12 mei 2014
In the Gennadius library in Athens, an institute for research linked to the American School of Classical Studies, the general public is usually kept out. Now however everybody is welcome to visit an international exhibition which is organized on its premises and in the library, well known artists show their work under the name “A Thousand Doors”. This exhibition has been organized by NEON, a foundation which was started by the wealthy collector D. Daskopoulos to show and stimulate contemporary art in Greece. For this occasion Neon involved The Whitechapel Art Gallery in the show which can be recognized somewhat in the artists that are being shown. The exhibition has wonderfully succeeded in showing how art can form a means to take the spectator to another time and to another world. In this respect the library is an appropriate context, because books also have exactly the quality the exhibition tries to achieve. This is not the only aspect that makes this location perfect for the exhibition: the library houses in a beautiful neo-classistic building surrounded by a magnificent garden. Both the house and the garden were used for the exhibition and some of the artists seem to have made their work especially for this spot. A must see when in Athens!
Front: Francis Upritchard, back: Daniel Silver – Freud applied to Greek philosophers
In the studyroom of the library we can see a beautiful piece of Georg Herold: texts from poetry in different languages on a wooden construction one can see when one looks up.
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And this is what the complete work looks like in the space
Matthew Barney also makes books
as does Isa Genzken, this is a fancy publication from Germany
Mark Manders also feels at home here
Pavel Büchler practices German Philosophy in Greece
Christian Boltanski practices personal archeology, he shows the contents of a box from his archive
with catalogues, texts etc.
John Latham petrifies books
Edward Ellington standardises forms in his books
A collection of autographs by Shuruq Harb
Here you can see the Georg Herold piece from above
Michael Deans work seems a bit sick
but he really has a sense of humor
Here also something readable has been used, I can not find the name of the artist anymore
Meric Algün Ringborg created a library of books that have never been lent
Nina Fisher and Meroan el Sani made a video in the Bibliotheque National in Paris after the books had been moved to a new library
Ah, I remember, this is made by Paky Vlassopoulou
Outside around the building we first see the books made of filo-dough by Nikos Navridis
the placing of which was wel thought about by the way
Iannis Kounellis could not be missed in this context
Juan Muñoz certainly feels at home on this patio
As does Giuseppe Penone in the garden
Whose bark turned inside out has been guilded on the inside (but actually really on the outside if you can follow)
Silver placed his work in several spots
with homemade classical sculpture in a variety of materials
And finishing off the Argentino Adrián Villar Rojas shows us the future
Everyday, at a quarter before closing time, a soundwork of Kostas Ioannidis can be heard. A magical symphony of birds sounds from the speakers to discuss with the birds present in the garden. Ioannidis is known for this kind of wonderful interventions. In Rotterdam he was invited by “Het Wilde Weten” for which occasion he had nightingales sound in the water of the van Mannenstreet. An experience for who accidentally dove into the water.
Ioannides work at 19.45h
One of the youngest artists to contribute to the exhibition and also one of the most interesting ones is Valentina Karga. Five days a week she is present to invite visitors to make a walk in the garden and to think about information, knowledge, education and the meaning of this in our times. At the end of the walk an account of what has been talked about is worked out on a typewriter in two copies which are signed. The collection of the “Exercises in Walking and Talking” will be taken in the Gennadeios Library after the exhibiton.
Valentina Karga talking with visitors
Valentina Karga at the acoounts of her discussions
Een bericht van Maria Ikonomoupoulou en chmkoome
The Gennadius Library
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