At IAMART Gallery, the artistic duo 40roomors presents “Weaving the Urban Space”, an exhibition that reimagines Thessaloniki through an unexpected dialogue between photography and contemporary weaving. Running from September 26 to October 5, the show invites viewers on a visual and tactile journey across the city, where overlooked signs, forgotten shopfronts, and neighborhood landmarks are transformed into layered works of art.
Where Photography Meets Tufting
Working with photographer Nikosontherun, the duo reconstructs fragments of the urban landscape, threading them into woven surfaces that merge the immediacy of the image with the warmth of textile. The technique they use is tufting, a modern form of weaving that has gained cult popularity in design and DIY circles.
“Tufting felt natural to us,” the artists explain. “It was a way to connect with a medium that animates the imprint of the city and ties our inspiration to tradition. The warmth it adds, and the depth it creates in textures, allows us to bring our inspiration to life.”
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Mapping Thessaloniki Through Everyday Landmarks
Dominikis and Giannis—known artistically as 40roomors—selected sites across Thessaloniki that often escape notice. Old shop signs, fading facades, and small neighborhood landmarks become central to their work. “Although someone might pass by without noticing them, we highlight them as everyday landmarks of the city that trace the human element—a presence that tends to fade from Thessaloniki’s timeline,” they told TO BHMA International edition.
These are not just random corners of the city. “They’re places where we grew up and lived every day, but also key spots in the city center,” the duo explains. “The snapshots we chose are a small taste of the images from our neighborhoods. From small shops to the Radiocity Theater, there’s a beauty here made up of many layers—both the raw aesthetics of daily life and the way we perceive time in the urban landscape.”
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Reclaiming the Urban Fabric
With their woven interventions, the artists deliberately push against the dominance of gray, often seen as the color of the everyday. Their works insert color, texture, and warmth into the photographic image, transforming the familiar into something tactile and alive.
Through this fusion of photography and weaving, Thessaloniki’s urban scenes become more than frozen memories—they are reactivated as spaces of encounter, memory, and reinvention. As the duo puts it, “Our city doesn’t stay still. It remembers, it changes, and it works like a fluid body. With tufting, we want to reclaim space in a way that asks people to see themselves as part of that living, collective memory.”
About the Artists
40roomors is a Thessaloniki-based duo active in contemporary textile art. Self-taught in tufting and trained in tapestry under Lia Eleftheriadou, they balance material, texture, and space with strong references to architecture and graffiti. Beyond exhibitions, they develop educational programs and workshops, using weaving as a medium for storytelling, expression, and collective creation.
Curator: Anna Margaritidou
Text: Marianna Mitsioti Ganidou
Photography: Nikosontherun
IAMART Gallery – 10 Noti Botsari St., Athens
September 26 – October 5, 2025 (closed Mondays)
Opening hours: 17:00 – 21:00
