Heretics / Ketzer

Artistic survival within the infinity of compliance

As societies evolve, unconventional thinkers seek to develop their own perspectives without dissolving into conformity. Yet the medieval perception of modernism as sacrilege, condemning its bearer as a heretic deserving death, has not entirely vanished. How fiercely one must struggle to seek a space for survival within the vast oceans of conformity—and claim their space in the firmament of the arts.

The belief that art is immutable, that artists are bound by the aesthetic conventions of their time, and that immortal art is impossible stands in stark contrast to a world where heretics dare to create the unexpected, challenge conventions, and risk being burned at the stake.

In the exhibition diptych Heretics / Ketzer, international artists are invited to present their spaces of survival, where resilience and constant negotiation become acts of artistic existence.

Since 2012, Back to Athens has invited us to return to our city and rediscover Athens through a different perspective, exploring its everyday life, buildings, routes, history, and culture through the works and interventions of participating artists. This year’s edition, entitled Back to Athens 2026 | Popup-Preview, takes place in CHEAPART’s historic building in Exarchia Square, where two former bars are transformed into the backdrop for an unexpected, three-part artistic production. The program unfolds in three phases: opening on October 21 with the exhibition “ROBOMANTICS,” continuing on October 27 with “Heretics / Ketzer / Αιρετικοί,” and concluding with “austrogenous zones” on November 9.
Within these dark spaces, unfolds a dramatic journey through image and sound, a simulation of emotions and struggles between a living past and a present that seems to have worn away prematurely. Thirty-five international artists and curators come together in the heart of Athens, at CHEAPART, a venue that has served continuously since 1995 as a meeting point for artists and cultural practitioners, a breeding ground for new ideas and pioneering artistic perspectives, and living proof that culture remains a timeless means of escape in an age of futile passions, confrontations, and barbarity.

Gianluca Capozzi, Dominykas Cinauskas, Die 4 Grazien (Mela Diamant, Susanna Schwarz, G.Maria Wetter), Petra Forman, Eugenia Grammenou, Faidra Karantzou, Andrea Kurtz, Clemens Luser, Mads Marone, Christos Metaxotos, Wendelin Pressl, Elio Samara, Susanna Schwarz, Olga Shapovalova, Christiane Spatt.

Curated by: George Georgakopoulos

Organised by APART Art Research and Applications, with the financial support and under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, with the support of the Austrian Embassy Athens, coordinated by CHEAPART, with the participation of Athens Intersection.

Heretics / Ketzer
October 27 - November 1, 2026
Back to Athens, International Art Meeting 2026 | Popup Preview
25 A. Metaxa & Themistokleous 68, 10681 Athens, Exarxeia


November 23 – 27, 2026
Splitart Projects, Wien
Georg Georgakopoulos, Michalis Argyrou
Radetzkystrasse 4, 1030 Wien