By Socratis Santik Oglou,
Although Athens is rich in museums, antiquities, and culture, this summer shows a significant explosion in the artistic field, with the organization of exhibitions and festivals, both by the public and by private institutions, grabbing the attention of the public. In this article we are suggesting you some of the exhibitions that are worth visiting.
Plásmata: Bodies, Dreams, and Data
For the second year, the Onassis Stegi is organizing another exhibition, now at the park of Pedion Areos. This exhibition talks about the use of technology and new media in the creation of contemporary art. I think that the ideal time to take a look at the artworks in the park, is in the evening, because at that time the shining screens of the artworks light up, and thus attract the visitors to in exploring them. When you first enter the park (the main entrance, on the cross between Mavrommataion Street and Alexandras Avenue), one sees the impressive work “Quantum Memories” by Refik Anadol, which has huge dimensions, and with its bright colors captivates even the most demanding viewers. Another project that the public loved on social media is the huge “DIVIDED”, which consists of a huge sphere installation by SpY in the middle of the park. The exhibition is located in the park of Pedion Areos and has an open entrance for everyone every day until July.
“Dream On”
The historic building of the former public Tobacco Factory of Lenorman Street now presents the exhibition “Dream On”, which consists of eighteen large-scale art installations, and moreover a commission of a sound piece by Kostas Ioannidis. These works make a stop in Athens before being permanently installed in other large art museums around the world. As soon as one enters the building, one sees the impressive work “Palms” by John Bock, which is an American vintage car that “vomits” a huge octopus. Another work that draws the public attention is Thomas Hirschhorn’s paper labyrinth entitled “Cavemanman”, which challenges you to get lost in it. The exhibition can be found in the former Public Tobacco Factory-Library and Printing House of the Parliament, at 218 Lenorman Avenue, in the area of Kolonos-Athens, with free entrance after reservation, until the 27th of November.
Yannis Tsarouchis: Painting Routes
This exhibition aims at understanding the artist’s works of art through the years, while also pointing out, despite the aesthetic changes he made, that he always stayed true to his characteristic line of painting. In there, you can see some of his most important works, but a variety of them too. You can visit the exhibition at the Yannis Tsarouchis Foundation, at 28 Ploutarchou Street in Maroussi-Athens, until July 31st.
“Statecraft – Shaping the State”
This time, the EMST organized an exhibition from an International group show featuring 36 artists, nine of whom are Greek. Through art it explores the mechanisms of state development, the formation of the nation-state, as well as the difficulties it faces in the modern, networked world, while questioning words like democracy. The key idea for this exhibition is the extent and bounds of state power, the emerging political landscape in Europe and abroad, the rise of nationalism and authoritarianism, some countries’ tendency to retreat into themselves, and the views that follow. The whole museum now is a place for the exhibition, while in there you can admire a lot of artworks, from paintings to sculptures to small or large scale installations. The exhibition is open to the public every day at the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST), at Kallirrois Avenue & Amvr. Frantzi Str, former Fix factory, in Athens, until late this year.
Konstantinos Parthenis: Ideal Greece in his Paintings
The New National Gallery organized this exhibition, which is the first to focus entirely on the important artist Konstantinos Parthenis, with the aim to honor and highlight the work of the Greek artist, but also to show his course through time. It is an exhibition that includes about one hundred and fifty works, while these works were selected from both the archive of the Gallery and of other public and private collections, making it a great cause to view so many artworks for Konstantinos Parthenis in the same place. You can attend the exhibition in the New National Gallery in Athens, in 50 Konstantinos Vassileos Avenue every day.
Athens Photo Festival 2022
This year the photography festival celebrates 35 years of activity. This festival is the most important international artistic event for photography in Greece and one of the five oldest photography festivals in the world. The photographic exhibition seems to focus on contemporary photography, while artists raise contemporary social issues through their work. The festival finds a home in the Benaki Museum, occupying a large size of building space. In the exhibition, in addition to the rich photographic material, one can also find audiovisual material and artistic installations. The festival is located at the Benaki Museum, at 138 Pireos Avenue, but there will also be branches in other galleries in Athens, while it will last until July 24.
Mystery 23_Cine-Eleusis: IN SITU realities
Last but not least, just outside Athens, in the industrial area of Elefsina, now a cultural center, the Mystery 23_Cine-Elefsis: IN SITU realities is created, transforming this historic part into a summer cinema. The aim of this action is the transformation of Eleusis into a valuable and mysterious exhibit through the unexpected conversation of cinematic viewing with the natural setting that will host it, and the transformation of a series of screenings into a site-specific artistic action, while paying homage to documentary films. From 7 to 10 July, the beginning of the first Documentary Festival in the wider region is marked, in collaboration with the Athens International Film Festival. There they will play films like Paris is Burning (1990), Meeting Gorbachev (2018), Honeyland (2019), and many more. Entrance is free and open to the public, while the presentation will be in both train lines and the Old Olive Oil Mill (Parking) too.
References
- Αθήνα: Η πόλη με τις αμέτρητες εκθέσεις, lifo.gr, Available here
- Εθνικό Μουσείο Σύγχρονης Τέχνης: Το νέο καλλιτεχνικό πρόγραμμα, culturenow.gr, Available here
- Η Ελευσίνα μετατρέπεται σε υπαίθριο κινηματογράφο με προβολές οκτώ εμβληματικών ντοκιμαντέρ, lifo.gr, Available here
- «Plásmata: Bodies, Dreams, and Data»: Έρχεται η μεγάλη έκθεση της Στέγης στο Πεδίον του Άρεως, lifo.gr, Available here
