Art for Tomorrow
June 16-20, 2022
In-person: Athens and Hydra, Greece
Organized by
In Association With
Art for Tomorrow: Seeking Impact
As the world undergoes unprecedented change, people are searching for meaning. By grappling with core societal issues, the arts can help define that meaning, frame it and inspire change.
Moderated by senior New York Times journalists, the world-class AFT program brought together practitioners, experts and activists to explore the social impact of the arts. Attendees also explored Athens’s eclectic artistic landscape, venturing into the city’s museums, galleries, performance spaces and artist studios to see the arts in action. Delegates had the option to move to the island of Hydra, and the opening of Jeff Koons’s project at the DESTE Foundation’s Slaughterhouse.
2022 Speakers
This year's speakers included artists, designers, museum directors and more.
H. E. Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Al Thani
Chairperson, Qatar MuseumsJeff Koons
ArtistKAWS
ArtistChristiana Ine-Kimba Boyle
Director of Online Sales, Pace Gallery2022 Moderators
The event was moderated by senior New York Times journalists.
Matthew Anderson
European Culture Editor, The New York TimesFarah Nayeri
Culture Writer, The New York TimesYorgos Archimandritis
Author, Cultural Radio Producer and Journalist.Roslyn Sulcas
Culture Writer, The New York Times2022 Agenda Highlights

Panel: Who Really Owns Art?
The year 2021 was a landmark year for restitution. Artifacts long housed in museums in Germany, Belgium, the U.S. and France were returned to their African countries of origin. Meanwhile, Britain has recently agreed that it will hold formal talks with Greece about the fate of the famed Parthenon marbles, although no date has been set. This panel will take a hard look at some of the thorniest questions surrounding restitution issues: Who should be tasked with determining whether works have dubious origins? And what is the responsibility of governments and institutions in deciding whether those works should be returned?
Introduction by Prof. Nikolaos Stampolidis, Director, Acropolis Museum
Speakers:
Tristram Hunt, Director, Victoria and Albert Museum
Tiffany Jenkins, Writer and Broadcaster
Victor Ehikhamenor, Artist and Writer
Moderated by: Farah Nayeri, Culture Writer, The New York Times

Art and Sustainability: Friends or Foes?
In the age of Extinction Rebellion, climate change is a rich subject for artists. At the same time, the industry hasn’t necessarily been praised for its sustainable practices, with globetrotting art fair-goers, and entire collections being flown from one exhibition to another. How should the art world address this implicit contradiction?
Part I: Panel: How Can and Should Practices Change?
Speakers:
Victoria Siddall, Non-executive Director, Frieze
Daniel Birnbaum, Artistic Director, Acute Arts
Jessica Morgan, Director, Dia Art Foundation
Moderated by: Matthew Anderson, European Culture Editor, The New York Times
Part II: Conversation: How Can Art Spur Action To Counter The Crisis?
Speakers:
Fabrice Monteiro, Photographer
Bjørnstjerne Christiansen, Artist, SUPERFLEX
Moderated by: Roslyn Sulcas, Culture Writer, The New York Times

At Onassis Stegi: Conversation with Jeff Koons and Massimiliano Gioni
Presented by Onassis Culture, the Democracy & Culture Foundation and the DESTE Foundation
Last November, a massive retrospective of Jeff Koons's work was unveiled at the Al Riwaq in Doha. The exhibition was organized by the star curator Massimiliano Gioni, who has a long history with the artist, and has edited three books on his work. What was the process of putting together such a comprehensive show, especially in times of Covid? And how are both artist and curator adapting their work to a world buffeted by pandemics, war and other challenges?
Public Lecture - a conversation with:
Massimiliano Gioni, Artistic Director, New Museum
Moderated by Farah Nayeri, Culture Writer, The New York Times
Transportation will be provided directly after the talk to Pedion Areos Park for the VIP Plasmata Tour and cocktail dinatoire.

“Plasmata” Digital Exhibition by Onassis
The Onassis digital art exhibition “Plásmata: Bodies, Dreams, and Data” returns from May 23 to July 10, with a special VIP Tour taking place during Art for Tomorrow on Saturday, June 18.
The exhibition showcases 25 international pieces with 40 solar batteries collecting energy to create an artificial moon, and a huge red planet. In a series of curated journeys unfolding through Pedion tou Areos, Plásmata explores themes and ideas around bodies after technology, constructed worlds, identities and boundaries, but also imagining new territories, connections and places of co-existence.
Transport will be provided to the Plasmata exhibition directly after the Conversation with Koons/Gioni.
Images From Previous Events
Highlights From Past Events
Join the Conversation
Follow us on our social channels and hear the latest news and views on cultural issues.