 20 three-dimensional works of varying scale, each based on archival photographic material. The result of extensive long-term research, the exhibition charts the evolution of the city’s kiosks from the early 20th century to the present day.
Finch’s sculptural reconstructions map a parallel history of everyday Athenian life, featuring iconic structures such as the polygonal kiosks of Syntagma Square, the first “Minion” at Chavteia, the “Muses” of Omonia Square, the famous “Koutalas” kiosk in Glyfada, and even the kiosk that collapsed on Panepistimiou Street during metro works in 1997.
The exhibition concept will be presented during the opening by writer Thanasis Kappos, journalist Elena Dakoula, curator Kyriakos Petalidis, and the artist himself.
Chiara Souganidou’s ‘Vis Motrix’ at Contemporary Athens
At Contemporary Athens, Chiara Souganidou presents ‘Vis Motrix’-Latin for “driving force”-a solo exhibition opening tonight at 7 p.m., with a celebratory party scheduled for Saturday, January 24. The exhibition will run until February 7, 2026.
Souganidou’s exhibition features medium- and large-scale abstract works created through an open, process-driven approach. Industrial liquid paints, acrylic pastes, papers of varying textures, and canvases form a visual field where material leads the way, rather than serving a predetermined image. Painting, in this context, emerges as an inner impulse, a force generated through gesture itself.
Critic Giorgos Mylonas observes that Souganidou’s painting “moves from the inside outward,” guided not by intention but by the flow and resistance of materials. Her work aligns with a rare lineage of artists who treat painting as both an intellectual act and a physical practice. Eschewing spectacle, she allows each piece to resolve itself through process, humility, and time.
Despite its deeply personal language, ‘Vis Motrix’ communicates with striking clarity. It is a practice that carries the essence of the act of painting-recognizable and resonant wherever it is encountered.
These three exhibitions collectively highlight the diverse and dynamic nature of Athens’ contemporary art scene, offering residents and visitors alike a rich cultural experience.
Source: https://www.tovima.com/culture/landscapes-kiosks-and-inner-forces-three-exhibitions-opening-in-athens-today/
