The ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER – PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI C.N.P.P. in collaboration with “Leftheris Xanthos” workshop, co-organised the first international printmaking masterclass on the island of Astypalea between 15-25  September 2025, and the outcomes of the program are presented in an exhibition of contemporary printmaking in the historical mills of island on 25th of September

Participants of this year’s edition of the program had the opportunity to get introduced to the visual vocabulary of printmaking, through  practical learning of techniques, experimentation and conceptual themes. Through a structured and thoughtfully designed programme of ten consecutive daily sessions at the workshop, they learned techniques such us hard ground etching, sugar lift technique, aquatint and soft-ground.

he programme is inspired by the activities of the Artistic Workshop of Astypalea (aka KEA), a successful artistic and participatory initiative of graphic designer, printmaker and writer Lefteris Xanthos, which has been actively operating on the island from 1987 until 1993. Focusing on etching, a group of eight students and two experienced teachers, initiated a series of four-week summer gatherings at that time. The initiative was motivated by their love for and interest in etching and copper engraving, the study and practice of the technique, while fostering the promotion of printmaking locally with the aim at setting it in the center of the cultural chart of the island.

Upon invitation of the artist’s wife Sigrid Xanthos, ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER – PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI has designed and inaugurated a new printmaking masterclass programme for visual artists and printmakers, with an attempt pay honor the fellow artist, collaborator and friend, while reactivating the initiative of Lefteris Xanthos’ Artistic Workshop of Astypalea. The masterclass aims at fostering and highlighting this exceptional local artistic initiative as part of the cultural heritage of the island, as well as establishing the art of printmaking in the wider cultural community of Astypalaia through an international summer programme.

Participants:
Despina Vetta, Katerina Exarxhopoulou, Beverley Hayes, Olga Monachou, Franz Paky, Dionisios Peltekis, Jale Vural

Exhibition space: Mills of Astypalea (Chora)
Visiting hours: 18.30 – 22.00

The programme is organised by Athens Printmaking Art Center – Pandolfini & Siaterli C.N.P.P. in collaboration with “Lefteris Xanthos” Printmaking Workshop and the Municipality of Astypalea