An exhibition like no other opens at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Αthens (EMST) this week giving animals the voice (and place) they deserve and aiming through poignant art to get the message across: We share this planet with other beings.

The emotionally charged show titled “Why Look at Animals? A Case for the Rights of Non-Human Lives”, features over 200 works by 60 international artists and runs across seven floors of the museum. The rights of animals and the urgency of ecological justice are at the center of this artistic discourse.

The show’s curator, Katerina Gregos, director of EMST, gave journalists an exclusive three-hour tour of “Why Look at Animals” which opened to the public on Thursday evening and promises to leave its mark and get you thinking.

A work by artist Tiziana Pers, Saut dans le vide (still), 2016. Courtesy of the artist / EMST

Inspired by John Berger’s seminal essay “Why Look at Animals?”, Gregos has put more than a decade of research and passion into the show, which she describes as her “most personal” curatorial project to date.

Speaking during the tour, Gregos said the show comes at a “decisive time” when there finally appears to be a shift in the discussion. The exhibition definitely challenges deep-rooted human-centered narratives and invites visitors to reframe their ethical, ecological, and philosophical relationship with the animal world.

Through a mix of art and media, “Why Look at Animals” casts the spotlight on the (sadly) many ways animals have been used, abused, marginalized and removed from the narrative of modern society.

Emma Talbot, still from ‘You Are Not the Center (inside the animal mind), 2025 (Film still). Courtesy the artist and Galerie Onrust, Amsterdam / ΕΜΣΤ

The works on show are haunting, disturbing, and thought-provoking, and at the same time gentle, beautiful, and moving.

The key goals of the show, Gregos explained, is to challenge human-centered views, raise awareness about animal exploitation, and make clear that there can be no climate justice and biodiversity without the protection of animals.

* “Why Look at Animals? A Case for the Rights of Non-Human Lives” is on show at EMST through February 15, 2026. Find details and visiting hours on the official website.