Three new artworks by Jiannis Varelas and a series of modern architectural interventions at the Onassis Hospital
Artist Jannis Varelas and the ADD architecture agency unveil a dynamic transformation of the Onassis Hospital, blending contemporary art with enhanced functionality. Through the installation of three new works in the atrium's peripheral spaces, as well as the redesign of the conference rooms, art and functionality coexist in a building that is both a landmark in health care and part of Athens' architectural heritage. Through these interventions, the Onassis Hospital highlights the value of culture in public space, bringing together service to humanity, aesthetics, and healing in a powerful synergy.
Photo: Stelios Tzetzias
Art at the Onassis Hospital
Onassis Hospital, a public space accessible to all citizens, demonstrates that everything is culture, and that art is an integral part of it and plays an important role alongside medical science, nursing care, and innovation. Its spaces are enlivened with contemporary works by Greek artists from various generations belonging to the Onassis Collection, i.e., the Onassis Foundation’s art collection, transforming them into havens of serenity and empowerment.
With their characteristic visual approach, Jannis Varelas’ works at the Onassis Hospital interact with patients, visitors, and medical personnel alike, offering an aesthetic experience that bridges art with the human dimension of space. Varelas uses single continuous strokes, human forms, vibrant colors, and dynamically unfolding landscapes to explore the relationship between space, time, and observation, revealing the unexpected within the familiar. His collaboration with the Onassis Foundation for the Onassis Hospital underscores the potential of art in providing emotional support and relief. In this context, the works “Face,” “Snooze,” and “The Path” emphasize the notion that art is not a decorative element, but a powerful ally and health booster.
Jannis Varelas’ "Snooze" (2023) presents a dynamic exploration of the human form, capturing individuals in various poses—some gazing directly at the viewer, others engaged in conversation, and a few seemingly lost in a sleepwalking trance. While the painting adopts the classical framework of landscape painting, it breaks free from its traditional boundaries. Rather than focusing on the conventional elements of a landscape, Varelas encourages viewers to engage with the figures themselves, their postures, and the relationships between them, as well as the objects that surround them.
Photo: Stelios Tzetzias
"Snooze", Jannis Varelas (2023) | Oil and pastel on canvas
The sculptural head "Face" (2023), located in the atrium of the Onassis Hospital, is the representation of a face drawn in a single continuous stroke—one of those sketches we all have likely created while lost in thought, absentmindedly drawing while traveling, talking on the phone, waiting for an announcement, or simply listening to someone else’s news. These sketches, made on any available surface that is in front of us, capture a subconscious meandering of thought that always ends up forming something familiar. They represent both the realization of a situation and a wish for a positive outcome.
Photo: Stelios Tzetzias
"Face", Jannis Varelas (2023) | Metal tube and base
On the seventh floor of the Onassis Hospital, visitors encounter "The Path" (2023), a floor design integrated into the concrete of the “Stelios Papadimitriou” and “Apostolos Zampelas” rooms. Spanning 466 square meters, the design seamlessly merges with the building's material elements, becoming part of the space itself. The initial concept was to capture the image of a path emerging between offices and spaces, formed by the routes taken by both staff and visitors. The design invites visitors to follow its trail and trace the images it forms. Human faces, shapes, and symbols are interspersed along the path, offering different perspectives and interpretations as one moves through the space. The design metaphorically represents both the passage of time within the life span of the building itself and the ever-changing human experience within it.
Photo: Stelios Tzetzias
The Path, 2023 | Total floor area: 466 sq.m.
The aim of the architectural intervention carried out by ADD Architecture Studio is to shape a vocabulary of gestures and materiality that coexists harmoniously, converses with and highlights the work of Jannis Varelas. Contemporary technical solutions and materials coexist with works of art in an intervention that is particularly innovative for a healthcare setting while also being practical, improving the space's functionality.
These modern architectural solutions included the redesign and transformation of the "Stelios Papadimitriou" and "Apostolos Zambelas” halls into digital points. A prime example is the "Stelios Papadimitriou” hall, a flexible, multi-purpose space that can be reconfigured with movable panels into smaller clusters for training seminars or transformed into a single large venue for lectures and presentations. Screens and networks are connected in real time, offering an enhanced and interactive educational experience. With these innovations, the Onassis Hospital embraces the digital age, merging cutting-edge technological solutions with human-centered principles and creating a space where functionality, healing, and culture converge.
Highlights of the event
Image 1 / 4
Photo: Andreas Simopoulos
Afroditi Panagiotakou, Director of Culture of the Onassis Foundation, with the artist Jiannis Varelas
Image 2 / 4
Photo: Andreas Simopoulos
Anthony S. Papadimitriou, President of the Onassis Foundation with Ioannis N. Boletis, Chairman of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center
Image 3 / 4
Photo: Andreas Simopoulos
Panos Minogiannis, General Manager of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center
Image 4 / 4
Photo: Andreas Simopoulos
