Pandemic inspires inaugural show at revamped factory

An installation by Nikos Navridis drawing on Samuel Beckett’s famous quote graces the revamped Public Tobacco Factory at 218 Lenorman Street ahead of the exhibition “Portals,” which formally inaugurates it as one of central Athens’ most interesting new cultural spaces on Friday. Opened in 1930 as the Great Depression started taking a toll on crucial Greek tobacco exports, the Public Tobacco Factory hosted 25 cigarette companies in its 65 years of operation, providing jobs to some 3,000 workers. Organized by NEON, “Portals” brings together 59 artists from 27 countries inspired by the notion of disruption as an opportunity for meaningful change. [Natalia Tsoukala]