THE PLATFORMS PROJECT – Independent Art Fair, the largest international art fair dedicated to artistic platforms and the independent visual arts scene, returns for its 14th year, bringing artists, collectives and artist-run spaces from 22 countries to Athens.

From 17 to 20 September 2026, the Tobacco Factory-Hellenic Parliament (218 Lenorman Avenue, Athens) will be transformed, for the third consecutive year, into an open meeting place for the international contemporary art scene, hosting exhibitions, performances, conferences, talks, presentations and workshops, with free admission for the public.

The Tobacco Factory-Hellenic Parliament is made available for the Platforms Project 2026 – Independent Art Fair with the kind support of the Hellenic Parliament.

For fourteen years, the Platforms Project has operated as an international hub for collaboration and the exchange of ideas among artists, curators, theorists and independent art spaces. It is not simply an exhibition, but an institution that documents contemporary collective artistic practices and creates an active international network of collaborations that continues to expand.

The Platforms Project is directed by Artemis Potamianou and Michalis Argyrou, while the artistic direction and curatorship of the 2026 edition is by Artemis Potamianou.

The Platforms Project 2026 will present 66 artistic platforms and more than 1,100 artists from 22 countries (Greece, Cyprus, United Kingdom, Sweden, UAE, Finland, USA, Austria, Germany, France, Australia, Korea, Poland, Belgium, Turkey, Ireland, Brazil, Portugal, Albania, Colombia, Japan and Romania), selected from hundreds of applications submitted through the fair’s international open call.

Participating Platforms

ACEY Europe – Arts & Culture Community (Greece, Cyprus, Sweden, France, Germany, Netherlands, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, Romania, UAE), adARTes (Greece), Alter (Greece), Art For Earth 22 (Greece), Art Group Ana (Greece), Art in a box (Greece), art team Συν | ομάδα τέχνης Συν (Greece, Cyprus), ArtCan (United Kingdom), ArtCode (Greece), artplatform | elsewhere / museum of forgetting (Netherlands, Sweden), ArtUnitas | Αρτ Ούνιτας (Greece), ATHENS STREET ART FESTIVAL (Colombia, Japan, France, USA), AVARTS (Greece), AXIONART (Greece, UAE, Cyprus, Finland, United Kingdom, USA, Austria, Germany, Sweden, France), Broen Project (Sweden, Germany), BROKEN ART GROUP (Greece), Common Ground | Κοινός Τόπος (Greece), Correspondents (United Kingdom, USA), CUBE ART EDITIONS (Greece), Daily Temporary and Wanderlust (Sweden, Germany), Darling Pearls & Co (United Kingdom), DepArt (Greece), Dionysos and Apollon Theatre Company (Greece, France), Dipola (Greece), Distortion art (Sweden), Eco Flaneur (Greece), elementA (Greece, Cyprus, Australia), Encounters (Greece), Events Horizon | Ορίζοντας Γεγονότων (Greece), FARFALLA (Greece), FokiaNou Art Space (Greece), fragment S (Sweden, Korea), Fundacja Ziemniaki I (Poland), Galerie Theorema asbl (Belgium), Gi-Nekyia | Γη-Νέκυια (Greece), H-M-S (United Kingdom), Hellenic Jet Society (Greece), ID Gallery (Sweden), Istanbul Painters Club (Turkey), JS Gallery by IMC (Greece, Cyprus, USA, Germany, Finland, United Kingdom), SHIFTING SAND (Greece), LES APACHES DE PATISSION (France), META-FRASTES (Greece), METApolis (Greece), Molekyl gallery (Sweden), ΟΣΥΑΠΕ – ΜΕΤΑΒΑΣΗ | OSYAPE – METAVASI (Greece), Paper Project (United Kingdom, Ireland), [pool] (Belgium), Postcards from home (Greece, Brazil, Portugal), POW WOW (Greece), Project Space Piraeus (Greece), Rhythm Section (Germany), SATELLITE ZONE (Albania), Solas Art Center (USA), Splitart Projects (Austria), Studio 44 (Sweden), The Affectif Kolektyf (Poland), KΡΗΝΗ | The KRINI Project (Greece), The Red Boat Projects (Greece), Tupajumi foundation (Netherlands), Αστικό Σύμπαν (Greece), Visual March to Prespes (Greece), VISUAL VOICES (Greece, Australia, United Kingdom), WEDO (Greece), yellow chair (Netherlands), You’re Invited ArtGroup (Netherlands, Finland).

