EXHIBITIONS - EVENTS AT THE BK

Official presentation

of the Kefalonia Botanical Garden project to the general public, 28 July 2007. An event which was held under the auspices of the A.E. of the President of the Republic Mr. Karolos Papoulias.

Orchestra of Colours

On 25 August 2008, in the crowded open-air theatre of the Botanical Garden, the Orchestra of Colours gave a unique concert with works by its founder Manos Hadjidakis under the direction of Miltos Loyadi.
The magical, for those who attended, evening inaugurated the operation of the Theatre, actively linking the environment with culture.
The concerts of the Orchestra of Colours continued in 2009 and 2010 with great success each time.

Sculptures in the Garden

The exhibition of sculptures by 21 distinguished Greek artists - a targeted connection between nature and art - lasted one month (31 July -
31 August 2010) with a particularly large audience turnout.

Pioneer winemakers:

An evening dedicated to the art of wine. The event, which took place on 23 July 2011, was attended by six leading pioneers of the art of wine, pioneers of the wine revolution of the 1980s. Vangelis Gerovassiliou/Gerovassiliou Estate, Vassilis Kanellakopoulos/Mercouri Estate, Yannis Boutaris/Ktima Kir Yianni, Yannis Paraskevopoulos/Gaia Oenopetiki, Giorgos Skouras/Skouras Estate, Marianna Kosmetatou and Petros Markantonatos/Gentilini. The tasting was presented by Theo Lelekas, wine journalist. Dinner followed in the Garden's premises.

Presentation of the book IONIA FLORA - Plants from the collection of the Botanical Garden of Kefalonia

at the Botanical Garden of Kefalonia on Saturday 28 July 2012. The inspiring speakers were Pavlos Samios, Painter and Professor at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and Cecil Iglesi Margellou, Translator-Critic. At the same time, in the natural areas of the Garden, Samios showed, exclusively for the audience of that evening, works inspired by the Ionian flora.

"Astor Piazzolla for 12"

12 great classical music soloists met for the first time in an exciting rendezvous with Astor Piazzolla's Nuevo Tango in the summer of 2012.

Summer Music Nights 2013

In collaboration with the G & M Vergoti Foundation
Three nights with the young musicians' ensemble The Jigsaw Players

On 15 July the open theatre of the Botanical Garden with its excellent acoustics was filled with the sounds of Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelssohn.
On 17 July, the music moved to the Kurkoumelata Cultural Centre for an evening of Bach, Vivaldi and Dvořák.
And on July 19 - a surprise. The music returned again to the Botanical Garden, but in its pond, in the heart of its natural environment. An evening for a few, with works by Debussy, Haydn and Mozart.

Meeting of the Network of Greek Botanical Gardens 

The Fokas-Kosmetatou Foundation hosted the 5th Meeting of the Network at the offices of the Foundation and the Kefalonia Botanical Garden, on the topic "Proposals for Improving the Visibility of Botanical Gardens". The programme was dense and rich, with guided tours and formal and informal discussions and proposals. The Botanical Gardens of Krousia, Kefalonia, I & A Diomidos, Rhodes, the Athens Philodetic Association in Kaisariani, Hippocrates Garden and the Forest and Botanical Garden of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki were represented. Argostoli, 3, 4 and 5 October 2014.

Wine, Art, Music 2014

On 3 August 2014 the Kefalonia Botanical Garden hosted an evening that showcased, as always, human creation in the unique natural environment of the Garden.
A new sculpture exhibition was inaugurated in every corner of the Garden.
The visitors tasted a collection of all the excellent wines of Kefalonia and got to know their creators. They enjoyed the improvisation of young musicians to well-known favourite melodies. It was a festive evening that lasted deep into the night.

Flavours in the Garden

Another very successful event took place at the Garden on 4 August 2017 when more than 200 people participated as participants in a feast of inventive cooking, with flavourful combinations based mainly on the herbs of the Ionian flora.
The flavors were created by award-winning chef Christos Machairas. The wines that accompanied and creatively highlighted the series of dishes were selected from the best wineries of the island and presented by Yannis Karakasis, MW (Master of Wine).

Jazz on the lake

A jazz concert was held on Saturday 4 August 2018 at the area next to the lake, in the heart of the natural environment created by the Fokas-Kosmetatou Foundation. Five young musicians with an international career in jazz, Eleni Valenti on vocals, Leonidas Sarantopoulos on flute, Spyros Manesis on piano, Dinos Manos on bass and Christos Konstantinidis on drums, thrilled with their musicality and solo improvisations, in a repertoire of well-known compositions of the 1960s.

Full Moon in the Garden

The Fokas-Kosmetatou Foundation presented, on August 23, 2021, a special musical evening at the beautiful Botanical Garden of Kefalonia. With improvisation as a key tool, two musician duos, that of Eleni Valenti with Grigoris Danis, and Thodoris Rellos with Christos Konstantinidis, joined forces with the aim of highlighting well-known songs for a transcendental acoustic experience based on the light of the full moon.

Recalling our roots

In this project by Dr. Pierre Leinchner , hosted at the BBK in September 2022, plant roots are transformed into representations of human forms. During the exhibition they will dry and decay reminding us of our ephemeral nature.