Inspired by Tatiana Gecmen-Waldek, art director and curator, Artrove introduces a new way of reawakening the city—one that invites visitors to wander through the Voukourestiou area and, through this exploration, discover contemporary art beyond the confines of a traditional gallery. Inspired by the figure of the flâneur—the urban wanderer—Artrove embraces curiosity, movement and the pleasure of walking through the city, as explored in the writings of poets Charles Baudelaire and Guillaume Apollinaire.
For three weeks, eleven of the area’s most recognisable luxury brands will collaborate with nine contemporary Greek galleries, presenting specially curated artistic interventions by Greek and international artists. Painting, sculpture, photography, installations and video will temporarily inhabit the participating stores, transforming them into elegant, ephemeral exhibition spaces and creating an unprecedented dialogue between art, craftsmanship, luxury and, of course, fashion. Each collaboration unfolds within a specially conceived framework that encourages authentic encounters between artists, galleries and brands, bringing new energy to Athens’ urban fabric.
Artrove launches on Tuesday, 22 September with opening events across all participating venues, inviting art and fashion enthusiasts, visitors to the city and the wider public to discover Athens through a new cultural lens. The programme combines music, dance, poetry and contemporary artistic expression:
- 18:30 | Athénée: The event opens with a performance by the City of Athens Philharmonic Orchestra, attended by Roxani Bei, President of the City of Athens Organisation for Culture, Sports and Youth.
- 19:15–19:30 | 9 Voukourestiou Street: This will be followed by Soul Art, a music and dance performance.
- 20:00–21:00 | 1 Voukourestiou Street: The evening continues with a live poetry performance by Alexcia Panay, creating a distinctive dialogue between poetry, art and the urban space.
Artrove highlights collaboration as a creative force. Selected shop windows in the Voukourestiou area are transformed into cultural destinations, where every walk becomes an opportunity for artistic discovery.
Brands & Galleries Collaborations
- Kalogirou + Dio Horia — Petros Efstathiadis
- Callista + Rarity Gallery — Carole Feuerman
- Kessaris + Rebecca Camhi Gallery — Nan Goldin, Konstantinos Kakanias, Sean Launders, Ross Bleckner
- Athénée + George Benias Gallery
- Zolotas + Kalfayan Gallery — Farida El Gazzar
- Drizos Flowers + Artrove Athens Curation Projects — Diane Alexandre
- Enny Monaco + Art & Design Shop Zoumboulakis Galleries — Thomas Heatherwick, Ron Arad, Douglas Knesse
- Christakis Athens + George Benias Gallery — Vassilis H
- Pentheroudakis + Just Art Project — Stella Kapezanou
- Hotel Lozenge + Just Art Project — Alexandros Kassandrinos, Venia Bechraki, Maria Andreou
- Aesthet + Kourd Gallery — Venia Dimitrakopoulou
Artrove marks an exciting new chapter, bringing an international format to Athens inspired by successful cultural initiatives that activate entire cities, while drawing at the same time on the city’s own contemporary creative renaissance.
With the kind support of the City of Athens and Panas Group.
About
Tatiana Gecmen-Waldek is an independent art advisor specialising in ultra-contemporary art, with more than fifteen years of experience across art direction, curatorial practice and cultural strategy.
A graduate in International Cultural and Business Studies, she also brings extensive experience in business consulting, which informs her highly tailored approach to advising collectors, cultural institutions, luxury houses, architects and international art fairs.
Known for her discerning eye and ability to identify emerging trends within the art world, Tatiana develops cultural content across a range of formats, including exhibitions, limited editions, pop-up installations, site-specific works and long-term artistic programmes. Her practice is defined by a broad spectrum of collaborations with private and institutional collections, galleries, auction houses and international art fairs, reflecting both her versatility and the strength of her professional network.
Following six years of collaboration with the Italian luxury house Etro across Frieze London, Frieze New York and FIAC, Tatiana expanded her practice, placing an increasing focus on curatorial production and cultural programme development. In 2021, as a key member of the artistic committee of the international art fair Asia Now in Paris, she founded and directed Tehran Now, a platform dedicated to ultra-contemporary Iranian art, while also creating the sound programme Variations on the Unexpected Theme. During the same period, she served as ambassador for The Art Gorgeous House in France.
In 2022, she produced the photographic series Paris and Palermo by German photographer Axel Hütte, one of the leading figures of the Düsseldorf School of Photography. That same year, she produced and curated the exhibition Entre les Mondes in Lisbon, while curating Merging Horizon in collaboration with Galerie An-Anbar in London. She also co-authored an article on Italian collector and publisher Achille Mauri for Acne Paper No. 17.
Since 2022, Tatiana Gecmen-Waldek has been developing and overseeing two artistic residency programmes. She currently serves as Creative Director at Serpetinis, a Greek family-owned marble company with a history spanning more than 150 years. There, she established the company’s first artist residency programme, creating a dialogue between excellence in craftsmanship and artisanal tradition and contemporary artistic practices, with a strong emphasis on sustainability through the reuse of marble remnants.
Alongside this, she works as a curator at Joali Maldives, a luxury resort in the Indian Ocean, collaborating with international artists working across collectible design, visual arts, virtual reality and augmented reality. She guides them in incorporating local cultures and traditional craftsmanship into their practices.
In 2025, Tatiana curated two exhibitions in Hydra: Lethos/Lethe at Hydra School Project, in collaboration with Greek artist Dimitrios Antonitsis, and Marble Riddles at The Old Carpet Factory, featuring Mexican muralist Esteban Fuentes de María and British muralist Holly Biørklund. She also began collaborations with the new Acne Paper Palais Royal gallery and the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens.
Her portfolio includes collaborations with leading international houses and brands such as Giorgio Armani, Etro, Roger Vivier, Cartier, Maison Kitsuné, Tod’s, Vhernier and Diptyque.
Under the pseudonym BadBadTati, she writes and records audio stories, working closely with video artists, electronic music producers and luxury houses, further expanding her practice into sound and narrative forms.
Having lived in Salzburg, Milan, Berlin and Lisbon, Tatiana, an Austrian national, now divides her time between Paris, where she was born and raised, and Athens.
“I develop cultural positioning strategies based on the methodologies of contemporary art.”
