ΕΜΣΤ is proud to announce the return of its group art therapy programme. Active since 2017 and run in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the programme uses selected works of contemporary art to explore how art contributes to the development of self-awareness and critical thinking, as well as the promotion of self-expression, dialogue, creative introspection and fruitful social interaction.
Turning their attention to the exhibition An Ode to Things. Niki Kanagini. Retrospective (curated by Tina Pandi), participants will explore its key subjects of gender identity and experience, the relationship between public and private, intergenerationality, and the materiality of everyday life, engaging both with the artwork on display and with works they will themselves create. Therapy sessions will further examine themes of memory and personal history, while charting our relationship with objects as embodiments of emotion and experience and the formation of identity through the body, language, and representation. Emphasis will also be placed on the symbolic re-signification of everyday life, a critical revisiting of stereotypes, and the possibility of creating new narratives for the self.
The programme is facilitated by Aphrodite Pantagoutsou (Psychiatric Occupational Therapist – Art Psychotherapist – Supervisor, Department of Psychiatry, NKUA, Eginition Hospital) and Elisabeth Ioannides (Education Curator – Art Psychotherapist, EMΣT).
The programme offers eleven two-hour weekly sessions on site at ΕΜΣΤ, during which participants are invited to engage with the exhibition to form an in-depth understanding of Niki Kanagini’s work, before using their observations and personal emotional responses to create artwork that will serve as a vehicle for self-inquiry.
The programme will run from 18 September to 27 November 2026, every Friday from 14:30 to 16:30, for a closed group of 10–12 women. Sessions will be conducted in Greek.
Participants will be selected following individual interviews with the facilitators on Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 September, between 09:30 and 14:00, by appointment.
Participation fee: €120 for a one-time payment or €150 payable in three installments – all art materials included
To apply please email Elisabeth Ioannides at elisabeth.ioannides@emst.gr
