Opening: Thursday 12 June 2025, 19:00

Acknowledging that the keenest observers of the world are either painters and artists, or scientists, the new exhibition at the MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki "The King is Naked" -from 12 June to 14 September 2025- puts the quote from Andersen's well-known fairy tale at its center, identifying the acclaimed painters Vasilis Vasilakakis, Vangelis Gokas and Ilias Papailakis as its core protagonists.

In an age obsessed with images yet intent on merely skimming through them, three painters have chosen to observe the world from a state of stillness —not in reaction, but in reverence to the image. Vasilis Vasilakakis (b. 1968), Vangelis Gokas (b. 1969) and Ilias Papailiakis (b. 1970) present their work in a single exhibition, pursuing an artistic dialogue that allows a conversation of textures, deep shadows, and colors, bringing together three leading figures of contemporary Greek painting, united, yet distinct. Each has pursued his own path, yet all share a common denominator: a devotion to painting as a spiritual practice as well as a deeply philosophical endeavor.

The exhibition is therefore an attempt to stage a quiet rebellion of painting, against those who repeatedly proclaim its demise, only to be refuted time and again, and in celebration of its unique power to conjure new images and represent things that always escape our initial gaze.

Curated by: Yannis Bolis, Areti Leopoulou, Art historians, MOMus Curators