EX-MÊKH@ Platforms Project – Art Athina day 8: the galleries

18 mei 2014

On our last day in the Platform Projects I tried to get an impression of the galleries on the floor of the stadium. Not many of the succesful international art-army are shown here which to me is a relief. You get a nice impression of art in the Levant, the eastern part of the Mediterranian. I noticed a number of interesting Photographers and some interesting galleries. I understand that not all the large galleries in Greece are represented here which is a pity, it would complete the image for people who are not aware of this region. Artemis Potamianou really made a relevant selection of highlights for her exhibition “Statement made” I think. All in all Art Athína has been a very interesting and rewarding view on an area that I was not really aware of. I would really like to take part again and I hope that I will get a chance to do so.

? at Mirko Maier Gallery/M-Projects

Wim Delvoye at Kaune Poshnik, Spohr Gallery

Roxanne Lowitt at Kaune , Poshnik, Spohr Gallery

Antonakis Christodoulou

Katsipanos Theofilos

I. Lassithiotakis

Kara Walker at Mulier Mulier

Pauline Otowska at Mulier Mulier

Maria Ikonomopoulou at Mulier Mulier

Tadashi Kawamata at Mulier Mulier

Daniele Alonge at UFOFABRIK Contemporary Art Gallery

Jacopo Prina at UFOFABRIK Contemporary Art Gallery

Another Italian Gallery: Dino Morra Arte Contemporanea

Maybe a bit outdated, but an intriguing picture by Apostolos Giorgiou at Zina Atthanassiadou

And also at Zina Atthanassiadou Nikos Navridis who had beautiful work at the Gennadius Library

Andrea Angelidakis whose opening we attended at the National Museum of Contemporary Art also shows at Zina Atthanassiadou

From Australia the painter Jarek Wojcik at Anna Pappas gallery from Melbourne

Diomitris Tataris uses Dante’s Divina Comedia

A Dutch gallery from Rotterdam: Joey Ramone Gallery featuring Harm Weistra

Gallery owners Hans Bakker and Kiki Petratou in front of the work of Christina Calbari

The Greek Elika Gallery was surprisingly up to date with very interesting Greek artists, this work is done by Vangelis Gokas

And this piece by Nikos Sepetzoglou

This could even be vintage EX-MÊKH, done by Zoe Giabouldaki

The booth of Elika Gallery was seperated from the aisle by this Oriental screen, my favourite gallery!

Artemis Potamianou showed with EKFRASI Yianna Gallery

deconstructed Art classics

On a beautiful wallpaper

which formed a suitable backdrop for her work

The Turkish artist Havva Marta at Galeri Binyil,

Greek Modern Classic master

Avramidis at the same gallery

And the kids are doing their thing in the workshop which was very much alive every day!

 

Art Athina

EX-MÊKH@ Platforms Project – Art Athina day 7

17 mei 2014

A brief round through the fair to see how things develop:

The REM Brand Name Project is doing very well selling tickets for the lottery , A1 is a nice picture!

The explosion of Speech engages a lot of people it seems!

Andrea Hvistendahl changed the view on her projhect Mind on matter completely

Lots of stones have been written on

Ellen Rodenberg is tireless in her attempt to have people experience what she does

She really gets them goìng!

Platforms Project

EX-MÊKH@ Platforms Project – Art Athina day 6: Parallel Programme

16 mei 2014

Art Athina, like other Art Fairs, has a number of side-shows such as Platforms Project, but also “Collecting Images of the Sensible, contemporary artworks from Turkey’s collectors” and the exhibition which Artemis Potamianou curated with highlights from the Art-Fair. Further more there are a number of Talks in which collectives, initiatives, events etc. can present themselves to an interested audience. Here you  can find a choice from all that, you will find the themes that are relevant in this region all over the programme:

This is the exhibition Artemis curated for the Fair

Christos Symatos: Xenia, 3th floor

Jimi Efthimiou, Dimitris Mitsopoulos, Vivi Papanikola: Greece, no problem

Micha Cataui: I think we got it all

Giorgios Katagelos: Night Scene, Havana, Cuba

Akis Karanos: Chamade (drumbeat announcing defeat or capitulation)

