Tag Archives: Platanias

A local art exhibition at Voukolies

On Wednesday 12th August there was an official opening of the group exhibition of art and photography entitled “Four seasons in the Municipality of Platanias”, which was organised by the Municipality at the Polykentro in Voukolies.

The exhibition, which is open until 11th September, brings together works by artists who are resident in the Municipality of Platanias, inspired by the locality and the four seasons of the year. Through their different artistic perspectives they show off the natural landscape, the villages, the monuments, the architecture and particular aspects of the area.

In an address during the inauguration, the Mayor of Platanias Giannis Malandrakis congratulated the artists on their participation, their creativity and their talent, while referring to the importance of the Polykentro of Voukolies as a home for culture and creativity. “Through this exhibition,” he said, “our locality is portrayed through different artistic eyes, showing off its beauty and its particular physiognomy. The Polykentro of Voukolies continues to be a space open to culture, creativity and self-expression.”

Alongside a poster for the exhibition, the Mayor walks towards camera inspecting the pictures on the wall beside him


Greetings were also received from the leader of the Regional Council of Crete Sofia Malandraki-Krasoudaki, who referred to the importance of cultural activities which highlight the local area and strengthen the connection between art and the local community. The Deputy Mayor for Culture of the Municipality of Platanias Polychronis Simandirakis thanked the artists for their participation and their response to the Municipality’s initiative.

A special moment of the evening was devoted to the memory of local artist Janet Liodaki, who died in May of this year and is the subject of a special tribute in the exhibition. Ioannis N. Archontakis, Director of the “Olivepress” Museum of Contemporary Art of Chania at Dromonero, and advisor in the curation of the exhibition, made reference to the work and the artistic career of Janet Liodaki, honouring her memory and her artistic legacy.

Also present at the inauguration were the Deputy Mayors Giorgos Kalaitzakis and Artemis Koutsaftakis, Municipal Councillor Giannis Darakis, member of the Voukolies Local Council Haridimos Bobolakis, representatives of local organisations and members of the public.

Visitors in coloured dresses chat with their backs to camera.
Visitors at the inauguration, 12th August 2026. Photo: Haniotika Nea.

The following artists have taken part in the exhibition: Maria Angelaki, Michail Alexakis, Chrysoula Glabedaki, Marianthi Theodoraki, Nefeli Kalogeraki-Petra, Anna Kartaki Petraki, Christini Kanitsaki, Anton Kwantes, Matthaios Koukakis, Lucyna Kukosz, Maria Ledaki, Matthaios Makaronas, Georgia Mavrogeni, Anna Balantinaki, Eleftheria Bitzanaki, Angeliki Boraki, Ippolyti Papakostidi, Katie Pentari-Psaraki, Tiffany Riley, Manama Rostiashvili, Aria Roumeliotaki, Eleni Tzagaraki, Evangelia Tzagaraki, Kalliopi Tsimitsi, Eleni Frantzeskaki-Kataki, Dionysis Harisis and John Houston, while there is an honorary display of two pictures in memory of Janet Liodaki.

The exhibition will remain open to the public until 11th September 2026, with opening hours 09:00 to 12:00 Monday to Friday and 19:00 to 21:00 Monday to Wednesday. Admission is free.
(Haniotika Nea, 15/08/26)

The pictures
A visit to the exhibition this week proved to be well worth the trip, revealing a variety of artistic talents, all imbued with the brilliant colours and light of Western Crete. The following are a selection.

An orthodox church against a mountain background, and a backyard with a large pomegranate tree and a black cat
Left: Anna Balantinaki, Church of the Virgin, Meskla; 2026, acrylic on canvas, 50 x 40 cm. Right: Maria Angelaki, Stavroula’s yard, Lower Meskla; 2026, tempera on canvas, 50 x 40 cm.
Multicoloured waves against a sunlit sky, and dark tree trunks casting shadows along a river bank.
Left: Nefeli Petra Kalogeraki, Foaming waves at Gonia, Kolymbari; 2026, acrylic on canvas, 50 x 40 cm. Right: John Houston, Trees beside the Keritis river, Drakiana, Platanias; 2026, oil on photographic paper, 70 x 50 cm.

