Only natural. Recommended exhibitions in Athens, 22-28 September

Published on: 24/09/2025

This weekend, three exhibitions open that dive into the intricate relationship between human culture and the natural world. “Surrounding” isn’t quite the right word—human culture grew out of nature, depends on it, and draws from it not just for survival, but also to create the myths and metaphors that shape our existence.

A timely reminder of just how connected we are to the natural world, and why protecting it is essential for it to continue sustaining us.

Wishing you a wonderful week,
filled with powerful, inspiring art.
Shani Werner & the ATHENS ART TOURS Team

Jenny Marketou: Folly for Songs for Funk Kinships, Trails in the Garden
12.9.25–5.2026, Megaron Garden – Athens Concert Hall, Vasilissis Sophias Ave., Athens
If you’re wandering around central Athens, we recommend visiting the Megaron – Athens Concert Hall, best known for its outstanding music and dance performances. It seems only natural that, at some point, the venue would expand its activities, and given its proximity to one of the most beautiful gardens in Athens, it has begun to engage with the garden space as well.
The AnnexM exhibition series is Megaron’s visual arts arm, with a vision to connect visual arts, architecture, sound, dance, and music. Starting this week and for the next mont, the gardens will host a new installation by the artist Jenny Marketou. This is a striking, site-specific installation that responds to the local environment – seemingly gathered from it and created with it. Marketou uses natural materials such as wood, soil, and local plants to create a meditative space that invites visitors to observe and actively participate in the living landscape.
One could describe it as a kind of half-open cocoon or a prayer wall, where viewers can stay within its shelter, speak to it, listen, and momentarily escape the bustle of the city.
More info here

Vasilis Markosian: Death Keeps Fantasy Away
12.9.25–present, George Benias Gallery, Polytechneiou 10, Athens, Greece
Suddenly, in the middle of last year, the Aloush Benias Gallery closed, leaving the Athens art scene in uncertainty. One moment, some of the city’s best exhibitions were on display there; the next, the doors were shut, and it all seemed to vanish.
Now, perfectly timed with the start of the art season and the Art Athina fair, a press release announced a new exhibition in a new gallery bearing the name of just one of the original partners—George Benias. Without going into unclear details or gossip, we are, of course, thrilled about the gallery’s return, in a renewed format and a fresh space in one of Athens’ hottest art districts, which seems to be replacing Kolonaki as the city’s cultural and prestigious hub.
The new gallery opens with an exhibition by an unconventional artist—self-taught, with a modest résumé. Vasilis Markosian’s works focus on urban solitude, modern illusions, and the alienation of contemporary life. There is something simultaneously captivating and quietly melancholic about his art: the monochromatic palette, the bizarre compositions, the interplay between humans and nature, and the bold placement within the space.
More info here

Aristeidis Lappas: Forever Fish
17.9.25–2.11.25, The Breeder, Polytechneiou 32, Athens, Greece
It seems that Aristeidis Lappas has everything that feels right for the current moment in the art world – a unique technique, a blend of art and craft, mesmerizing aesthetics, and a sharp critical voice. This young artist (b. 1993!) has already exhibited at some of Europe’s most important art events and is represented by the outstanding The Breeder gallery.
Now, in Athens, he presents his solo exhibition previously shown in Germany, titled Forever Fish. The installation transforms the gallery space into an almost underwater world: sea creatures, fluid human figures, waves, and plants in a bright, non-local, almost playful palette. The main works in the exhibition are large-scale embroidered pieces, which at first glance resemble soft, inviting cushions reminiscent of childhood.
However, that initial innocence quickly fades. The exhibition’s title is a wordplay on “forever chemicals” – man-made PFAS substances that are extremely persistent, do not break down in nature, and accumulate in water, soil, and living organisms, posing potential health risks. Lappas invites us to reflect critically on our relationship with nature and humanity’s footprint. Is he creating a natural ocean, or an artificial aquarium? You decide.
More info here