“The Land You Create” Group Art Exhibition by the Association of Visual Artists of Crete

The Association of Visual Artists of Crete, in collaboration with the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), presents the group art exhibition “The Land You Create.” The exhibition is organized as part of the international conference 13th Sino-European Conference “Island and Coastal Tourism Futures 2026,” bringing contemporary artistic practice into creative dialogue with the international academic community.

The Exhibition Theme

“Surely, when you travel, you always find whatever you carry within you. […] That is why every accomplished traveler always creates the country to which they travel…” Nikos Kazantzakis

This perspective by Kazantzakis serves as the starting point for the 20 participating artists, who approach travel as a journey of self-discovery and as an act of shaping and recreating place through memory and imagination. At the same time, the artworks focus on the human imprint on the environment, as well as on the dramatic dimensions of displacement and refuge, mapping the multiple facets of contemporary experience.
The exhibition unfolds in the foyer of the “Markos Karanastasis” Indoor Gymnasium. Set within a large-scale, raw industrial environment beyond the boundaries of the conventional gallery, the curatorial approach of visual artist and art historian Evi Michelaki places the artworks in direct dialogue with the architecture of the building.
Installations, sculptures, mosaics, and painted compositions transform the space into an open field of wandering, exploration, and contemplation for the visitor.

Participating Artists

• MICHALIS ATHANASAKIS
• ELENI VO GIATZAKI
• YIOULI GAROFALAKI
• ELEFTHERIOS DAFNOS
• VICKY KAMENOU
• THALIA KANNAVOU
• DESPOINA KATZAGIANNAKI
• STELLA KUKULAKI
• MARGARITIS HARRIS
• CHRISTINE BOLADZ
• RENA MATALLIOTAKI
• EVI BALOO
• VIVY DINAPOGIA
• KOSTAS PAGOMENOS
• RENA PATMANIDI
• ELEFTHERIA PYTIKAKI
• STAMATIS SAMAKOURIS
• IOANNIS STATHOGIANNIS
• ANDREAS STYLIANOUDAKIS
• MARIA HARKOUTSI

Visitor Information
Venue: Foyer of the “Markos Karanastasis” Indoor Gymnasium (HMU), Heraklion, Crete
Dates: 20–26 September 2026
Opening Hours:
Monday–Friday: 11:00–13:00 & 17:00–21:00 Saturday: 17:00–21:00
Opening: Sunday, 20 September 2026 | 19:30
Admission: Free
Contact & Information: Evi Michelaki Email: evemichelaki@gmail.com