Summary
- The exhibition “Orestis Pagkalos.
- Works, Graffiti, Archive” runs from August 27 to October 4, 2026 at MOMUS
- It includes more than 500 photographs, videos, installations, objects and historical archival material
- The material spans four decades and activity across 14 countries, 17 European and 30 Greek cities and regions
- The opening takes place on Thursday, August 27 at 20:00
- The updated official listing places the Meet the Artist event on Thursday, September 17 at 18:00
The exhibition “Orestis Pagkalos. Works, Graffiti, Archive” brings an extensive body of material on graffiti, public space and Thessaloniki’s subcultures to the MOMUS-Experimental Center for the Arts.
The exhibition opens at the Port of Thessaloniki on Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 20:00 and runs until October 4, presenting artworks, photographic documents, installations, videos, publications and objects from Orestis Pagkalos’ career. The dates and opening time are confirmed by MOMUS’ official exhibition page.
The exhibition is particularly interesting for the way it attempts to preserve and reintroduce into a museum setting an art form that is temporary by nature: graffiti that may be erased, walls that change and interventions in public space that ultimately survive through photographs, archives and physical remnants.
More than 500 photographs and material spanning four decades
According to the exhibition information, the show includes more than 500 photographs of murals and graffiti, photographs of installations, screenings, videos, objects collected from the street and historical archival material. The material extends from Orestis Pagkalos’ first graffiti works in 1993 to his later artistic and exhibition interventions, covering 14 countries, 17 European and 30 Greek cities and regions.
The exhibition is curated by Areti Leopoulou, Deputy Artistic Director of the MOMUS-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, and Thodoris Markoglou, art historian and MOMUS curator.
Practical information and Meet the Artist
The MOMUS-Experimental Center for the Arts is located at Warehouse B1, Pier A, Port of Thessaloniki. Its current opening hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 and Thursday from 12:00 to 20:00, while it is closed on Mondays. Current standard admission is listed at €5, with a reduced ticket at €4 and different rates for scheduled guided tours and combined tickets.
There is one important calendar clarification: the Press Release reproduced in full below states “Friday, September 17” for the Meet the Artist event. The current official MOMUS page, however, lists Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 18:00, while the ticketing platform also lists the event for Thursday, September 17, from 18:00 to 20:00, with tickets starting at €4.
Press Release in full
Thessaloniki, August 18, 2026
Press Release
Exhibition “Orestis Pagkalos. Works, Graffiti, Archive”
MOMUS-Experimental Center for the Arts (Warehouse B1, Pier A, Port of Thessaloniki)
August 27 – October 4, 2026
Opening: Thursday, August 27, 2026, 20:00
From the markings made by anonymous people in caves, on trees, walls and columns, to the 1960s in Philadelphia and New York and the reaction of marginalized young people and the creation of an underground culture, and on to the institutionalized festivals in Thessaloniki and Athens in the mid-1990s in Greece, graffiti is perhaps one of the most enduring and influential forms of street art. But how can an art form that belongs to the street and public space be exhibited in museums? How can the existence of graffiti be documented when it is erased/demolished/covered?
The exhibition titled “Orestis Pagkalos. Works, Graffiti, Archive,” presented at the MOMUS-Experimental Center for the Arts at the Port of Thessaloniki from August 27 to October 4, 2026, is neither a historical or retrospective record of all of the above, nor an unconditional affirmative answer to these questions. Orestis Pagkalos constructs a non-linear reading of Thessaloniki’s subculture, which lives in every aspect of the city and its surroundings, where artworks, documents, photographs, publications, collections and fragments of its urban and natural landscape function as equal versions of memory — as monuments.
The exhibition presents original and previously unpublished photographic documents, from his first graffiti works in 1993 to his installations and exhibition interventions. With more than 500 photographs of murals and graffiti, dozens of photographs of his installations in exhibitions and public spaces, objects collected from the street, dozens of screenings and videos, and historical archival material spanning four decades, 14 countries, 17 European and 30 Greek cities and regions, the exhibition approaches subcultures as a palimpsest and reconstructs another human geography of the city.
Pagkalos’ work has existed, has been documented and has also, quite literally, been detached from pavements, benches, walls and steps, from that public space which belongs and will always belong to those who dare to live it.
Curated by: Areti Leopoulou, Deputy Artistic Director, MOMUS-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography / Thodoris Markoglou, Art Historian, Curator, MOMUS
Biography
Orestis Pagkalos is an architect, visual artist, PhD holder in Art Theory and university lecturer. His work develops across contemporary art, theory, architecture and public space, combining artistic practice with research, writing, publishing and university teaching. At the same time, he is active in the design and coordination of research programs, workshops and conferences, the creation of exhibition installations and music videos, and participation in documentaries.
Since 1993, he has been actively involved in street art, having created hundreds of murals and dozens of installations in public space. He is considered one of the most influential figures in Greek graffiti, contributing significantly both to the formation of the scene and to its historical documentation. During his career, he has participated in artistic and research groups, street-art collectives and music groups.
Since 2017, he has taught theoretical and studio courses in postgraduate programs at the University of Ioannina, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Hellenic Open University and the University of Thessaly, while he has also collaborated with the National Technical University of Athens and the University of the Aegean.
His texts and artworks have been published in Greek and international publications, both academic and independent, contributing to a broader dialogue around contemporary art, graffiti, public space and visual culture.
Meet the Artist
On Friday, September 17, at 18:00, Orestis Pagkalos and the exhibition’s curators, Areti Leopoulou and Thodoris Markoglou, will guide visitors through “Works, Graffiti, Archive,” its themes, Thessaloniki’s subcultures and their local expression.
Tickets are available online **here ** https://shorturl.at/0fmvi or in person from the Museum Reception. Reduced prices apply to specific categories.
*Relevant identification or card must be presented.
MOMUS-Experimental Center for the Arts
Warehouse B1, Pier A, Port of Thessaloniki
T: +30 2310 593270, 546683
Days & opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10:00-18:00, Thursday: 12:00-20:00
What we think
The exhibition is particularly relevant because it does not treat graffiti simply as an image on a wall, but as part of an urban memory that often disappears along with the surface on which it was created. Bringing together photographs, objects and archival material can provide an important record both of the history of Greek graffiti and of the changing public space of Thessaloniki.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Orestis Pagkalos exhibition take place?
“Orestis Pagkalos. Works, Graffiti, Archive” runs from August 27 to October 4, 2026, with the opening taking place on Thursday, August 27 at 20:00.
Where is the exhibition being held?
At the MOMUS-Experimental Center for the Arts, Warehouse B1, Pier A, Port of Thessaloniki.
What does the exhibition include?
More than 500 photographs of murals and graffiti, photographs of installations, videos, screenings, objects from public space and historical archival material documenting Orestis Pagkalos’ artistic activity.
When is the Meet the Artist event?
The updated official MOMUS listing and ticketing platform state Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 18:00. The original Press Release reproduced in full above states “Friday, September 17.”