The central aim of the Platforms Project is to highlight the independent international visual arts scene and strengthen collaboration among artistic groups, platforms and independent spaces. Through its continuous presence, the Platforms Project has made a substantial contribution to the creation of a global network of collaborations, resulting in exhibition exchanges, international co-productions and new artistic partnerships.

With participation from every corner of the world, the institution highlights new ideas, experimental approaches and fresh artistic voices. It goes beyond the presentation of artworks, fostering an open space for encounter and dialogue among artists, curators, art professionals and art enthusiasts, strengthening the sense of a genuine international artistic community.

Parallel Program

Alongside the main exhibition, the Platforms Project 2026 presents an extensive parallel programme featuring 57 performances, thematic talks and conferences, book presentations, workshops, guided tours and educational activities, offering visitors a comprehensive contemporary art experience.

The Platforms Project 2026 will host fourteen thematic talks and conferences. A prominent place in the programme is given to conferences and discussions addressing issues of society, art and contemporary culture, with the participation of artists, theorists and researchers from Greece and abroad, such as “From Silence to Action: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Gender-Based Violence, Institutional Framework and Social Awareness,” organised by The Red Boat Projects; the international panel “Walking Art Centre in Prespes (WALC),” organised by Visual March to Prespes; and “Photography within Art, as a Means of Negotiating the Contemporary World,” organised by Vivian Kalomoiris and Nancy Andritsopoulou.

The programme also includes book presentations, such as that by Fotis Kaggellaris; presentations by Alexandros Voutsas, Dr Maria Kamilaki and Elisavet Dionysopoulou; as well as talks by international artists on collectives, including Basti Kuhz and Kate Enters.

Other distinctive approaches include the talk “The Imprint of Behaviour,” moderated by Maria Stamati, and project presentations by platforms such as “Presentation of the action ‘The Next Station’” by Events Horizon, “Eco-poetry. Ecologically Fertile Poetry” by Eco Flaneur, and “Bright Side” by Kalliroi 16. Finally, Galerie Theorema asbl will present a discussion on “Art and Philosophy.”

Open Studios

For the ninth consecutive year, Open Studios is presented as an integral part of the Platforms Project. This year’s Open Studios will include not only the studios of the Athens School of Fine Arts, but also those of the School of Fine Arts of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, as well as the Department of Visual Arts and Moving Image and the Department of Graphic Design of the Department of Graphic Design and Visual Communication of the University of West Attica.

Students will present artworks and specially designed projects, bringing to the forefront the new generation of creators and strengthening the dialogue between art education and contemporary artistic practice.

Kids’ Lab 2026

Kids’ Lab 2026, the Platforms Project’s educational programme for children aged 4–14, designed by Katerina Filindra, invites young visitors to discover contemporary art through creative workshops, play and experimentation.

At the same time, Maria Zygomala (Dental Surgeon – Visual Artist) has designed the painting workshop “The Smile of Platforms Project,” where children transform a smile into a starting point for imaginary worlds and visual narratives. Through colours, shapes and stories, children transform teeth into houses, villages, boats and dreamlike worlds, freely expressing their imagination and creativity.

Guided Tours

Platforms Project is the only international art fair to include organised guided tours as a central part of its programme, giving visitors the opportunity to meet artists, talk with them and engage meaningfully with the artworks and collective artistic practices.

The guided tours will take place on 18, 19 and 20 September, at 14:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 19:00.

M#3, Moments, Meetings, Memories

Alongside the exhibition at the Tobacco Factory, the exhibition “M#3, Moments, Meetings, Memories” will be presented at Lofos art project, curated by Liesbeth Bos and Konstantin Economou, featuring 41 artists who have participated in the Platforms Project in previous years.

The exhibition offers a retrospective look at the history of Platforms Project in Athens, bringing together works, experiences and personal narratives that highlight the ways in which artists build relationships, collaborate and form an international network for the exchange of ideas. Through different voices and perspectives, it explores what remains in our memory after such an intense experience of encounter, creation and collaboration.

Free Admission with ID

Platforms Project 2026 | Tobacco Factory-Hellenic Parliament

Opening: Thursday, 17 September 2026, 18:00–22:30

Exhibition duration: Friday, 18 September 2026 to Sunday, 20 September 2026

Opening hours:

Thursday, 17 September: 18:00–22:30

Friday, 18 September to Sunday, 20 September: 12:00–21:00

Website: www.platformsproject.com

Address: Tobacco Factory-Hellenic Parliament
218 Lenorman Avenue, 104 43 Athens, Greece