Open to the public from Saturday, 1 August, until 30 September 2026, the site-specific contemporary art installation The Edge of the Beginning is presented on the island of Agios Achilleios in Small Prespa as part of the 2nd TRIETHNÉS FESTIVAL.
For two months, Agios Achilleios is transformed into an open-air site for contemporary artistic creation. Eleven artists from Greece and North Macedonia present works conceived specifically for selected locations across the island, while the exhibition also includes a collaborative work by eighteen students from the School of Fine Arts at the University of Western Macedonia in Florina.
Inspired by this year’s festival theme, The End of the Beginning, the works unfold in dialogue with the natural landscape, the history and the collective memory of the place. Installations and artistic interventions encounter visitors at different landmarks and locations across Agios Achilleios, forming an experiential walking route centred on the ideas of departure, return and renewal.
Through a specially designed interactive map, visitors can follow a predetermined circular route around the island, locate the artworks and discover some of its hidden sites. The act of walking itself becomes part of the installation, as the beginning and end of the route continually intertwine.
As part of the exhibition, and during the main dates of the 2nd TRIETHNÉS FESTIVAL, from 27 to 30 August, a new multichannel sound installation by Chilean composer Pablo Garreton, commissioned by the festival, will be presented around the Basilica of Agios Achilleios.
The original soundscape combines recordings from Prespa’s natural and human-made environment with contemporary sound-processing and artificial intelligence technologies. Conceived as a discreet, low-impact work, the installation transforms the area surrounding the church into a space for acoustic exploration and reflection.
The participating artists are Apostolos Anagnostaras, Theano Giannezi, Vasko Georgiev, Konstantina Lazaridou, Katerina Michalarou, Ioannis Proios, Maria Ramos, Margarita Tsouloucha, Eleni Choumou, Bill Psarras and the Campus Novel collective.
The collaborative work by the School of Fine Arts at the University of Western Macedonia includes contributions by Shirin Aly, Asimenia Alexiou, Andromachi Andreou, Giorgos Vavatsis, Svetlana Yakuta Duvartzidu, Vasiliki Zirou, Filippos Kalamaras, Charis Kontosfyris, Angelos Kostoulas, Maria-Zoi Krousti, Frideriki Marouli, Leni Beltsou, Maria Ioanna Patsidi, Chrysanthi Sioti, Kostas Solakis, Eirini Spanidou, Christos Stefas and Maria Christodoulou.
The collaborative work is coordinated by Giorgos Vavatsis from the Ceramics Studio, Filippos Kalamaras from the Sculpture Studio and Harris Kontosfyris from the Third Painting Studio. The supporting sculptural structure was created by Kostas Solakis.
The installation is curated by visual artist and architect Dimitra Marini, while its concept and artistic design are by the Artistic Director of the TRIETHNÉS FESTIVAL, Yorgos Ziavras.
The Edge of the Beginning is open to visitors daily on Agios Achilleios until 30 September 2026.
See the interactive map below:
Latest News