Janet Liodaki
“Jan Liodaki was born in Sheffield England [in 1953]. She studied Fine Art at High Wycombe College of Art and Cardiff College of Art. She entered three works for the annual exhibition at the Royal Academy London in the late 70s and two were accepted though not hung in the final stage.

A still life with driftwood and multicoloured grapes.

Janet Liodaki, 1953-2026,
Gifts of Dionysus, Summer, Platanias;
2009, oil on canvas, 100 x 70 cm.
Collection of the “Olivepress” Museum of Contemporary Art of Chania at Dromonero.


“She visited Crete for the first time in 1972. This visit was followed by many others parallel to her studies in England. She moved permanently to Chania in 1975. She [found] tremendous inspiration in the Cretan landscape, the challenges found in the amazing variations in colour, rock strata, plant life and the drama of sudden seasonal changes.

“In 1978, she was invited by the British Council in Athens to take part in an exhibition supporting British artists living in Greece. This was her first exhibition. Many one-woman and group exhibitions followed both in Greece and England.

“Her work can be found in private homes and collections in Greece, England, Ireland, Austria, Italy, Germany, Russia, Scandinavia and U.S.A.”
— agapisgallery.com

The 13th Chania Chamber Music Festival

The annual Chania Chamber Music Festival, held at the Minoa Palace Resort in Platanias, is an event unusually not linked to local traditional and cultural themes. Because of this and of the venue, it is something of a social occasion – an opportunity to enjoy some out-of-the-ordinary, top-level musical performances while dressing up in one’s summer best, greeting friends not so regularly seen, and enjoying a glass of prosecco and canapés during the extended interval.

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The vasilopita – a New Year’s tradition

The vasilopita is a special cake, bread or pie baked for the New Year in Greece and many other areas in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, which contains a hidden coin or trinket which brings good luck to the recipient. It is associated with Saint Basil’s day, January 1, in most of Greece, but in some regions the traditions surrounding a cake with a hidden coin are attached to Epiphany or to Christmas. Similar traditions exist in Western Europe, where it is known as the King Cake or galette des rois. It is made of a variety of doughs, depending on regional and family tradition, including tsoureki. In some families, instead of dough, it is made from a custard base called galatopita. In the Thessaly region a pork-filled filo pie is made with a hidden coin. The pie is also known as chronopita meaning “New Year’s pie”.

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Surfers save swimmers at Platanias

We have frequently commented on the fact that visitors to Crete, especially from Northern Europe, are all too often unaware of the hazards presented by the climate and conditions of Cretan nature. Swimming and hiking without taking elementary precautions, and without taking note of local conditions, frequently lead to accidents and sometimes deaths from drowning, falls and heat exhaustion, to name the most common causes.

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The slow processes of bureaucracy in Platanias

The wheels of bureaucracy are known to grind slowly in Greece. Building projects such as the new junction at Mournies and the renovation of the Agora in Chania have been beset by delays, though not all of them due to government bureaucracy. The finding of archaeological remains on a site is a guarantee that all activity will stop for an indeterminate period of time while the archaeological authorities decide how to proceed. This is understandable in a country with such a rich archeological heritage as Greece, but bureaucratic slowness undoubtedly helps to account for the length of time which it takes the authorities to come to a decision. In other cases the uncertainty of the business climate in Greece is to blame – the contractor for the Mournies junction suffered three changes of ownership before the project was completed.

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Smart water meters come to Platanias

On Monday 13th November, a contract was signed at the offices of DEYAVA in Gerani for the installation of digital water meters throughout the organisation’s distribution network. With a budget of €4.7 million, the work is being jointly funded by the Public Investment Programme and the EU’s Cohesion Fund. The timescale for the programme is 5 months for delivery and 2 months for trial operation.

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