The Municipality of Chania, the Region of Crete and MAP – Antonia Papatzanaki Museum present the 1st Chania Sculpture Symposium 2026, inaugurating a new institution for the city centred on contemporary Greek public sculpture.

The Symposium will take place from 15 September to 14 October 2026, at the Peace and Friendship Park, and will host emblematic Greek sculptors of the generations of the 1930s and 1940s. During the Symposium, the artists will create their works in public view, giving both residents and visitors to the city the opportunity to watch the process of a work of art coming to life.

The artists participating in this first event have had long and significant careers in sculpture, while many of them served for years in higher art education, teaching younger generations of creators and contributing to the development of contemporary Greek sculpture. Their generation is associated with an entire period of Greek sculpture, from post-war monumental works to the contemporary experience of sculpture in public space.

Their presence at the first Symposium is therefore an act of recognition and tribute to their work and their overall contribution to Greek artistic life. At the same time, through this first event, the Symposium seeks to highlight the journey and legacy of this generation before the baton is passed to those that follow.

Honoured Artists

Cris Gianakos, 1934 — Professor, School of Visual Arts, New York
Aspasia Papadoperaki, 1942–2026 — Sculptor
Theodoros Papagiannis, 1942 — Professor Emeritus, Athens School of Fine Arts
Giannis Parmakelis, 1932 — Academician, Professor Emeritus, Democritus University of Thrace
Kyriakos Rokos, 1945 — Professor Emeritus, University of West Attica
Manolis Tzobanakis, 1943 — Former curator / lecturer, Academy of Fine Arts of Rome
Giorgos Houliaras, 1947 — Professor Emeritus, Athens School of Fine Arts

The works created as part of the 1st Symposium will remain permanently in the city, forming the first core of the future Chania Sculpture Park, an open-air museum of contemporary Greek sculpture. The collection will gradually be enriched through future editions, hosting younger generations of artists and creating a living record of the course of Greek sculpture, as well as an important cultural legacy for the city and future generations. In this way, the 1st Symposium is not a standalone cultural event, but the starting point of a journey that will continue to evolve and acquire new content.

The Symposium will be accompanied by parallel cultural and educational activities, such as talks, guided tours and school visits, encouraging the participation of the local community and strengthening the educational character of the event. At the same time, the process of creating the works and the Symposium’s activities will be documented through photographic and audiovisual material, creating a documented archive of the event and the creation of the artworks.

The event will also be documented through a bilingual (Greek-English) printed and digital catalogue, which will include texts, photographic material and information on the participating artists and their work.

As part of the Symposium, a round-table discussion will also take place at the Centre for Mediterranean Architecture (CAM) on 8 October, from 19:30 to 21:30, on the theme:

“Public Sculpture and Architectural Space. Contemporary Explorations.”

The discussion will focus on the relationship between contemporary sculpture, architecture and the social environment, opening up a broader dialogue on its role in the contemporary city.

The closing ceremony of the Symposium will take place at the Municipal Garden, where the works from the first Symposium will have been installed. The ceremony will be dedicated to the work of the late Aspasia Papadoperaki, as a tribute to her contribution to contemporary Gree