Contemporary Art Exhibition “Mikis Theodorakis (1925–2021): The Man, the Musician, the Politician, the Revolutionary…”- Voukoulies until 28th February
The exhibition will be open to the public from Monday to Friday 10:00-14:00 until 28th February 2026 (closed on holidays and public holidays) with free admission and is accompanied by a colored bilingual (Greek, English) brochure, which presents the participating works along with documentation texts, analyses and comments by the curators.
Free entrance.
VENUE: Polycenter Voukoulies (as you enter Voukoulies, on your left, in the yard behind the school)
This exhibition is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the world-renowned Greek creator, who, with his music, thought and action, managed to connect art with man and history, leaving a deeply human and timeless work. The event attracted a large number of citizens and people of culture, confirming the timeless influence of the great creator on the Greek and international artistic scene.
The inauguration was attended by the Mayor of Platanias, Mr. Yiannis Malandrakis, who stressed the importance of preserving the memory and contribution of Mikis Theodorakis, as well as the role of the Municipality in supporting actions that promote art and culture. Greetings were also delivered by the Regional Councillor Ms. Sofia Malandraki-Krasoudaki and the President of the Friends of Mikis Theodorakis Association Mr. Matthaios Frantzeskakis, highlighting the importance of the cooperation of local and cultural institutions for the promotion of the composer’s work.
Also present were the Deputy Mayors of Platanias Mr. Giorgos Kalaitzakis and Polychronis Simantirakis, the Municipal Councillors Mr. Artemis Koutsaftakis and Petros Marinakis, the President of EPOFEK Mr. Manolis Bourdakis and representatives of institutions and associations.
The event featured a rich artistic program, which included a brief biographical review by Ioannis N. Archontakis, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chania – Elaiourgeion and curator of the exhibition, a reference to the political philosophy of the creator by Konstantinos V. Proimos, Art Historian and Assistant Professor at the University of Patras and also curator of the exhibition, excerpts from interviews with Mikis Theodorakis by Panagiota Pitsiri, accompanied by audio documents, as well as a reading of the composer’s letter to Grigoris Bithikotsis by Lambrini Boviatsou.
This was followed by the screening of the video art work “Let’s Go!” by Robert Barcia, based on the film “Zorba” by Michael Cacoyannis and the musical presentations, with Efthimis Andritsopoulos performing “It’s Raining in the Slums” on the piano and accompanying Elena Mentzelopoulou in the songs “Beautiful City” and “The Train Leaves at Eight”.
The exhibition “MIKIS THEODORAKIS (1925-2021) – The Man, the Musician, the Politician, the Revolutionary…” features 40 artists, with works of painting, sculpture, engraving, photography, video art, installations and mixed media, which aim to approach the multifaceted personality of Mikis Theodorakis — the man, the musician, the fighter and the global creator — offering a contemporary artistic reading of his legacy.
During the exhibition, special guided tours and educational programs for primary and secondary school children will be held. Visits by students will be made after timely prior agreement between teachers and the curators of the exhibition, Mr. Konstantinos V. Proimos and Ioannis N. Archontakis.
Organized by the Municipality of Platanias, the Region of Crete – Regional Unit of Chania and co-organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chania Elaourgeion°, the Match More Art Gallery and participating in the visual arts program ΧΑΝΙaRT-2025.
Source: Municipality of Platanias
° Less known facts and information about CHANIaRT and the Elaiourgeion (olive mill)
Art Space in Dromonero
The program “CHANIART – Visual Routes” is implemented by the “Museum of Contemporary Art of Chania Elaiourgeion (Olive Mill see below*)” in collaboration with the Regional Unit of Chania, all the Municipalities of the Prefecture of Chania and by the Cultural Bodies that aim to explore and develop Culture and Fine Arts in the entire Prefecture of Chania.
The aim of the “CHANIART – Art Routes” program is to highlight the artistic potential in the Prefecture of Chania and to become one of the most important centers of artistic activities in Greece, an arena of new artistic trends and a forum for artistic dialogue and creation, a melting pot of interactions between local cultural values and international avant-garde currents, the stage for the presentation of visual actions and searches, both for the established Masters of Art, and the talented Young Creators.
Alongside the promotion of our place and the highlighting of the local cultural potential, the goal remains the construction of an interactive communication network between all Cretan Visual Creators, the local community, the wider artistic community and the global cultural web.
The Non-Profit Cultural Organisation “Elaiourgeion – Art Factory” («Ελαιουργείον – Εργοστάσιο Τέχνης») was created with the aim of saving the old Olive Mill of the Agricultural Cooperative in Zibragos in the Prefecture of Chania (map), Crete, from
decay and annihilation. Its aim is to host cultural events in its spaces, turning it into a place of memory and a field of cultural activities in the interior of the island.
The building of the Old Olive Oil Mill consists of the central core of the building (stonework) built in the 1920s and of wings – satellites built in successive building phases until the 1970s.
In 1980 its operation as a mill was stopped and it was allowed to collapse rapidly. During its reconstruction the aim was to preserve the primary materials of the building with its original technological equipment with as few interventions as possible. The mechanical equipment of the olive press is of Greek manufacture (!) from the early 1960s and was preserved as a memory and reference point of the original operations of the site.
Today the “Elaiourgeion – Art Factory” is a multidimensional cultural organization. It consists of the “Gallery of Visual Arts of Chania” organizing educational programs and periodic visual exhibitions, and the “Museum of Contemporary Art of Chania” the purpose of which is to preserve, present and highlight the permanent collections of the “Olive Mill” » and the promotion along with the study of the interactive contacts of Contemporary Art with Man.
At the same time, six major programs of Communication, Cooperation, Development & Cultureemanate from the “Elaiourgeion – Art Factory”:
1. “The Road of Museums”
2. “The Circle of Canyons”,
3. “HANIaRT – Visual Routes”
4. “Art & Wine – The Wineries of Western Crete create Culture”
5. “Creative Artist Hospitality – Olivepress Art Residency”
6. “The Step of Art”.
- The former Olive Mill (Elaiourgeion), which was reborn as an “Art Factory”, is located in the village of Dromonero, 33 kilometers southwest of the city of Chania, on the road that leads to the picturesque village of Paleochora with its magical beaches.
A further Art Space included in the ChaniART programme is the MATCH MORE GALLERY in Platanias (opposite Lidl).
