Plasmata Festival Returns to Athens with Hybrid Digital Art in Pedion tou Areos Park

The third edition of Plasmata, a biennial outdoor festival of hybrid physical, digital, and immersive art, has opened at Pedion tou Areos park in Athens, running until June 15. Organized by the Onassis Foundation, the festival features 25 Greek and international artists with works exploring the gap between real and unreal. The park, designed in 1934 to honor heroes of the Greek War of Independence, was recently restored by the foundation. The festival includes installations, music, cinema, and performances, with works from the Onassis Collection, new commissions, and projects from the ONX (Onassis Digital Culture Incubator) and AiR residency programs. Notable works include Andreas Angelidakis's soft sculptures resembling columns and capitals turned into seating, Efi Gousi's video of young girls reenacting an ancient ritual linking new generations to climate change, and Bob Wilson's kinetic owl sculpture from the foundation's permanent collection. The Onassis Foundation, established in 1975 by Aristotle Onassis in memory of his son Alexander, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with a major investment in Greek primary schools. The foundation also intervened at the Acropolis during COVID, installing a controversial concrete pavement and an elevator to prevent accidents. Plasmata first took place at Pedion tou Areos, then in Ioannina, and now returns to the central Athens park.