Gallery of Contemporary Balkan Art, Kontias

The Gallery of Contemporary Balkan Art in Kontias on Lemnos was founded in 2007 and hosts paintings by artists from the Balkan countries. The idea was born almost a decade earlier, when the Cultural Association of Kontiatinoi, active in the traditional village of Kontias, decided to organize a Balkan art symposium. The first was held in 1999 and was the precursor to the gallery’s creation. Artists from Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, FYROM, and Turkey created works, taught local children, and donated their creations to the association. The depiction of Lemnos through the eyes of prominent Balkan artists formed the core of the collection, which has since been enriched with temporary exhibitions by well-known and younger creators—even students. The gallery is housed in a traditional stone-built building of Lemnos that has been renovated and adapted to its new use.