Contemporary design gallery Carwan Gallery has moved from Beirut to Athens, where it has opened with an exhibition of work by Omer Arbel.
Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, co-founder of Carwan Gallery, said he made the move due to Athens' emergence as a creative hub.
Above: Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte (right) and Quentin Moyse (left) in the Athens Carwan Gallery. Top: the new gallery's exterior
"I lived in Berlin in the early 2000s and the vibe was quite similar to what is happening in Athens now," he told Dezeen, saying the Greek capital's thriving art scene made it "the new Berlin".
"The low prices of real estate is a factor that facilitates the settlement of artists and designers but it also became a very interesting place for creativity." "We all thought Lisbon was going to be the new Berlin but in the end it became more of a fiscal heaven destination as opposed to Athens, which has attracted artists, architects looking for a second home and many people just looking for a great quality of life."
"It's almost like if the city was sleeping for 10 years during the [financial] crisis and is now ready to bloom again," added Bellavance-Lecompte, who is also founder of the travelling Nomad design fair.
Carwan Gallery is now in Piraeus, the port district of Athens
Carwan Gallery was founded in 2010 in Beirut and claimed to be the first contemporary design gallery in the Middle East.
Bellavance-Lecompte said he decided to move from t...