The Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) is hosting, from 20 to 26 September 2026, the group art exhibition of the Association of Visual Artists of Crete, entitled “The Land You Create”, at the foyer of the “Markos Karanastasis” Indoor Gymnasium, on the Heraklion Campus. The exhibition is held under the auspices of HMU, and the opening will take place on Sunday, 20 September 2026, at 19:30.
The exhibition is organised in the framework of the 13th Sino-European Conference “Island and Coastal Tourism Futures 2026”, co-organised by the Department of Business Administration and Tourism of HMU, Ningbo University in China and the University of Angers in France, with the participation of the Tourism Geography Committee of the Geographical Society of China. Through this initiative, contemporary visual art engages with the international academic community, highlighting the potential for meaningful dialogue between art, place, travel and contemporary experience.
The Exhibition Theme
“Surely, when travelling, you always find what you carry within you. […] That is why every accomplished traveller always creates the country in which they travel…”
Nikos Kazantzakis
The exhibition brings together 20 visual artists, whose works are inspired by the theme of the conference. The curatorial approach takes as its starting point Kazantzakis’ perspective on travel as an experience through which people do not merely discover a place, but reinterpret and reshape it through memory, imagination and their own personal journey. At the same time, the works address issues concerning the human impact on the environment, as well as the dramatic dimensions of displacement and the refugee experience, mapping the multiple facets of contemporary life.
The exhibition is curated by Evi Michelaki, visual artist and art historian. The distinctive architecture of the foyer of the “Markos Karanastasis” Indoor Gymnasium becomes an active part of the exhibition, creating a setting in which installations, sculptures, mosaics and paintings enter into direct dialogue with the building and invite visitors to experience a journey of exploration and reflection.
Exhibition Information
“The Land You Create”
Group Art Exhibition by the Association of Visual Artists of Crete
Organised by: Association of Visual Artists of Crete
Under the auspices of: Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU)
Venue: Foyer of the “Markos Karanastasis” Indoor Gymnasium, Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), Heraklion
Dates: 20–26 September 2026
Opening: Sunday, 20 September 2026 | Time: 19:30
Opening hours:
Monday–Friday: 11:00–13:00 & 17:00–21:00
Saturday: 17:00–21:00
Admission: Free
Curator – Contact – Information: Evi Michelaki | evemichelaki@gmail.com
Participating Artists
- Michalis Athanasakis
- Eleni Vogiatzaki
- Giouli Garofalaki
- Eleftherios Dafnos
- Vicky Kamenou
- Thaleia Kannavou
- Despoina Katzagiannaki
- Stella Koukoulaki
- Haris Margaritis
- Christine Boladz
- Rena Matalliotaki
- Evi Balou
- Vivi Dinapogia
- Kostas Pagomenos
- Rena Patmanidi
- Eleftheria Pytikaki
- Stamatis Samakouris
- Ioannis Stathogiannis
- Andreas Stylianoudakis
- Maria Charkoutsi
