Legendary figures who lived, created, or left their mark on Thessaloniki —in a manner defined only by time— come together at the Case Studio space, in MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki, from 1 to 20 September, 2026. These individuals —drawn from the city’s urban history, from the annals of major historical events, and from the poetry, the music, and then politics, or even simply from right next door— meet here, whether by happenstance or as a…timeflake.

Based on the new hybrid book under the title “Timeflake. 45 stories of Thessaloniki, crafted with words and paper sculpture” (Epikentro, 2026) by Stefanos Tsitsopoulos and Thanasis Georgiou —a volume dedicated to the city’s figures and timeless facets through unique personalities, landmarks, and routes— the synonymous art installation serves as a visual transposition of a slalom through history.

The coined term “timeflake” precisely describes the shifting movement between the city’s eras, forms, landscapes, and mythologies across the centuries. Drawing inspiration and reference from the palimpsest of Thessaloniki —a city which is rich in memories and present realities, transformations and future aspirations— 45 stories centered on the city are transformed into original paper-sculpture works and displayed in the space. Words, paper, colors, images, and sounds aim to capture the endless nature of our journey through time; together, we listen to and wander through the heart of the city’s myths.

From Kamara to the “Selini” club, from the Ottoman fountains in the Upper Town (Ano Poli) to the workers' housing in the neighborhood Finikas, the copy shops on Melenikou Street, the “Berlin” bar, the Ladadika district, and Nikos Papazoglou’s music studio “Agrotikon” studio in Kato Toumba area; alongside the band Trypes, Yiannis Boutaris with his unfiltered cigarettes, musician LEX, writer Nikos Gavriil Pentzikis, musician Dionysis Savvopoulos, poet Dinos Christianopoulos, orator and philosopher Cicero, fashion designer Sero Abrahamian, poet Manolis Anagnostakis, politician Ho Chi Minh, and the legendary basketball player Aristeidis Moumoglou —wearing the jersey of the Byzantine Athletic Club— they all mark the starting point, and the timeflake unfolds.

Post-opening Event 

On Tuesday, 15 September 2026, at 19:00, we meet at MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art to share many stories —using words, paper, and more— during an evening where we will also write new stories of our own!

CV notes 

Stefanos Tsitsopoulos makes his living through words. A journalist, author, and radio producer, he was born in Alexandroupoli in 1964 and spent his teenage years in Xanthi, though he also considers Thessaloniki his home. He has collaborated with various magazines and radio and tv stations. Today, he writes for Athens Voice, while his idiosyncratic music shows are hosted on Imagine 89.7. He made his literary debut in 2010 with Flaneur (Ianos), followed by Rock Star (Metaichmio, 2019), Ta Chloma Sintrivania tis Fokionos Negri (Oxy, 2021), and I Anthoula Stathopoulou stin Egnatia me Nevra (Armos, 2024). He studied Law and Communication, served on the Board of Trustees of the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, and was an Artistic Advisor for the Dimitria Cultural Festival. His motto is a line spoken by his friend and fellow native from Evros, Renos Haralambidis, in the film Ftina Tsigara: “Life knows, and I trust it”.

Designer Thanasis Georgiou (designmono) has designed magazines, newspapers, publications, and books for various publishing houses, and has created designs for cultural events, visual identities, and product packaging. He has overseen the design of permanent collections in various Greek museums and has designed numerous cultural exhibitions for foundations and museums. He worked as the creative-art director for the magazine division of the Makedonia newspaper (1999–2005) and founded the creative studio designmono. He has received awards in competitions both in Greece and abroad (European Newspaper Design Awards [Aachen], EBGE, etc.) and has participated in poster and graphic design biennials (Golden Bee Moscow, Brno International Biennial, Tehran International Poster Biennial, etc.).

A pioneer in digital printing technology developments for 30 years, Whale Graphics has tranformed the “Timeflake” of words and images by Tsitsopoulos and Georgiou into a truly unique, eco-friendly execution involving printing, cutting, engraving, and 3D printing. Bridging design with implementation and combining technology, innovative materials, and production expertise, Whale Graphics plays an active role in the cultural landscape of Greece; the 1997 European Capital of Culture in 1997, the Olympic Games in 2004, the Thessaloniki Metro in 2023, and the Museum Thessalonikeon Mitropolis in 2026, are just a few examples of the cultural projects it has brought to life.

Artworks’ photos / portraits: Lazaros Grekos 

Exhibition Supporters: Whale Graphics, Anatolikos Vineyards – Athanasios and Marios Nikolaidis, Local Thessaloniki, Ariadne Perraki & Perrakis Papers S.A.