Tip of the day – A visit at Stavros Niarchos Park is always a good idea!

• December 13, 2021

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center is absolutely a must visit in Athens,  and one of the most impressive buildings in the city. To learn more about this cultural space, designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), there is an english language guided tour and takes place inside the state-of-the-art building complex that includes the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera as well as the interior and exterior public space surrounding the buildings.

To get there, there is a free shuttle bus from Syntagma, which also makes a stop at Syggrou-Fix that goes directly there. You can see the timetable here.

You can combine your visit with various  activities for kids and adults such as Climbing Wall,  Mini Volley, Mini Basket, Basic Mat Pilates, SNFCC Runing team, Dancing Fountains at the Canal, Yoga in the park, Football skills, Tai Chi basic practices, Mini tennis etc And of course the screenings of kids and adults movies Park your Cinema.

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Parklife: Leonard Cohen Tribute

Parklife presents a special tribute to Leonard Cohen on Saturday, 12 September. A poet, novelist and songwriter, Leonard Cohen stands among the most influential voices in modern music and literature, shaping a body of work where poetry and song are inextricably linked. This concert marks the first major tribute to his legacy in Greece, presented ahead of the 10th anniversary of his passing.

Originally emerging from the literary world before turning to music in the late 1960s, Cohen developed a voice entirely his own-spare in form yet rich in depth- exploring themes that range from the existential to the romantic and the spiritual. With his unmistakable baritone and a songwriting style that shifts effortlessly between introspection and observation, he created a body of work that continues to transcend time. From Suzanne and Bird on the Wire to Famous Blue Raincoat and Hallelujah, his songs have left a lasting mark on folk and popular music, resonating with audiences and influencing artists across generations.

Greece-and above all the island of Hydra- held a special place in Cohen’s life and creative imagination. Arriving there for the first time in 1960, he found a space for rare freedom and artistic possibilities. Hydra became a lasting source of inspiration, a place he would return over the years, and one that would profoundly shape both his work and his personal journey.

The evening brings together his son, Adam Cohen – offering a deeply personal connection to the material- alongside a distinguished group of Greek artists who reinterpret his songs through their own distinct perspectives. Christos Vergos, Konstantinos Vita (K.BHTA), Dimitra Galani, Giorgos Dimitriadis, Doros Dimosthenous, George Gaudy, Nalyssa Green, Stathis Drogosis, Kostis, LOU IS, Panos Mouzourakis, Lina Nikolakopoulou, Danai Panagiotopoulou, Maria Papageorgiou, Elli Paspala, Nikos Portokaloglou, Skiadareses, Sugahspank, Manolis Famellos and Cassius Cohen revisit Cohen’s repertoire, foregrounding its emotional depth, its timeless quality, and the finely balanced relationship between words and music that defines his work.

Taking place in the open-air setting of the Great Lawn, the concert unfolds as a shared musical experience -both tribute and celebration- honoring an artist whose quiet yet far-reaching influence continues to shape contemporary songwriting, and whose work remains as vital and resonant today as ever.

Useful Information

There will be a limited number of seats available, on a first-come, first-served basis. If you bring your own seating, you will be able to place it at designated spots outside the Great Lawn, while keeping the pathways clear and accessible for incoming visitors.
On Saturday, September 12 at 23:30, an additional SNFCC – Syngrou Fix – Syntagma Shuttle Bus service will operate.

Date: Saturday 12 September 2026, 21:00
Location: Great Lawn

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Exhibition: Barbara Kruger: Untitled (Pride and Contempt)

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) presents legendary American artist Barbara Kruger’s first solo exhibition in Greece, titled Untitled (Pride and Contempt). The exhibition features thirteen newly created, site-specific large-scale works designed for the SNFCC’s outdoor spaces, including a monumental 90-meter-long wall mural on the building of the National Library of Greece. Installed along one side of the Canal and on the Esplanade, the works create an immersive experience that integrates contemporary art into the public realm and the everyday movement of visitors.

Over the course of a career spanning more than five decades, Kruger has developed a distinctive and incisive artistic vocabulary, addressing issues of power, identity, gender, consumerism, and social responsibility. Deeply influenced by her background in graphic design and mass media, her practice appropriates the language of advertising and redirects it as a tool of political and social critique.

In Untitled (Pride and Contempt), Kruger’s works -written for the first time in the Greek language- engage with themes of truth, power, critical thinking, and individual agency. Using declarative statements and her signature high-contrast visual style, the works offer sharp commentary on Europe’s contemporary sociopolitical landscape, addressing polarization, the rise of extreme ideologies, and the uncertainty generated by economic, migratory, and geopolitical tensions. At once provocative and inviting, the exhibition challenges audiences to consider their position in the public sphere -who speaks, who is heard, and how power circulates.

Barbara Kruger’s work has been exhibited internationally at major museums and institutions including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), Tate Modern (London), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Hayward Gallery (London), the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, as well as through large-scale public interventions in cities such as New York, Berlin, and Los Angeles. Through direct and often confrontational language, Kruger seeks an active dialogue with audiences, placing the role of the individual in public space and contemporary society at the center of her practice.

Curated by Katerina Stathopoulou
Katerina Stathopoulou is a curator and writer focusing on photography and public art. She has held curatorial positions at the Museum of Modern Art, Public Art Fund, and the International Center of Photography in New York.

Recent projects include exhibitions with Cannupa Hanska Luger, Pope L., Gillian Wearing, Wendy Red Star, Camila Falquez, Martine Gutierrez, Farah Al Qasimi, Elle Pérez, Claudia Wieser, Aïda Muluneh, and Clifford Prince King. In 2021, Stathopoulou co-curated the Thessaloniki Photography Biennial in Greece, showcasing leading international artists across two museums. During her tenure at MoMA, Stathopoulou worked on landmark exhibitions, including Being Modern: MoMA in Paris presented at Fondation Louis Vuitton which is the largest exhibition MoMA has presented abroad and was the most visited exhibition in France for 2017.

Works translated into Greek by Nicholas Yatromanolakis

Locations: Canal and Esplanade 

Until November 1st, 2026

Check more details here and plan your visit!