At Buro247 Middle East, we are committed to showcasing and celebrating extraordinary talent. With our column, #BuroSpotlights, we bring you stories of pioneering artists and visionary creatives from the region and beyond.
This week, #BuroSpotlights Greek artist Athan Mytilinaios.
Athan Mytilinaios has spent much of his career shaping visual worlds for others. Fashion houses, hospitality brands, global luxury names. Across these geographies, his professional background shaped a visual discipline that now underpins his artistic practice.
His artistic instinct has always been rooted in observation. As a child, he famously recolored the staircase of his building, working millimeter by millimeter simply because he disliked how it looked. That impulse still defines his practice. He notices what most people accept. He intervenes where things are overlooked. Surfaces, patterns, objects. None of them are neutral in his eyes. Each carries intention, memory, and human touch.
His artistic work is centered on objects, materials, and surfaces. His approach emphasizes physical processes such as tracing, carving, embossing, and painting, with each stage contributing to the final composition. Drawing plays a central role in his practice, both as a conceptual tool and as a means of communication.
In 2021, Mytilinaios established his own agency, structured around two core areas. The first focuses on art projects, while the second operates as a creative consultancy for brands. This dual structure reflects his parallel engagement with artistic production and visual strategy, allowing each to develop independently while remaining connected through process and methodology.
In November 2025, Mytilinaios presented a sculpture titled ‘Influencer the 1st’ at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The work was included in the exhibition ‘Formed by Dialogue’, organized to mark one hundred years of Art Deco. Displayed within a museum context, the sculpture engaged with contemporary visual culture while referencing historical design frameworks. The exhibition placement positioned the work within a broader conversation about form, authorship, and cultural continuity.
In parallel to his sculptural and architectural collaborations, Mytilinaios has produced commissioned artworks. LVMH Métiers d’Art invited him to create an artwork celebrating ten years of the group’s activities. The piece was distributed as a limited edition to invited guests. Subsequently, Venetian textile house Rubelli translated the artwork into a large-scale tapestry, which was installed at their Paris offices in January 2025.
Mytilinaios does not rely on scale or spectacle. His work holds its ground through material intelligence and quiet authority.
ALSO READ: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT LADY GAGA’S ARCHIVAL GRAMMYS LOOK.
