The Athens Biennale, an international network of large-scale periodic contemporary art events opened on June 25th and will last two years (2015-2017). The City of Athens will be the co-host of the events, supported by the European Cultural Foundation.

The 5th Biennale was inaugurated with an exhibition of large-scale installations inside the building of the former Bageion Hotel on Omonia Square, an excellent example of Athenian urban architecture which dates back to the late 19th century. Distinguished architect Ernst Ziller built the hotel between 1890 and 1894, after a donation provided by Ioannis Bagas.

The building carries an important cultural weight as in the early 1920s, the Bageion became a spiritual refuge for the young writers of the time and became a meeting point where a landmark generation of Greek literature was being formed. The exhibition "Rhinoceros", by Nikos Kessanlis and the “Underconstruction” art group will run through October 1.