MONTH IN REVIEW: July 2026
A roundup of this past month’s art and design news about the makers and creators from Greece and Cyprus
By: Sophia
The Inaugural Nóema Prize Exhibition Opened in Athens
Nóema, the interdisciplinary platform connecting artisans, designers, artists, architects, and researchers, unveiled its inaugural Craft Prize. After receiving hundreds of submissions from across Greece, the international jury selected 15 finalists, whose works were featured in an exhibition now on view at the former Public Tobacco Factory in Athens.
The exhibition explores themes of identity, ecology, experimentation, and social change, all through the lens of a new generation of Greek makers. The artists reworked traditional techniques to reflect on contemporary questions, sustainability, and cultural change. Familiar materials such as marble, textiles, and embroidery are countered with more obscure elements including orange peel powder, coffee residue, fishing nets, and tea bags, ultimately creating a dialogue between the past, present, and future of Greek craft.
Emerging from the distinguished selection of artists is Craft Prize winner Kostas Lambridis for his piece It’s Not Enough. This large-scale work challenges material conventions and fabrication hierarchies, leaving viewers with a sculpture that feels both familiar and strange. Two SpecialMmentions recognize Dimitra Kostantinidi for her work “Mother’s Hug, 5+1 stories spoken through the Caryatids”, and Shekine Naidi, for her work “Meteorite.”
Cyprus’ Only Documentary Festival Announced its Lineup
The Lemesos International Documentary Festival at Ceronia Hall in Cyprus released the lineup for this year’s screenings. The films span a wide range of themes and topics: refugee experiences and war, queerness and identity, artistic processes, modern cultural issues, and tragedy and humor.
Some highlights include a Sundance-recognized (2026) documentary entitled “One in a Million,” which follows a Syrian woman’s journey of displacement and travels through Turkey and Germany; “Bull’s Heart”, a deep dive into Dimitris Papaioannou’s choreography and performance of “Transverse Orientation,” which was filmed over the course of two years; a piece by Cypriot filmmaker Stephanos Stephanides that profiles Mariamman, the Hindu goddess of rain, health and fertility, and explores migration, displacement, labor, ritual and transoceanic memory; and “The Flycatcher,” a story that recounts the campaign to completely eradicate malaria from Cyprus— the first country to do so.
The film festival runs from August 1-8, 2026.
Athens-Based Artist Theo Triantafyllidis Won Frieze London Award
Athens-based artist Theo Triantafyllidis received this year’s Frieze London Artist Award, a recognition that provides an emerging or mid-career artist the opportunity to develop and debut a major site-specific artwork at the fair. This year’s theme invited creatives to ponder technologies, including AI, as a tool and collaborator in their practice and final artwork.
Originally trained as an architect, Triantafyllidis is known for his multidisciplinary pieces combining performance installations with the latest VR technology. At the fair this October, his winning project, “Feral Metaverse,” will welcome visitors— it is a massive spider sculpture that functions as a multiplayer gamified sculpture that attendees are invited to climb ontop of and play with. While spiders may be scary creatures to some, it is a multifaceted, symbolic being to Triantafyllidis. At first glance, the sculpture can feel threatening, but once visitors start to interact with it, the fear trickles away as its softness and climbable nature invite engagement and play.
‘It’s a great honour to be given this kind of opportunity at such a key moment in my practice,’ said Triantafyllidis. ‘I get to assemble my team in Athens and push both the game and the sculptural form further than ever before, with a group of people who really believe in the project and the vision. It feels like a supported leap of faith, and a real next step for the work.’
New Athens Airport Unveiled New Expansion Design
This month brought new updates in the plans for the Athens airport expansion project. Designed by Grimshaw, Haptic and K-Studio, the new vision blends ancient Greek architecture with art deco and modernist influences, which brings a fresh yet familiar feel to the building. The expansion project launched in 2024 in response to the rising demands of increased air traffic and holiday visitors. The Athens International Airport is set to grow from 26 to 40 million annual passengers by 2033.
The team recently revealed two elements to the scheme including the north and south oculus. The north oculus acts as the primary space featuring a tiered 24.5 metre (≈ 80 ft) garden, inspired by the iconic landscapes of the Mediterranean. Sustainability sits at the center of the plans with the goal of achieving LEED Gold Standard and net-zero operational emissions. The new developments show a transformed future for travel with both improved operations for the influx of visitors and an impressive first cultural connection to the city of Athens.
Bavarian Bakery Founded by Designer Verner Panton’s Grandchildren Opened its Doors in Athens
A new Bavarian bakery — Varia — had its grand opening in Athens’ Kolonaki district. Founded by Cedric and Christopher von Halem, the grandchildren of Danish furniture designer Verner Panton, the cafe bring Germany’s signature bread culture to Athens.
Designer Stratis Doukas crafted interiors inspired by Panton’s repertoire— the artist’s colorful, bold aesthetic welcomes guests along with the scent of 80-hour fermented, freshly baked bread. The Bavaria region of Germany is known for its rustic baking, centering rye flour, sourdough fermentation, and aromatic spices. The long fermentation process allows for rich, complex flavors, a hearty crust, and increased digestibility.
Biennale of Contemporary Keramics Was Hosted in Rhodes
The Biennale of Contemporary Keramics (BCK) hosts its second edition in Rhodes this year titled “Where the Day Starts.” Positioning ceramics as a multi-faceted medium of artistic expression and craft, the program aims to use the practice to connect past and present and foreground the Mediterranean as a cross-cultural nexus. This year’s exhibition gathered 42 artists from 18 different countries, and each artwork is located in various venues along the eastern edge of Rhodes.
BCK founder and artistic director Loukia Thomopoulou curated the biennale along with independent talents Stamatia Dimitrakopoulos and Anissa Touati. The team created a program of newly commissioned works that respond directly to the cultural fabrics of the island itself, resulting in a celebration of materiality and diversity. As Touati explained, “it is about making visible these deep continuities: how techniques, forms and imaginaries have crossed shores for centuries and still resonate today.”
The Biennale will be open until October 31, 2026.
