They say a crisis is good for creativity, and Athens is a case in point. After a decade of fiscal austerity, political turmoil, and social unrest, a city whose cultural baggage once defined its modern identity is reinventing itself as a 21st-century capital of artistic innovation. This is largely thanks to non-profit foundations such as NEON, established in 2013 by art collector and philanthropist Dimitris Daskalopoulos. NEON’s mission is ambitious: to make contemporary art accessible to everyone with site-specific installations in unexpected venues.
As the driving force behind these urban interventions, Elina Kountouri, director of NEON, knows the city and its flourishing art scene better than anyone. Kountouri shared her Athenian cultural highlights and local secrets with me for Travel + Luxury, The Australian’s lifestyle magazine.