Athena's Antennae

Performance
All audiences
Visual Art

In Athena’s Antennas, Chrysanthi Koumianaki, in collaboration with two performers, proposes a series of ephemeral public sculptures. Turning her gaze to the rooftops of Athens’ apartment buildings as the city’s edges, she imagines the buildings as bodies and their rooftops and balconies as limbs. The industrial equipment found there transforms into an evolving form of public sculpture, like a peculiar parasitic forest or an open-air sculpture gallery. Satellite dishes are translated into wicker hats and become props within an evolving stage setting.

Author:
Accessibility :
No items found.

All dates

Chrysanthi Koumianaki
2025
Duration: 60’
Performers: Eva Vlassopoulou, Maria Tzani
Straw hats production: in collaboration with Liza Sarigiannidou

In n the work Athena’s Antennas, Chrysanthi Koumianaki proposes a series of ephemeral public sculptures. Continuing her observation of public space, she turns her gaze to the rooftops of Athens’ apartment buildings, seeing them as the city’s edges. She imagines the buildings as bodies and their rooftops and balconies as limbs. The industrial equipment found there, sometimes abandoned, sometimes still functional, becomes an evolving form of public sculpture, resembling a peculiar parasitic forest or an open-air sculpture gallery.

More specifically, in this project, satellite dishes are translated into straw hats and transformed into props for a performance. In collaboration with two performers, a dialogue unfolds as these woven sculptures become costumes, proposing living almost parasitic sculptures.

The work belongs to a new series of works in which the artist develops a network of artisans within the city. She maps workshops that, through their production, preserve, evolve, and revive complex and often time-consuming techniques, mechanical and at times almost magical, creating small sanctuaries, oases of craft-based creation. Through this practice, she seeks to redefine contemporary modes of production, the artistry of those involved, and to open a dialogue around materials, techniques, and the challenges faced by crafts that are fading or nearly extinct.

Courtesy of the artist and CAN Christina Androulidaki gallery, Athens

Courtesy of the artist and CAN Christina Androulidaki gallery, Athens

Chrysanthi Koumianaki

Chrysanthi Koumianaki (b. 1985, Heraklion, Greece) is a visual artist based in Athens. Her practice focuses on installations that integrate multiple media, including sculpture, drawing, printmaking, performance, video, and sound. She explores themes of public space, decay, urban use, and personal interventions within the built environment, forming a key part of her research and artistic inquiry.

Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions at institutions, museums, and galleries, including CAN Christina Androulidaki Gallery, Athens (2025); The Nordic House in Iceland, Reykjavik (2024); EMST, Athens (2023); ATOPOS CVC, Athens (2023), Greek National Opera, Athens (2023); Theocharakis Foundation, Athens (2022); NEON, Athens (2021); Netwerk Aalst, Belgium (2018); Fondation Hippocrène, Paris (2018); Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens (2018); Kadist, Paris (2017); Benaki Museum, Athens (2016); Athens Biennale (2013), among others.

Her work has also been featured in exhibitions organized by institutions such as Fondazione Prada (2017), DESTE Foundation (2016), and New Museum, New York (2016). She has participated in artist programs such as Studiotopia (BOZAR & Onassis Stegi, 2020-22), Onassis Air (Onassis Foundation, 2019, 2023), and Artworks (Stavros Niarchos Foundation, 2018).

Instagram

Website

Practical information

Address

Port of Piraeus, Gate E8

Accessibility

Dates and times

Friday, October 10, 18:30 - 19:30

Safety

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

EXPERIENCES On board

Immersive exhibition "Présentes

Created with the exceptional collaboration of the Musée du Louvre, this exhibition highlights female figures in Mediterranean civilization, thanks to the digitization and modeling of part of the Louvre's collections. A two-stage experience: an introductory film to provide context, followed by an immersive experience in a 16-meter-long tunnel covered by 120 m2 of LED screens.

Discover the exhibition

A sound journey through the Mediterranean

An immersive sound experience designed by Ircam, inviting the public to explore the richness and diversity of the Mediterranean through headphones equipped with spatialized sound.

Discover sound travel

© Elisa Von Brockdorff

The artists

No items found.

No items found.

Partners

No items found.

Frequently asked questions

Is access to the boat free?

Yes, the boat is freely accessible on site. However, you can pre-book your time online on our website.

Is there a specific dress code for visiting the museum boat?

For reasons of safety and preservation of the boat, high heels and stilettos may not be worn on the boat.

How do I get on board the museum boat?

The museum boat is open to all free of charge. To find out on which quay it will be moored, or to pre-book your slot, consult the page dedicated to your town.

Is the museum boat accessible to people with reduced mobility?

Appropriate facilities have been set up on the Festival site for the reception and access of people with reduced mobility. The boat is equipped with a 1m-wide ramp, accessible to people with reduced mobility, but may require the accompaniment of a third party due to its gradient of over 6%. Access to the aft deck and immersive exhibition is possible. However, the upper deck is not accessible. Please inform us in advance of any special accessibility requirements, so that we can make the necessary arrangements.