Returning to Antiparos and Maison Bardot for the second time, Athens-based gallery ANTIQUA presents by the sea, a seasonal curatorial project unfolding throughout June, July, and August 2026. Following its inaugural intervention in 2024, the gallery renews its dialogue with a setting that deliberately exceeds the conventional definition of an exhibition space, operating as a hybrid environment that offers an alternative framework for experiencing twentieth-century design.
Far removed from the neutrality of the contemporary white cube, Maison Bardot is defined by the tactile qualities and atmospheric sensibility of Cycladic architecture.
Limewashed and clay-rendered surfaces, pigmented terracotta floors, softly curving volumes, and diffused natural light establish a porous spatial condition in which the boundaries between interior and exterior continually dissolve.
Rather than serving merely as a backdrop, the architecture becomes an active participant in the exhibition, fundamentally shaping the perception of the objects it accommodates.
Within this environment, twentieth-century furniture, lighting, and seating pieces are presented not as decorative artefacts but as autonomous spatial presences. Their forms engage directly with architecture, light, and the changing rhythms of island life, inviting visitors to encounter historical design beyond the familiar contexts of domestic interiors or museum displays.
Instead of reconstructing a period setting, by the sea explores how collectible design acquires renewed meaning through materiality, atmosphere, and spatial continuity.
The exhibition unfolds as a network of subtle correspondences. Patinated surfaces, proportions, textures, and formal tensions resonate with the architectural matter of Maison Bardot, proposing a notion of value rooted not in preservation alone but in duration, memory, and transformation.
Echoing Carlo Scarpa’s understanding of material as a language rather than a passive support, the project suggests that architecture and objects continuously generate meaning through their coexistence over time.
Beginning on July 18, by the sea expands through a collaboration with Massimo De Carlo, introducing ceramic works by American artist Brian Rochefort (Rhode Island, 1985). Characterised by volcanic textures, layered chromatic surfaces, and unstable organic geometries, Rochefort’s sculptures establish a compelling dialogue with ANTIQUA’s historical design collection, further reinforcing the exhibition’s exploration of materiality as an active, evolving condition.
Conceived as an evolving seasonal project rather than a singular exhibition, by the sea proposes an immersive spatial narrative where architecture, art, and historical design exist within a fluid, non-hierarchical relationship.
Deeply connected to the landscape, atmosphere, and temporality of Antiparos, the project demonstrates how collectible design can be reinterpreted through place, transforming architecture from a neutral container into an essential curatorial medium.
Mini Bio
Founded in Athens in 1954 by Yiannis and Aliki Yiannoukou, ANTIQUA has evolved from one of Greece’s most respected antiques galleries into a leading platform for twentieth-century historical design. Today, under the direction of Yagos Kounelis, the gallery specialises in collectible furniture, lighting, ceramics, and sculpture by internationally acclaimed designers including Carlo Mollino, Gio Ponti, Ettore Sottsass, Angelo Lelii, Poul Kjærholm, and Pierre Paulin, while actively promoting significant Greek figures such as Philolaos Tloupas, Yannis Moralis, and Eleni Vernadaki.
Beyond exhibitions, ANTIQUA develops thematic installations, editorial projects, and publications dedicated to advancing the discourse around twentieth-century design. Its programme also includes The Contemporary Project, an initiative supporting emerging artists and designers whose work enters into dialogue with historical design, reinforcing the gallery’s commitment to bridging cultural heritage with contemporary creative practice.
Facts & Credits
Project title By the Sea by ANTIQUA
Typology Design
Location Antiparos, Cyclades, Greece
Duration June-August 2026