History of Greece’s Colourful Tapestry on Display in Thessaloniki

A colourful exhibition shining a light on the rich history of Greece’s famous tapestry is currently on display at Thessaloniki’s MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art.  

Titled “Weavings anew” the presentation is a new approach to the successful 2019 exhibition “Weavings,” which took place at the Benaki Museum in Athens. Curated by Irini Orati and Constantinos Papachristou, it affirmed the revival of research interest in Greek tapestry and its short, but rich history in recent years.

Insights Greece - History of Greece’s Colourful Tapestry on Display in Thessaloniki
Hydra 1972 by Nikos Nikoloaou

Art historian and curator of the “Weavings Anew” exhibition Areti Leopoulou says, “Every artist and artwork presented in the exhibition – weavings, paintings, engravings, sculptures – aims at pointing out the dynamic of the creative process, which is not isolated from the wider milieu and the people inhabiting it: these works render visible a peculiar continuation and achievement of the goals set by the 1930s generation up until the 1970s.”

“The cordial coexistence -if not identification- of abstraction with the capabilities and limitations of weaving techniques are noticeable; the autonomy, but also the interaction of artistic mediums is revealed; the dialogue between the artist and the artisan facilitated by weaving is revealed; above all, the potential of the artwork to be liberated from the palimpsest stereotype and become part of everyday life as a decorative and practical object is firmly established. As is the notion that these works, both in their artistic and more folkish iterations, are an integral part not only of our folkloric but also of our artistic tradition,” added Leopoulou.

Famous artworks on display include those of George Vakalo, Spyros Vasiliou, Opi Zouni, Niki Kanagini, Michalis Katzourakis, Vaso Katraki, Kostas Koulentianos, Yiannis Moralis, Alex Mylona, Dimitris Mytaras, Nikos Nikolaou, Sotiris Sorogas, Jannis Spyropoulos, Yannis Tsarouchis, Ioannis Faitakis, Nikos Chatzikyriakos-Gikas and Loch Textiles.

Collectors and institutions that lent works for this exhibition include Alpha Bank, Benaki Museum/Ghika Gallery, National Center of Social Solidarity (EKKA), Vorres Museum, The Jannis and Zoe Spyropoulos Foundation, the Yannis Tsarouchis Foundation, the Teloglion Foundation of Arts A.U.Th., Julia Dimakopoulou, Maria Vasiliou, Marianna Katraki, the Kanagini family, Michalis Katzourakis, Alexandros Zounis and MOMus-Museum Alex Mylona.

Weavings anew 

A: Egnatia 154, Thessaloniki

Dates: Until March 27, 2022

Opening hours:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10 am  to 6 pm
Thursday: 12 pm to 8 pm
Monday: Closed

Thessaloniki’s International Contemporary Art & Book Fair Kicks Off

Thessaloniki is celebrating all things arts and culture this weekend with the 5th Art Thessaloniki International Contemporary Art Fair and the 18th Thessaloniki Book Fair both taking place at Thessaloniki’s International Exhibition & Congress Centre from Thursday 25th to Sunday the 28th of November, 2021.  

Regarded as one of the most important art exhibitions in Southeast Europe, the annual Thessaloniki art fair attracts hundreds of artists and thousands of international visitors each year.

This year, due to the pandemic it will be a smaller exhibition, however, 29 galleries from seven countries, close to 20 parallel projects, three museum exhibitions, and almost 800 artists’ works are displayed at the exhibition.

Organised by the National Agency for The Organisation of Exhibitions, Congresses and Cultural Events (HELEXPO S.A.) together with Pantelis Tsatsis, Artistic Director, this year the exhibition is considered a major reflection of Thessaloniki’s rich cultural scene. 

Insights Greece - Thessaloniki’s International Contemporary Art & Book Fair Kicks Off
Thessaloniki’s international art fair

 “This is an art fair that invests in the strategically important geographic location of Thessaloniki, its multicultural identity, its rich and long history. Thessaloniki’s history spans some 2,300 years. Thessaloniki is a popular tourist destination in Greece and renowned for its festivals, events and vibrant cultural life in general,” announced the event organisers.

Award-winning composer Lina Tonia has premiered her new composition for the first time yesterday, while the honoured artist for 2021 will be Professor Yiannis Fokas. An honorary distinction will also be given to artists Dimitris Alithinos and George Lazogas for their work and their contribution to contemporary Greek art.

In addition to the participation of 30 galleries from Greece and abroad and 20 parallel projects, the museum exhibition will be presented with works by internationally renowned artist Victor Vasarely in collaboration with the Museum of Drawing Skopje.

Honouring the 200 Year Anniversary of Greek Independence, the Ethnographic Center of George Meliki will present the original installation, K.P. Kavafi.  A special tribute to the Greek revolution 1821-2021, with the paint and the pen of Philhellene Painters and Travelers, will also be displayed. Dedicated to the 200 years of the Greek revolution (1821-2021), about 50 collectible lithographs from the first lithographic prints of the Philhellene painters Karl Krazeisen, Adam Friedel, Peter Von Hess, and European newspapers during the period 1821-1828 will be on exhibit.

Thessaloniki Book Fair (TBF)

Regarded as an important event for the book industry, this event attracts publishers, authors, translators, literary agents, booksellers, librarians, academics and institutions for books and literature from Greece, the Balkans, Western Europe, the Southeastern Mediterranean and from all over the world.

Insights Greece - Thessaloniki’s International Contemporary Art & Book Fair Kicks Off
Thessaloniki’s book fair

This year, TBF’s central theme is ‘The Ongoing Revolutions of Books’, aiming to combine the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution with all the changes that took place during the pandemic regarding people’s perception of books and literary events.”.

German-language literature will be this year’s Guest of Honour with authors invited from German-speaking countries as well as book professionals.

Additionally, the 18th TBF will focus on the following themes:

New Writers Festival
Children’s and Teenagers’ Corner
New Book Technologies
Who Needs Classical Studies Today? Translation Festival
200 Years From the Greek Revolution
Politics: Freedom and Responsibility
Guest of Honour: German-language Literature

This year, the Hellenic Cultural Foundation will honour Thessaloniki’s writers Matsi Chatzilazarou (1914-1987) and Anestis Evangelou (1937-1994), while a discussion on the literature of Thessaloniki has also been organised.

Opening Hours:

Thursday: 4 pm – 10 pm 

Friday: 2 pm – 9 pm 

Weekend: 11 am – 9 pm 

A: 154 Egnatias Street, Thessaloniki