Angelos Spartalis: Atomic Bomb Test #2

Eleni Tsonis: Un-hoped for Rebirth

Theodoros Zafeiropoulos: Sliced log of Cypressus macrocarpa affected by the Seiridium cardinale

Theodoros Zafeiropoulos: Sliced log of Cypressus macrocarpa affected by the Seiridium cardinale

Harm Weistra: Parametric family

Sue Dodd: twelve most wanted

The important Greek collector D. Daskalopoulos presents his collection at the Fair by showing one work by the famous Swiss artist Pippilotti Rist: Super Objectiv a collage of image and sound that make one doze off into another world.

Pippilotti Rist: Super Objektiv – 2001

Then Greece is close to Turkey and in spite of the century long sensitivities between the two countries the artworld is convinced of the necessity of coörporation. The exhibition with contemporary artworks from Turkish collections whis was curated by Beral Madra and Saliha Yavuzon is a nice addition to the fair with iteresting works from international and Turkish artists, I will limit myself to some examples from the last in spite of the intention of the curators.

The sign for the exhibition with a small text asking attention for the mining accident in Turkey during the fair and for the way the Turkish govenment deals with it!

Canan Senol: Exemplary

Nil Yalter: Harem

Erinc Seymen: untitled

Nilbar Guresj: Unknown sports

Nilbar Guresj: Unknown sports

Pinar Yolacan: Maria

The only talk I had a chance to bge with was about Turkish Art. Beral Madra, the founder of the Istanbul Biennale had a nice talk about how the coörporatin with Greeks develops. After this talk also attention was drawn to the behaviour of the Turkish government in the mining disaster during that happened during the fair by second curator Saliha Yavuzon

And about the Sinopale, the international Sinopal Biennal there was a talk from

Melih Gorgun, who showed impressive examples of how you can organize an interactive art festival in a relatively small town.

Parallel Program

EX-MÊKH@ Platforms Project – Art Athina day 5: Opening

15 mei 2014

The opening of the Fair was different then we are used to: it started slowly in phases: first the press entered, then the VIP’s then all who were invited. When eventually things started to run there were lines at the entrance until closing-time which was consequently postponed to the horror of all kinds of staff. We had beer and evaluation elsewhere. More about the Fair later!

 

This was our booth as it could be visited during the Fair.

This is the work of yours truly

Left Maarten Schepers, on the right Ellen Rodenberg

Ben Faydherbe’s contribution makes the sign of the organization look pale!

Floris (1646) was also present for a symposion with his Latvian friends and other artists initiatives. In the middle Artemis Potamianou, artistic centipede (excuse my Duytch) and artistic director of the Platform Projects.

A Finnish collective burned a wooden bridge and a black square on the spot after which bronze Eurostars were thrown at the square in ninjastyle.

Then the crowd started to grow

Our communication expert felt completely in place

And the crowd grew and grew

EX-MÊKH got a lot of attention of young students

Some more work of Maarten Schepers and Ellen Rodenberg

Ellen Rodenberg’s work

Art Athina

 

EX-MÊKH@ Platforms Project – Art Athina day 1

11 mei 2014

On a sunday we arrive, a combination of cheap flight and misunderstanding about the date the Fair opens to build up. We appear to have two days to prepare ourselves and find to local inspiration. So after checking in Ellen and yours truly take a walk downtown to get used to the atmosphere. Superficially Athens doesn’t seem to be that much different from other times I visited the city, it seems cleaner and public transport has improved. Later we hear other stories about the state of the country !

Our hotel is across a large avenue from the sea

We see Greek-Orthodox churches everywhere, this first one has some nice details

As a first impression this is not bad

The predictable tourist traps approaching the Plaka

First sight at Acropolis which is overlooking everything

When the sun sets the light is incredible

Terraces are getiing more crowded then they already are

 

Moving through Archeological sites

We eventually end up in a nice street with Greek live music from the bar to enjoy our first dinner

Platform Projects