9th N.S. Art Festival: "SHADOW" October 12 – November 30, 2026 Old Town of Rethymno (House of Culture, Fortezza Fortress, Morfes Art Gallery, UoC Research Center) Free Entry to All Events Rethymno welcomes the 9th N.S. Art Festival, an autumn cultural highlight dedicated to the theme of "SHADOW: The Light–Shadow Duality." Bringing together 75 artists, academics, and performers, the festival investigates the concept of shadow across visual art, theatre, music, dance, psychology, architecture, and cinema. Events take place across four iconic venues in the historic Old Town of Rethymno. Festival Venues House of Culture (Spiti tou Politismou) – Vernardou 12 The Dome at Ibrahim Han Mosque – Fortezza Fortress University of Crete Study & Research Center (Eleni Glykatzi-Ahrweiler Collection) – Opposite the House of Culture Morfes Art Gallery – Govatzidaki 18 Featured Ongoing Exhibitions & Workshops Contemporary Art Exhibition: "SHADOW (The Light & Shadow Duality)" Dates: October 19 – November 30 Venue: House of Culture Hours: Daily (except Sundays), 18:30 – 21:30 Opening: Monday, October 19 at 18:30 Curated by Chrysoula Skepetzi | Lighting design by Kostis Kapelonis School tours by appointment: (+30) 697 6955084 Collector’s Exhibition: "Shadows of Absence in the Shadow of Theatre" Dates: October 31 – November 27 Venue: Morfes Art Gallery Hours: Open during standard shop hours Opening: Saturday, October 31 at 19:00 From the private collection of Kostis Z. Kapelonis Youth Workshops: "Behind the Light" Dates: October 22–30 & November 3–20 (morning school hours) Venue: House of Culture Experiential workshops for teenagers run by the artist collective "nomades artcore." Program of Events Monday, October 12 19:00 | UoC Research Center (Ahrweiler Collection)Book Launch & Discussion: "The Unbearable Burden of a Truth" by physicist/author Aristidis Archontakis (marking World Mental Health Day).Co-organized with SOFPSY Rethymno. Wednesday, October 21 20:00 | The Dome (Ibrahim Han Mosque, Fortezza)Live Concert: "Listen to the Darkness" (Akou to Skotadi) Vocals: Mariella Vitorou Piano: Giannis Giannakakis Violin: Aris Siskakis Live Shadow Projection: Crete Shadow Theatre (Telemachos Athanasiadis, Giannis Papadopoulos) Saturday, October 24 20:00 | House of Culture (Exhibition Hall)Dance Performance: "Delicate Lines of a Twilight"Created and performed by choreographer, dancer, and movement educator Gogo Petrali. Monday, October 26 20:00 | House of CultureFilm Screening: "The Ogre of Athens" (O Drakos)Tribute to director Nikos Koundouros. Introduced by film theorist and psychologist Panagiotis Dendramis. Co-organized with KINLER. Monday, November 2 19:00 | UoC Research Center (Ahrweiler Collection)Literary Presentation: "Three One-Act Plays" by debut playwright Christina-Areti Karagianni-Chalavazi. Curated by Chrysoula Skepetzi. Monday, November 9 House of Culture | Double Cinema Screening (Co-organized with KINLER) 19:00 – 20:30: Shadow Theatre on Screen – "The Tragic Story of Jackson Pollock, Abstract Expressionist" (Written & directed by Apostolos Doxiadis). 20:45 – 22:30: Shadow & Movement on Screen – "Shadowland" by the world-renowned dance troupe Pilobolus. Saturday, November 14 & Sunday, November 15 17:00 | House of CultureTwo-Day Interdisciplinary Symposium:"SHADOW: The Light–Shadow Duality of Lived Experience in Viewing the World"Featuring presentations by academics, researchers, and artists. Parallel Screening (Saturday, Nov 14, 19:00 – 21:00):UoC…