The Platforms Project, the largest international fair dedicated to artistic platforms and the independent visual arts scene, returns for its 14th year at the Kapnergostasio of the Hellenic Parliament in Athens, running from September 17 to 20, 2026, with free entry for visitors.
The fair will bring together artists, collectives and artist-run spaces from 22 countries. For the third consecutive year, the Kapnergostasio will serve as an open meeting place for international contemporary art, hosting exhibitions, performances, conferences, talks, presentations and workshops. The venue has been made available for Platforms Project 2026 with the support of the Hellenic Parliament.
A 14-year hub for independent art
For 14 years, the Platforms Project has functioned as an international hub for collaboration and the exchange of ideas among artists, curators, theorists and independent art spaces. Organizers describe it not simply as an exhibition but as an institution that documents contemporary collective artistic practices and builds an active international network of collaborations that keeps expanding.
Artemis Potamianou and Michalis Argyrou direct the Platforms Project, while Potamianou also serves as artistic curator of the event.
Platforms Project 2026 will present 66 artistic platforms and more than 1,100 artists from 22 countries, including Greece, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Finland, the United States, Austria, Germany, France, Australia, South Korea, Poland, Belgium, Turkey, Ireland, Brazil, Portugal, Albania, Colombia, Japan and Romania. The participants were chosen from hundreds of applications submitted to the fair's international open call.
Talks, workshops and a packed parallel programme
Alongside the main exhibition, Platforms Project 2026 will run an extensive parallel programme of 57 performances, thematic talks and conferences, book presentations, workshops, organised guided tours and educational activities.
Fourteen thematic talks and conferences are scheduled. Among them is "From Silence to Action: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Gender-Based Violence, Institutional Framework and Social Awareness," organised by the platform The Red Boat Projects; an international panel titled "International Centre for Walking Art in Prespes (WALC)," organised by Visual March to Prespes; and "Photography Within Art, as a Means of Negotiating the Contemporary World," organised by Vivian Kalomiri and Nancy Andritsopoulou.
The programme also includes a book presentation by Fotis Kangelaris, talks by Alexandros Voutsas, Dr Maria Kamilaki and Elissavet Dionysopoulou, and talks by foreign artists on collectives, including Basti Kuhz and Kate Enters. Other sessions include "The Imprint of Behaviour," coordinated by Maria Stamati, along with project presentations such as "Presentation of the Action 'The Next Station'" by Events Horizon, "Eco-poetry: Ecological Fertile Poetry" by the platform Eco Flaneur, and "The Bright Side" by Kalliroi 16. Galerie Theorema asbl will present a discussion on "Art and Philosophy."
Open Studios spotlights emerging artists
For the ninth consecutive year, the fair will host Open Studios, now a permanent part of the event. This year's edition will include workshops not only from the Athens School of Fine Arts but also from the School of Fine Arts of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, as well as the Department of Visual and Moving Image and the Department of Graphic Design at the University of West Attica's Department of Graphic Design and Visual Communication. Students will present works and specially designed projects, bringing forward a new generation of creators and strengthening the dialogue between arts education and contemporary practice.
Educational activities for children
Kids' Lab 2026, the fair's educational programme for children aged 4 to 14, was designed by Katerina Filindra and invites young visitors to discover contemporary art through creative workshops, play and experimentation. Separately, Maria Zygomala, a dental surgeon and visual artist, has designed the painting workshop "The Smile of Platforms Project," in which children turn a smile into the starting point for imaginary worlds and visual narratives, transforming teeth into houses, villages, ships and dreamlike worlds through colours, shapes and stories.
Guided tours and a retrospective exhibition
Organizers describe the Platforms Project as the only international fair to include organised guided tours as a core part of its programme, giving visitors the chance to meet artists, talk with them directly and engage more deeply with the works and collective artistic practices on show. The guided tours will take place on September 18, 19 and 20, at 14:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 19:00.
Alongside the exhibition at the Kapnergostasio, the Lofos art project space will host "M#3, Moments, Meetings, Memories," curated by Liesbeth Bos and Konstantin Economou and featuring 41 artists who have taken part in the Platforms Project in previous years. The exhibition offers a retrospective look at the fair's history in Athens, bringing together works, experiences and personal narratives that trace how artists build relationships, collaborate and shape an international network for exchanging ideas.
Practical information
Admission to Platforms Project 2026 is free with the presentation of an identity card. The exhibition at the Kapnergostasio of the Hellenic Parliament opens on Thursday, September 17, 2026, with hours of 18:00 to 22:30, and runs through Sunday, September 20, 2026.
