Katerina Papanikolopoulos | Athens Design Forum

Katerina Papanikolopoulos is the Founder and Creative Director of Athens Design Forum, a non-profit initiative introducing an experimental format for experiencing design in Athens. With the aim to solidify the Mediterranean as a historical and contemporary center of creative production, ADF advocates for an interdisciplinary approach and evidently encourages design as a social tool that is interwoven with heritage and migration patterns. 

Following engagements with international galleries and fairs, such as Blum & Poe, Frieze, and Adorno International Design Collaboration, her new role is a natural transition as she comes from a family of architects, builders, and makers of vernacular craft. Today, we sit down with the founder and Creative Director to discuss the upcoming Athens Design Forum and she gives us her guide to Athens, Greece. 

Where are you from originally and where do you live now?  I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota surrounded by the mentorship of two immigrant parents - my mother is a refugee from Cyprus and my father grew up in beloved Piraeus, the port of Athens. When Covid-19 took full reign over the world, I decided to move to Greece after finishing my studies at UCLA.

Tell us about your background?  I was a child who always had a schedule - constantly in a car, driving from ballet and voice lessons to theater rehearsals. It was this infrastructure that became my training, and gave me a purpose from a really young age. As I grew older, these elements fused and I felt the world of film was the most acute coming-together of creative abilities. I used to spend full afternoons at the age of fourteen in the film archives of the Walker Art Center... looking at rare films from Latin America, The Middle East... all in one room...all in Minneapolis. 

What did you study? What was your thesis about? 

I studied Art History at UCLA - specifically, with an interest in Islamic and Latin American Art as well as Architecture and Performance Studies.  I dedicated my preliminary thesis to Bridal Costumes from Koropi, Greece due to the socio-cultural significance and their elaborate, interwoven metaphors. I completed my research through the Benaki Museum and LACMA [Los Angeles County Museum of Art] with a scholarship from the American Hellenic Council. 

Why did you decide to move to Athens from LA?  It was an intuitive need - I took a chance and let each day guide me.  I lived three full years in Los Angeles, constantly in traffic as I was interning full-time alongside my studies. Right before Covid, I was given the chance to represent Blum&Poe at the Neutra VDL House for Frieze... I met primarily architects from Beirut, Germany, and France during my time there and it became evident my next chapter would be in Europe. I longed for the everyday intricacies that Greece provides and is home to, as well as its people and history. 

How did you become the Founder and involved in the Athens Design Forum?  With a historical background in archive research, I aimed to create a platform dedicated to the field of design through an interdisciplinary approach. It was important for me to establish a base for design principles stemming from the region’s heritage and to then tie them into contemporary dialogues surrounding design production.

Who else is involved?  At the moment, the creative production is run solely by myself, but I have a dedicated international advisory board that supports me. Likewise, friends and family have guided me from the beginning as this small idea found roots. 

What exactly is the Athens Design Forum?  Athens Design Forum is an experimental format for experiencing design in Athens. As a non-profit, our mission is to engage the public through intimate exhibitions in unexpected spaces and to eventually provide a platform for international designers to collaborate with local heritage, craft, and makers. 

Who is being showcased?  The inaugural event includes a myriad scope of events that aim to showcase the broad range of design that is prevalent in Greece. From the intricately developed Alekos Fassianos Estate, which will be open to the public for the first time, to the Kyspeli residence of Dionisis Sotovikis, ADF utilizes architecture and design to explore our relation to space, objects, and evidently - to one another. 

What makes Athens design unique/different?  Greek design, from a historical perspective, does not uniquely exist - it is influenced heavily by the fertile geographical location that provides input from both the East and West. Just as people travel, so do motifs, symbols, and technologies... to better amplify everyday life needs. 

What are you most excited about? Are there any galleries/designers/exhibitions you are particularly excited to share with the world?  Each event provides a different approach to understanding the contemporary or historical effect of design in Athens. This year, a highlighted event will include Stamos Michael and KN Group’s installation and exhibition as it was developed for this occasion and ADF’s mission. Likewise, it will be one of the most interactive events in an unexpected, abandoned space behind a well-known museum, Vorres.

The collaboration with The Benaki Museum Shop is also noteworthy as they were some of the first pioneers in advocating for regional craft & design. The exhibition that will be held highlights the evolution of ceramics, in particular, a noteworthy sector influenced by local production. Carwan Gallery’s inclusion is also of importance as it heralds forth a new era of design representation - the use of architectural space in Piraeus, mixed with the philosophy and patronage of Carwan, provides a new Mediterranean base for dialogues surrounding methods of viewing and experiencing design.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center is one of the most remarkable design-centric accomplishments in Athens. The guided tours provide ample opportunities to intimately meet the architects and minds who propose such concepts in a city that is rapidly transforming.

Are there any workshops/seminars during Design Forum that you are excited about/interested in attending?  This year, our open studio series features Kostas Lambridis’ workshop that is in a lesser-known region outside of Athens that used to bustle with industrial and commercial production.

ATHENS CITY GUIDE

Favorite hotels and why?  Esperinos by Stamos Michael, it is only one room so do book quickly! It is located in my favorite part of Athens near Filopappou hill. The interior and intimate courtyard harken back to the vernacular architecture of the region while the re-integration of contemporary elements such as his own designs bridge the past and present. 

Favorite bars, cafes, restaurants and why?  Favorite restaurants include “To Auyo tou Kokkora” in Metaxouryeio and “Margaro” in Piraeus for shrimp. For a nightcap, Heteroclito. My daily spot is “To Kati Allo” for a family-run restaurant serving traditional dishes across from the Acropolis Museum. 

Favorite museums? Galleries? Monuments? Cultural places?  The Benaki Islamic Museum, The Centre for Popular Craft & Tradition, and the Yiannis Pappas Studio. 

Must-sees for first-time visitors or tourists?  The Athenian Agora. It is endless... 

Favorite day or weekend trips? Beaches?  Small coves near Kavouri Beach, which are approximately 35 minutes from the center! If you are desperate for a getaway, take a day trip to Hydra to find my favorite hidden swim spot. 

Text: Veronica H. Speck