ISLAND ART GUIDES:Hydra- Sky/Sea/Sun: It’s like a Song, Part II
Capturing the essence of summer, a new exhibition featuring contemporary works inspired by the sun, sea, and sky of the Greek and Mediterranean landscape is set to open on Hydra for one week. The event is curated by Efi Michalarou (Art Critic, Curator, and Treasurer of AICA Hellas) and organized by the dreamideamachine NPO. It is presented at the Melina Mercouri Art and Concert Hall, under the auspices of the Municipality of Hydra (Part I).
By Valia S. Katsimpa
Photo: dreamideamachine Archive
This collective exhibition, titled “Sky/Sea/Sun: It’s like a Song!”, approaches the Greek and Mediterranean landscape not merely as a representation, but as a lived experience, brought to life through the diverse works of a large group of contemporary artists. In an era where nature is deeply challenged and the reality of climate change grows ever more pressing, anchoring ourselves to the foundational elements of worldly beauty feels like a wish, a prayer, a hymn. Like a melody drifting and vibrating beneath the starry summer sky—a sky that, through the eyes of the poet, has always guided human existence through things great and small, sparking philosophical reflections and giving breath to the world’s poetry. It is a tribute to the Aegean and Ionian seas, which have long embraced travellers, cooling their thoughts and dreams while shaping the human geography and cultural tapestry of the Mediterranean. And finally, it is about a sun and a light like no other, which pierce through time to illuminate traditions and cultures, manners and customs, awakening collective memory and lived experience. Here, this Mediterranean landscape is explored through various media, such as painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, installation, and video. Inspired by the sky, the sea, and the sun, the works translate these elements into contemporary visual languages, focusing on experience and the inner landscape.
Participating Artists: Natasa Agelaki, Akakia Apergi, Giota Balomenou, Eva Bratopoulou, Fenia Chatzimixail, Chrisoula Dimaresi, Danae Dimoutziki, Lila Didou, Marianna Dervou, Dimitris Lempesis, Kiriaky Gaglia, Morfoula Farandou, Annalina Fotopoulou, Eva Geraki, Maria Georgiadou, Aggeliki Germakopoulou, Leonidas Gkelos, Sofia Gounaropoulou, Athina Hatzi, Evangellos Kalogeropoulos, Yiannis Kaminis, Christianna Kampi, Dora Kapetan Lamprou, Vaggelis Karamanlis, Magda Kafetzopoulou, Alexandros Maganiotis, Stathis Mavridis, Markella Michalitsianou, Ioanna Michopoulou, Christina Minani, Katerina Mitri, Dina Politi, Eleni Pappa Tsantilis, Anna Papadopoulou, Panagiotis Rappas, Nelly Rizou, Christina-Sylvia Simantira, Iryna Sinkevich, Athena Stamatis, Konstantinos Stoupathis, Sonia Tsiplitari, Dimitra Tziomaka, Thodoris Tolis, Chara Theodorou, Hera Vitali, Grigoria Vryttia, Flora Zafeiraki, Maria Zygomala
Photo Left: Giota Balomenou, Movement I, 2026, Ink on rice paper, 30 × 40 cm, © & Courtesy the artist. Photo Center: Thodoris Tolis, Yialouda, 2026, monotype (1/1), digital oil, Giclée print, © & Courtesy the artist. Photo Right: Sonia Tsiplitari, Purifying, 2026, Watercolor & ink on paper, 40 × 50 cm, © & Courtesy the artist
Info: Curator: Efi Michalarou, Assistant Curators: Dimitris Lempesis and Annalina Fotopoulou | Melina Mercouri Art and Concert Hall, Hydra Port, Hydra, Greece, Duration: 4-11/7/2026, Days & Hours: Daily 11:00 – 14:00 & 18:00 – 21:00
Under the auspices of the Municipality of Hydra
Media sponsors: Independent & ARTVIEWS
Right: Eva Geraki, Future Waves, 2026, Oil on canvas, 40 × 50 cm, © & Courtesy the artist
Right: Katerina Mitri, Between II, 2024, engraving, 29 × 39 cm, © & Courtesy the artist
