Playful Visions – This week’s exhibition recommendations in Athens 22-29.12

Published on: 21/12/2025

Athens’ art scene is currently alive with exhibitions that celebrate experimentation, human experience, and the joy of discovery. Across painting, sculpture, and curated collections, artists and collectors alike explore the creative process, inviting viewers to engage with identity, memory, and cultural heritage. Playfulness and contrast run through these works, balancing moments of reflection with bursts of energy, encouraging a dialogue between the visible and the hidden, the past and the present.
Wishing you a weekend full of play and discovery.
Shani Werner & the ATHENS ART TOURS Team

From left to right: Georgios Prokopiou, Sister Corita, Wilhelm Sasnal. From a show at the Eirini Panagopoulou Collection. Photo: Nikos Alexopoulos

Niki de Saint Phalle — From Shooting to Freedom
Alex Mylona Museum
On view through 24.05.2026
Something exciting is happening in Athens’ art scene lately, with exhibitions by major names such as Henry Moore, Roger Ballen, and Marlene Dumas. Adding to this lineup is a remarkable solo exhibition by Niki de Saint Phalle. ‘From Shooting to Freedom‘ offers a comprehensive look at her career, reminding us that de Saint Phalle was far more than a “giant” of art—she was a groundbreaking artist who created colorful, dynamic works.
From her early shooting performances, the *Tirs*, where she fired or broke materials to produce bursts of color, to her vibrant *Nanas*—sculptures of women full of life and freedom—her practice continually challenges boundaries. The exhibition captures the playful contrasts in her work: darkness and joy, mischief and liberation, all coexisting with a sense of exuberance and experimentation.
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Fernweh, or Nostalgia for Unknown Places
157 Konstantinou Karamanli Avenue, Voula
On view through 27.02.2026
Step into the world of the Eirini Panagopoulou Collection — in this group exhibition, which brings together works from the 16th century to contemporary art, including Salvador Dalí, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas, Francis Alÿs, Chrysa Romanou, and many more. Curated by Katerina Chatzi, *Fernweh* reveals collecting as a deeply personal act—a way to explore the world through artists’ eyes and to engage with questions of history, memory, and human experience.
The exhibition also highlights Panagopoulou’s focus on women in art, reflecting on identity, dilemmas, and ideals that continue to resonate today. Across paintings, folk objects, design pieces, books, and archives, the show creates a dialogue between past and present, personal vision and shared cultural heritage. Deep dive into the mind of a collector.
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The Hidden Image
Zoumboulakis Gallery
On view through 17.01.2026
In ‘The Hidden Image’ eleven artists—both emerging and established—explore the subtle power of painting in a world flooded with images. Curated by Kostas Christopoulos, the exhibition celebrates works where the image is never upfront but quietly present, guiding the eye and shaping the composition.
From rhythmic brushwork to delicate mark-making, each piece uncovers a hidden logic and poetic structure, inviting viewers to slow down and notice the small, almost imperceptible gestures that give these paintings their quiet intensity.
Artists: Yorgos Agrotes, Tasos Dareiotis, Dimitris Efeoglou, Antonis Kapnisis, Evita Pagona, Sophia Papacosta, Harry Schwarz, Myrto Stampoulou, Katerina Stefanidaki, Nikos Topalidis, Despina Flessa
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