(PART 3) Arty Summer Holidays on the Greek Islands: Hydra, Rhodes, Lesvos, Rethymno, Chania

8/18/2026

Summer in Greece is synonymous with sunshine, the sea, and a vibrant cultural scene. This season, island escapes and visits to historic destinations offer more than breathtaking landscapes: they also provide the opportunity to discover some of the year’s most exciting art exhibitions. From landmark retrospectives of acclaimed artists to innovative group shows in remarkable heritage sites, here is a small selection of exhibitions not to miss during your summer travels through the Greek islands. Take a deep breath—and dream!

HYDRA

This year, the Slaughterhouse Project on Hydra by DESTE FOUNDATION feature "Until That Day", an exhibition by Nari Ward (b. 1963, St. Andrew, Jamaica; lives and works in New York), who is renowned for his sculptural installations composed of discarded material found and collected in his neighborhood (until October 31, 2026). By re-contextualizing these found objects, Ward creates thought-provoking juxtapositions that address social and political issues surrounding race, poverty, and consumer culture.

Visual artist Dimitris Antonitsis has organized the group exhibition "Hydor/Onar (Water of Dreams)" at Hydra School Projects (until September 6, 2026). The exhibition is the second chapter of a trilogy exploring the work of artists whose practices revolve around themes such as water, transformation, memory, and dreamlike states. Set against Hydra’s luminous landscape, it examines the ways in which artistic creation emerges through intuition and instinct rather than certainty. At the heart of this ongoing trilogy is an artistic dialogue between two iconic figures whose lives and work were profoundly shaped by Hydra: Brice Marden and Jannis Kounellis.

Two elements of nature, two opposing worlds, come together to shape the universe of the exhibition "Of Ether and Sea", featuring works by sculptor Venia Dimitrakopoulou, at the Hydra Historical Archive–Museum (until September 14, 2026). Hybrid forms—fragments of creatures that seem to belong simultaneously to the sea and the sky—emerge from the surface of marble in the new works of the acclaimed sculptor.

(Upper photo Hydra: https://www.discovergreece.com/attica/hydra)
(Middle photo left: Installation view, photo by Pinelopi Gerasimou for DESTE).
(Middle photo right: Styliane Philippou’s marble sculpture, photo by Pinelopi Gerasimou for Hydra School Projects)
(Lower photo: Venia Dimitrakopoulou, «Anadyomene»)

RHODES

This summer, the second edition of the Biennale of Contemporary Keramics (BCK) takes place in the Medieval City of Rhodes (until October 31, 2026). Titled "Where the Day Starts", the biennial transforms the island into an international meeting point for contemporary ceramic art. Spread across five landmark historic venues within the Medieval City, this year’s edition brings together 42 artists from 18 countries, presenting a rich spectrum of contemporary practices and artistic approaches. Through its central exhibition and an extensive programme of events, BCK 2026 highlights contemporary ceramics as a dynamic and evolving medium of artistic expression, while also positioning it as a vital vehicle for intercultural dialogue across the Mediterranean.

(Upper photo: Lindos, Rhodes: https://www.discovergreece.com/dodecanese/rhodes)
(Lower photo: Asunción Molinos Gordo, ¡Cuánto río allá arriba!)

LESVOS

K-Gold Temporary Gallery on Lesvos presents the group exhibition "Spectral", curated by Nikolaos Vamvouklis, and bringing together new and historical works by artists from different disciplines and placing the visual arts in dialogue with photography, dance, and fashion (until September 6, 2026). The exhibition explores how presence and absence can coexist within the same space. It is an attempt to understand these concepts by giving form to what cannot easily be seen or named: the other, the invisible, the unspeakable. And while memory does not retrieve a fixed image but instead often introduces a fracture into what we perceive as familiar, the exhibition approaches this fluid terrain not only as an atmosphere but also as a gesture. At the same time, K-Gold Temporary Gallery presents its annual exhibition "Re-Collection", featuring works from its collection alongside material developed through projects on the island of Lesvos. The selection highlights artistic collaborations that have evolved since the organization’s founding in 2014, proposing new encounters and fresh interpretations.

(Upper photo: Lesvos (Mytilene): https://www.discovergreece.com/north-aegean-islands/lesvos)
(Lower photo: Bas Jan Ader, Please don’t leave me, 1969, House paint, lightbulbs, wire, dimensions variable, Courtesy of Meliksetian | Briggs, Dallas & Los Angeles)

RETHYMNO, CRETE

Visitors to Rethymno, Crete, this summer will have the opportunity to see the retrospective exhibition "The Brittle Trace of Symbols" by Rethymno-born artist Nikos Alexiou (1960–2011) at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete (until November 6, 2026). The exhibition aims to illuminate key moments from the celebrated artist's career, whose practice was rooted in memory—from his childhood blanket to Mount Athos, where he spent an extended period of his life. These personal references are interwoven with countless symbolic "roles," while his meticulous attention to detail shapes a body of work in which innocence is constantly shadowed by tragedy. Reeds and twine, or delicate sheets of paper, appear perfectly balanced yet remain vulnerable, as though they could be destroyed by the slightest careless movement. The exhibition is curated by Maria Marangou.

(Upper photo: Rethymno, Crete: https://www.discovergreece.com/crete/rethymno)
(Lower photo: Nikos Alexiou Drawers, photo credit: Popi Alexiou)

CHANIA, CRETE

More than 150 paintings, installations, animations, comics, sculptures, notes, and preparatory sketches by Alexandros Psychoulis are on view in his new exhibition, "Runaway thoughts were my only danger", at the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania (until October 4, 2026). Rather than following the linear narrative of a conventional retrospective, the exhibition highlights the artist's pioneering contribution to contemporary Greek art, shaped by the influence of mass media, commercial television, new technologies, computers, pop culture, music, comics, graphic design, fashion, design, and architecture. At the same time, it brings into focus the defining threads of Psychoulis's practice: the visual language that runs through and unifies his work, and the interplay between handcrafted techniques and technological mediation. The exhibition is curated by Christoforos Marinos.

(Upper photo: The Venetian port of Chania, Crete: https://www.discovergreece.com/crete/chania)
(Lower photo: Alexandros Psychoulis, Meristomatrix, 2011, 70 x 100 cm, ballpoint pen on paper, a.antonopoulou.art)

And after immersing yourself in the world of art, take a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the idyllic beaches of the Greek islands