Programs

We regularly host exhibitions and conferences on contemporary thought and innovation in art in all its forms, society, and the commons. Our purpose is to expand on new ideas, make connections between people and their practices, empower communities, and create them where they are needed. As we are surrounded by new tools and channels of communication, we place importance on observing and constantly reevaluating their applications for the common good, imaginative education, social and environmental justice, and maintaining true connection between people.

The Digital & Innovation program of Onassis Foundation aims to amplify innovative actions beyond the predetermined notions and categories. We emphasize on knowledge transfer, the creation of intellectual property and the introduction of new technologies towards releasing social and economic resources. We seek the novel and the innovative from process to production: in unexpected encounters, in plural research, in the multicultural exchanges, in the voices that are not heard and do not fit within boxes.

In our workshops and masterclasses, we combine extraordinary talent and expertise with experimentation and improvisation. Focusing on hands-on creativity, we build our practice on the ideas which we foster through research and dialogue. These meetings offer an alternative educational experience, a safe testing ground for new methods, and an opportunity for sharing wisdom.

A small change in conditions can become fertile ground for new imaginations. Time, space, proximity, processes, all converge during a hackathon, to bring up possibilities that can be found in new encounters. Together we ask, “what if?”, extend thoughts that have been little explored, lend each other our pictures and words, and are amazed by what appears in the calm after the storm.

Onassis Digital & Innovation, as a cross-disciplinary incubator, seeks to support novelty and disruption across disciplines. We provide a comprehensive set of professional development programs, supporting creators from different sectors and encouraging unexpected encounters of artists, scientists, and theorists.

Every year, in collaboration with European networks such as Ars Electronica’s AI Lab, the European Media Artists in Residence Exchange (EMARE), and Studiotopia, we host at our headquarters in Athens artists from across Europe, who develop ideas and artworks at the intersection of art, science, and technology.

Our programs are in close dialogue with ONX Studio for Extended Reality in New York City, launched in the fall of 2020, hosting artists and producers working in mixed reality. ONX Studio is a partnership between Onassis USA and the New Museum’s NEW INC, located in the Onassis Gallery of Olympic Tower, the Midtown Manhattan headquarters of Onassis USA.