On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at the Benaki Museum / Pireos 138, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete and the Municipality of Rethymno, in collaboration with the Benaki Museum, will inaugurate the art exhibition “WHAT YOU ARE IS WHAT YOU ARE.” The exhibition, which will run from March 5 to May 24, 2026, brings Greek and international artists and designers into a creative dialogue, exploring the dynamic relationship between fashion and contemporary art.

With this exhibition, which was first presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete in Rethymno from May 17 to October 31, 2025, curators Maria Marangou, Maria Panagidou, and Stavros Kavallaris, attempt to highlight the two-way relationship between fashion and the challenges of our time, as expressed and influenced by contemporary art, and the innovative ideas it presents.

A key feature of the exhibition is the special tribute to the great Rethymno fashion designer of international renown, Sofia Kokosalaki, who brought honor to Greece throughout the world and passed away too soon. The tribute presents twenty-four of her creations, most of which come from the collection of her family and collector friends.

The Benaki Museum / Pireos 138 presents works by thirty (30) artists and designers:

Eleonora Antoniadou, Dimitris Antonitsis, Eugenia Apostolou, Vanessa Beecroft, Blind Adam, Antonis Volanakis, Hussein Chalayan, Christos Delidimos, Stamatis Zannos, Bill Georgoussis, René Habermacher, Rebecca Horn, Travis Hutchison, Anestis Ioannou, Marianna Kavallieratou, Lefteris Kanakakis, Yael Kanarek, Kapurani Bros, Sofia Kokosalaki, Sofia Kosmaoglou, Yannis Bournias, Aliki Palaska, Angelos Papadimitriou, Maria Papadimitriou, Yannis Siskos, Christiana Soulu, Efi Spyrou, Versaweiss, Pantelis Chandris, and Nikos Charalambidis.

The works come from the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST), the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete (MCC), the ATOPOS Contemporary Culture Organization, art galleries, private collections, and the artists themselves.

The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual (Greek & English) catalog, reprinted on the occasion of the exhibition at the Benaki Museum. The photographs and details of the works are accompanied by short texts by the artists themselves.

Guided tours for the public by the curators will take place on the following days and times:

Saturday, April 4, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 25, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 25, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.