Kypseli Tzoumerka Epirus Zig Zag Festival 2025
The history and everyday culture of Kypseli Tzoumerka, revisited through Contemporary Art
The international Cultural Festival Zig Zag Festival 2025 travels for the first time to Kypseli in Tzoumerka (formerly Chosepsi), inviting the public to a week of artistic exploration within the natural and cultural landscape of Epirus. From July 28 to August 3, Kypseli / Tzoumerka / Epirus / Zig Zag Festival 2025 transforms Kypseli through artworks, collaborative activities, and collaborations between artists and audiences.
Twenty selected artists and curators from Greece and abroad collaborate in a seven-day multidisciplinary program featuring visual art installations, performances, collaborative musical evenings, as well as guided tours exploring the region’s cultural heritage, architecture, gastronomy, sounds, and traditions. Exhibitions and events will be hosted at the Kypseli Primary School, the Pantelis Karalis Museum of Folk Art and Life, and various locations throughout the village.
This year marks five years of artistic exploration by the Zig Zag Festival into the natural and historical landscapes of Greece, continuing its mission to build bridges between art, nature, and history. Since its launch in 2021, the festival relocates every two years to a new site, aiming to provide artists and curators with networking opportunities and fresh insights into Greece’s hidden regions, local culture, and unique topography.
Participating artists: Sebastian Boulter, Sof Fachouridou, Georg Georgakopoulos, Paolo Incarnato, Richard Jochum, Athina Kanela, Babis Karalis, Thalia Kerouli, Lars* Kollros, Nikos Kryonidis, Leftheris Plakidas, Christian Rupp, Elio Samara, Nefeli Stam, Stratos Sterianos, Athina Vahla, Despoina Vaxevani, Werner Widmer, Sascha Zaitseva
Kypseli Tzoumerka / Epirus / Zig Zag Festival 2025
Program directors:
Georg Georgakopoulos
Fotini Kapiris
Babis Karalis
Organized by, CHEAPART
With the financial support and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture
Coordinated by, APART Art Research and Applications
With the support and under the auspices of the Municipality of Central Tzoumerka
Supported by: Kypseli Municipal District, Arta
Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art, Pantelis Karalis
Delta Dyo NPO
More: https://zigzagfestival.com
[1] Opening of «Kypseli Tzoumerka Epirus Zig Zag Festival 2025». [2] Opening night with Mayor of Central Tzoumerka, Mr. Christos Hasiakos, Deputy Mayor Mr. Antonis Galanis, President Mr. Pavlos Doulamis
[3] Group photo Curators and Artists [4] Group photo of Traditional Culinary workshop
“Freedom, a Bridge between Earth and Sky”
Contemporary artists follow the paths of freedom between Earth and Sky, engaging in the culture, local customs and traditions of Kypseli, Tzoumerka.
The theme of Zig Zag Festival for 2025, «Freedom, a Bridge between Earth to Sky» draws inspiration from the strong liberal spirit that emerged during the Ottoman era in the villages of Tzoumerka, which were considered "free" and referred to as "Kefalochoria" (chief villages). Kypseli's distinctive landscape and the identity of its people, shaped by their historical legacy, take on new meaning through dialogue with contemporary perspectives on freedom. This involves releasing unnecessary burdens carried by current societies and understanding that we are not isolated individuals, but integral parts of a larger social whole.
Let us find new inspiration from the paths and stone bridges that connect people and ideas, opening the way to freedom, as we strive for the sustainability of humanity— a fundamental principle of our collective existence.
“Atrapos (Pathway) of Water and Stone”, Visual notes
In the wild nature, the mountains and along the trails, rivers flow through forests and alpine landscapes. Artists, visitors, and the public capture unseen details and hidden facets with their cameras—secrets concealed along the paths of water and stone. This evolving photographic exhibition is created, renewed, and displayed daily within the exhibition space of the Zig Zag Festival.
Program, July 28 – August 3
July 28 – August 3 (daily 19:00 - 21:00)
Kypseli Primary School Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art, Pantelis Karalis and various locations throughout the village.
