Zen Painting: The Sound of Silence
Aspects of Japanese Culture at MMGC
25 June – 23 August 2026
The Museum of Modern Greek Culture and the Corfu Museum of Asian Art are
co-organizing the temporary exhibition “Zen Painting: The Sound of Silence”, under the auspices of the Embassy of Japan in Greece.
Following its successful presentation in Corfu in 2025, the exhibition is being reintroduced in Athens to showcase a private collection of rare Japanese scroll paintings (kakemono), dating from the 15th to the 19th century and inextricably linked to the philosophy and visual expression of Zen Buddhism. Visitors have the opportunity to discover characteristic aspects of Japanese culture through a journey of introspection, inspired by Zen artists and the refined aesthetics of authentic kakemono.
Concurrently, selected objects from the Japanese Collection of the Museum of Asian Art are hosted in a specially designed Japanese tea ceremony room. This visual rendering of the traditional space keeps the spirit of the ritual alive, inviting the visitor to experience a comprehensive sense of tranquillity and aesthetic observation, perfectly harmonized with the environment of the Zen exhibition.
In the same building, the Museum of Modern Greek Culture is presenting, for the first time in Greece, the touring exhibition of the Japan Foundation in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Greece, entitled “Ningyo: Art and Beauty of Japanese Dolls”. Through 67 exhibits, visitors discover the typology, the diverse uses, and the rich symbolism of the Japanese doll as a talisman, an artistic creation, a folk-art artefact and a collectable item.
Both exhibitions are hosted at the Temporary Exhibitions Building of MMGC,
located at 9 Kladou Street in Monastiraki, from 25 June to 23 August 2026.
Exhibition Information
Venue: Temporary Exhibitions Building – Museum of Modern Greek Culture,
9 Kladou Street, Monastiraki, Athens
Duration of the exhibitions: 25 June – 23 August 2026
Opening hours: 09:30 – 16:30, Thursday to Sunday
Information: 210 3243785 and 210 3239382
