The exhibition at CRUX Galerie, four theatrical monologues at
Stathmos Theatre, and a workshop for dancers, actors and performers
EXHIBITION: Jan Fabre. Thinking Models & Night Diary Drawings
CURATED BY: Katerina Koskina
CRUX GALERIE, 4 Sekeri Street, Athens 106 74, Greece
OPENING: 11/11/2026, 19:00
DURATION: 11/11/2026-31/12/2026
The internationally acclaimed, visionary and boundary-pushing Flemish
artist Jan Fabre returns to Athens with his second solo exhibition, entitled
Jan Fabre. Thinking Models & Night Diary Drawings, at CRUX GALERIE.
The exhibition is once again curated by his close collaborator, Katerina
Koskina, PhD in Art History, exhibition curator and founder of the
Non-profit civil law cultural association POLITES. Alongside his
exhibition in Athens, Fabre’s works are being presented at museums,
cultural institutions, historic monuments and galleries around the world.
These include in Italy, the Galeria Gaburro and the Church of Santa
Barbara in San Donato, Milan, the Biblioteca Bernardini, Lecce, in Japan
the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, in Belgium
the LINDA & GUY PIETERS Foundation in Knokke-Heist, and the
GLASSTRESS exhibition at Palazzo Ca’ Tron in Venice. Meanwhile, also in
Venice, The Quiet Source exhibition curated by Katerina Koskina and
Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, continues to enjoy considerable success at the
Scuola Grande di San Rocco, where three new sculptures by the artist,
featuring autobiographical themes, enter into dialogue with the
artistic universe of Jacopo Tintoretto.
At CRUX GALERIE, two distinct sections of works, created in the 1990s,
enter into dialogue, sharing a common thread: the exploration of the
connections between the artist’s hidden, private inner worlds and his
creative practice, while also highlighting his relationship with writing.
The aim is to invite visitors to delve into Fabre’s thinking as reflected in
his works and to discover the unspoken connection between his inner
world and his artistic practice.
The Thinking Models section is rooted in Jan Fabre’s personal experiences.
As a teenager, he created a studio-cum-refuge in the courtyard of his
parents home, where he was then living. Later, he made his studio
available to Chilean immigrants, cleaners and workers. At CRUX GALERIE,
four sculptures are presented, evoking the notion of a mental refuge:
imaginary, inner spaces, inaccessible to others, where the artist can freely
articulate his complex thoughts and envision ways of protecting art and
those devoted to its practice. Before their presentation in Athens, these
“thinking models” had been publicly exhibited only once, in 2006, at the
Flemish Parliament in Brussels, as part of the exhibition Denkmodellen
(Thinking Models), curated by Flor Bex.
The Night Diary Drawings section comprises a series of monochromatic
works on paper, created using the familiar blue Bic ballpoint pen. Jan
Fabre is the first artist to have systematically and continuously used the
Bic pen as an artistic medium, from the 1970s to the present day.
Although his initial choice was motivated by its low cost and the ease of transporting his works, over the years its use evolved
beyond drawings on paper, becoming a fundamental expressive medium
in his artistic practice. It has enabled him to create complex works,
including large-scale installations, performances and drawings that
accompany the diaries he keeps, usually writing late at night until
dawn. The ongoing series Night Diary Drawings is part of a daily practice of
visual and literary writing, with psychoanalytic undertones. It began in
the late 1970s, when the artist was not yet twenty years old, and has
continued uninterrupted to this day. The drawings resemble “aphorisms”:
concise, revealing written reflections on art, its function and its role. These particular works are being presented to the public for the first time.
Alongside his solo exhibition at CRUX GALERIE, Jan Fabre, as part of a pan-
European tour, presents four theatrical monologues at STATHMOS
Theatre from 6 to 21 November. Bringing his distinctive theatrical
language of physical theatre to the stage, the artist explores, through the
performances of three talented actresses, Ivette Codina, Stella Höttler and
Irene Urciuoli, themes such as freedom of speech, spiritual quest and
artistic dissent, as well as the primacy of bodily movement on stage. The
performances also explore human vulnerability, the expression of
emotions and artistic identity.
In parallel, a ten-day Masterclass led by the Jan Fabre Teaching Group
will take place in Athens, at the Metaneira Dance School, from 9 to 20
November. The programme will be led by instructor Matteo Franco, with
Marianthi Koskina as teaching assistant. It invites professional actors,
dancers and performers to embark on an intensive exploration of the
body, movement and imagination through physical theatre and physical
acting.
This November offers Athenian art lovers, theatre and dance
professionals, educators and students a unique opportunity to discover
the multifaceted work of this European artist from the perspective that interests them most.
Non–profit Civil Law Cultural Association POLITES, November 2026
FROM CRUX GALERIE
FROM THE THEATRICAL MONOLOGUES AT STATHMOS THEATRE
FROM THE WORKSHOP