• Group exhibition “Freedom, a Bridge between Earth and Sky”
• “Atrapos (Pathway) of Water and Stone”, Visual notes. Participatory photographic project and exhibition featuring works by artists and the public.
• Performances, participatory workshops
• Artistic excursions / Site visits / Local cuisines, sustainable food practices
Monday, July 28
Opening Kypseli Tzoumerka / Epirus / Zig Zag Festival 2025
Tuesday, July 29
• Tsipouro distillation ritual
• Sof Fachouridou, Mapping workshop, short intoduction
• 21:00, Nefeli Stam, “Train Poetry”, sound performance
• Stratos Sterianos, experimental soundscapes based on traditional rythms
Wednesday, July, 30
• Guided tour by Kostas Angelis, Holy Monastery of Evangelistria in Kypseli (1700), featuring frescoes from the same period.
• Excursion to the rare cedar forest.
• Athina Vahla, Kinesiology Workshop in the nature of Kypseli.
Thursday, July 31
• Leftheris Plakidas, "Man and Nature", talk, presentation
• Athina Kanela, "Concrete", performance
• Music from Tzoumerka, Yiannis Kousiounelos, Roula Antoniou
Friday, August 1
Walks: Monastery of Kipina, Plaka Bridge (the single-arched stone bridge of 1863 over the Arachthos River), Syrrako in Tzoumerka, and the Red Church (a Byzantine church built in 1280 in the village of Vourgareli).
Saturday, August 2
18:00, Culinary workshop, Mrs. Chrysanthi Karali, Mrs. Alexia Bouri
Sunday, August, 3
21:00, Closing of the exhibition and zig zag festival
About Zig Zag Festival
Revisiting History and Nature through Contemporary Art
Zig Zag Festival was launched in 2021 as a platform for connecting Greek and international artists, local communities, and visitors with the lesser-known aspects of the Greek landscape. Every two years, the festival relocates to a new destination, offering fresh perspectives on the country's hidden regions, deep-rooted history, rich cultural heritage, and diverse topography. Sculptors, painters, new media and performance artists, as well as musicians, present their work in indoor venues and public spaces. Through a collaborative program of exhibitions and events, artists, locals, and visitors come together in meaningful exchange. For one week, the host village is transformed into a living visual canvas. In 2021 and 2022, Zig Zag Festival was realized in the village of Isternia on Tinos, before moving to Kissos, eastern Pelion during 2023–2024.
Kypseli (Chosepsi). Tzoumerka/ Epirus
The village of Kypseli in Tzoumerka, Pindos, is characterized by its pristine nature, diverse landscapes, and significant elevation differences—ranging from the barren alpine terrain to the verdant slopes, and from there to the waterfalls and lakes. This dramatic scenery immerses visitors in a mysterious environment of colors and sounds. The inaccessible and mountainous region of Tzoumerka has been inhabited since as early as 2000 BC, with the arrival of the ancient Athamanian tribes. Throughout its long and turbulent history, the area has witnessed numerous conquests and devastations, but also moments of greatness, prosperity, and glory. A particularly rich chapter of its history was written in the modern era when Tzoumerka became one of the most significant centers of Greek Kleftouria and the renowned Armatoliki. The rugged and steep mountainous landscape provided an ideal refuge for the Klephts and Armatoli. These mountains fostered a spirit of freedom, leading to the designation of their villages as “free capital villages” during the Ottoman period. However, the region’s mountainous and inaccessible terrain led to the formation of closed communities with distinct characteristics, while also driving intense internal migration to other regions and large urban centers. This history is vividly reflected in the region’s folk songs, which form a unique musical idiom.
* The former name of Kypseli was Chosepsi. The prevailing view is that “Chosepsi” originates from the village’s natural setting and is a compound of the words “chaos” and “opsis.” The village is nestled between two hills—Ambelia to the west and Tzouma to the east—with the Goura River flowing at a lower elevation along its edge. The combination of these elements creates a sense of “chaos.” An alternative interpretation suggests that the name derives from *chosia* (ambush) and *opsis* (view), referring to the village’s location, which made it well-suited for an ambush while offering a vantage point with an unobstructed view to the south.
* Source: https://kypseliartas.gr/ονομασία/
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