The City of Athens opens the summer season with the newly inaugurated group exhibition Stories of Carefreeness, on view from May 29 to September 7, 2025, at the Athens Municipal Gallery. Curated by Kostas Nikakis and Steisi Ventoura, the show is presented by the City’s Organization for Culture, Sports, and Youth (OPANDA) and invites audiences to explore a poetic, multi-faceted meditation on the theme of anemelia — the Greek concept of carefreeness.

Drawing from the Gallery’s permanent collections, the exhibition features a rich assemblage of paintings, prints, sculptures, and rare archival photographs and caricatures. For the first time, select works from the Vlassis Frissiras donation are also unveiled to the public, enriching the visual narrative of the exhibition.

‘The tavern at the sea’ by Lampros Orfanos.

A key component of Stories of Carefreeness is the subtle yet significant participation of emerging artists from the Athens School of Fine Arts, fostering a dialogue across generations — a symbolic and genuine encounter that offers space for exchange and reflection.

By Ioanna Vostantzoglou

Structured across six thematic sections, the exhibition invites visitors to embark on a sensorial journey through various dimensions of carefree existence:

  • “The Age of Innocence” captures the essence of childhood as more than a life stage — as a philosophy of living.
  • “Enjoying Carefreeness” reflects on adulthood’s rediscovery of joy without purpose, beyond obligation and routine.
  • “Echoes of Summer” paints a vivid landscape of sun-drenched afternoons and the quiet promise of water, where stillness becomes a portal to presence.
  • “The Silence of the Moment” touches on existential stillness — an inner peace devoid of haste or control.
  • “In the Calm of the Horizon” sees carefreeness as a stance toward landscape — where freedom transcends depiction and becomes relation.
  • “Traces of Carefreeness” explores the existential and poetic potential of lightness as a response to societal pressure, overproduction, and analysis.

By Despoina Meimaroglou

The exhibition also features an extensive program of parallel events for all ages — from children’s art workshops and storytelling labs to yoga sessions, curator-led tours, printmaking talks, and bookbinding demonstrations. Highlights include:

  • Children’s workshops on select Wednesdays and weekends, with visual artist and museum educator Efi Tsoulouchopoulou.
  • A family yoga session following a guided tour on June 14.
  • Art workshops for teens inspired by Paul Klee and Stelios Votsis.
  • Public discussions with printmakers and illustrators, offering insights into their techniques and contributions to the exhibition.

All activities are free of charge, though advance registration is required.

By Maria Giannakaki

The exhibition opened on Thursday, May 29 at 19:00, at Building B of the Athens Municipal Gallery, located at Leonidou & Myllerou, Avdi Square, Metaxourgeio. Admission is free, and visiting hours are Tuesday–Saturday 11:00–19:00 and Sunday 10:00–16:00 (closed Mondays).

For more information, please go here.