A tactile exploration of Art

At the Museum of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation

Have you ever thought about touching an El Greco? Or listening to a Van Gogh? Would you like to be guided through the magic of classical artworks by trained guides with visual impairment? A unique exhibition opens on January 7 at the Museum of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in Pangrati.

We are delighted to invite you to the opening of the tactile art exhibition “A tactile exploration of Art” on Wednesday, January 7, 19:00–21:00, at the Museum of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in Pangrati. The exhibition is implemented within the framework of AMAKA’s TouchingART programme and will run until Sunday, February 1, 2026. liminal supports TouchingART by contributing to the design and implementation of accessibility services.

A visual artwork with abstract shapes in purple and blue tones features thick splashes of paint scattered across the canvas. Two hands gently touch its textured, relief surface. On the upper right side of the image, the text appears in white letters: “Touching Art: A tactile exploration of Art.” The letter G is rendered using the four dots of the Braille system. At the bottom, in small white letters, information is provided about the multisensory exhibition at the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, running from January 7 to February 1.

A tactile exploration of Art

This is a multisensory, participatory-curated exhibition featuring works based on the Foundation’s permanent collection. The exhibition is open to all identities and abilities, including sighted audiences and people with blindness, and includes:

  • 6 tactile artworks
  • Audio Description in Greek
  • soundscapes
  • Braille text
  • adapted guided tours

A core aim of AMAKA is to foster the active participation of people with visual impairment across the artistic process, including the creation of tactile artworks and the delivery of guided tours, as a way of addressing questions of equal access to culture through alternative approaches. Within this framework, people with lived experience of blindness were trained to become guides for the programme’s temporary exhibition.

If you wish to take part in the guided tours or creative workshops at the Museum of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in Athens, you may send an email to [email protected]. The exhibition will run until Sunday, February 1, 2026, and is accessible to people with blindness accompanied by a companion.

How does subjective representation transcend the visual and objective image?

The TouchingART creative practice views museum accessibility as an organic, co-creative process rather than a mere service provision. It is an art therapy–informed practice that explores sensory awareness, the subjective relationship with images, imagination, and memory as essential components of the aesthetic experience.

liminal contributes to the design and implementation of Audio Description services and the digital accessibility of the selected artworks.

The exhibition seeks to challenge the traditional, vision-centred reading of art by activating all the senses and repositioning the body and touch at the heart of the interpretive process. Visitors are invited to touch, listen, explore, and interact with the works, entering a process of multisensory understanding in which touch and sound play an equally decisive role.

Scientific Coordinators

Niovi Stavropoulou, Psychologist & Art Therapist (MSc) | Loukia Chaidemenaki, Research Psychologist & Art Therapist (PhDc, MSc, ECPh)

Research & Tactile Artwork Production Team

Niovi Stavropoulou, Psychologist & Art Therapist (MSc) | Loukia Chaidemenaki, Research Psychologist & Art Therapist (PhDc, MSc, ECPh) | Danae Sakellari, Visual Artist, Costume Designer (MA) Andromachi Vrakatseli, Sound Artist, Sound Researcher (PostDoc) | Dimitra Siani, Musician / Music Therapist (MA)

Useful information

Location: Museum of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation in Pangrati (Amphitheater’s Foyer, level -3)

Exhibition Opening

Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Time: 19:00-21:00
Free admission

Museum Opening Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday: 10:00 – 18:00
Tuesday: Closed
Friday: 10:00 – 20:00
Free admission

The exhibition will run until Sunday, February 1, 2026.

The exhibition will not be open on January 17 and January 29.

The Touching Art program is implemented under the framework of the “Creative Greece — Promoting Universal Accessibility of Persons with Disabilities in Culture” program, with funding and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.

In six white panels, information about the Touching Art programme, as well as the contributors to the programme “A tactile exploration of Art”, is presented in Greek and in Braille.