May 27, 2016
In spite of the crisis atmosphere in Athens and the refugee-problems that haunt the country the Athens artfair took place again this year. The Taekwondo Stadium had been occupied with refugees in winter during heavy rains which resulted in a lot of problems. Nevertheless, the fair continued but the big galleries in Greece didn’t show up and the galleries that did show up were very conservative in their choice of artists. The Platform Project on the other hand was very interesting this year. It is always worth to visit but now the side show for non-commercial art platforms showed great art and awareness of the human and the political situation which in some cases led to moving art works.
Look at the fair from the platforms
Derek Liddington at 8Eleven, a very interesting sculptor. these are studies after an Elsworth Kelly drawing
This video was shot by Liddington, having four actors making a pillar of clay and creating a tension between disciplines
This was an ongoing performance in 8eleven in which a dancer would reenact the choreography “Ode” which was executed by les Ballets Russes in 1913. The floor on which the dancer moved was a square meter of clay
I found this work very moving: in an inter-active work, Navine Khan Dossos tries to paint the 2000 people that have sought refuge in the Taekwondo Stadium last winter. Visitors and colleagues are invited to contribute as the artist will continue to paint until the end of the fair.
This beautiful Painting has been made by an icon-painter for Kallio Kunsthalle (FI), following the text that Petri Saariko had prepared.
Andreas Martí installed this drawing installation at Dienstgebäude
It is continuing to draw during the fair
This wall sculpture of Bettina Diel could also be seen at Diensgebäude
From Nantes (FR) came Extra Muros in which these wall sculptures by Romain Rimbaud were shown
Interesting painting at Foss (GR)
A short visit to the real fair: here a photograph by Sarah Lucas
Nice political drawings by Tasos Pavlopoulos
Collage by Maria Ikonomoupoulou
who also made beautiful embroideries on newspaper, shown at Mulier Mulier
Where also work of the painter Guy van Bossche was shown
I rather liked these collages because of the use of material. made by Nikos Varitymiadis
Taubert Contemporary showed an artist with over-all design: Lars Arrhenius
Curator of Platform Projects, the wonderful Artemis Potamianou, an artist also, showed at the floor of the fair
Kallio Kunsthalle showed performance “about the self-determination of women”
At MUU (F) the performance artist Helinä Hukkataival showed a very sensitive performance
resulting in a beautiful series of personae
From the Netherlands came Bcademie, a post-graduate training for artists (after A you have to say B). Here initiators Alex Jacobs and Daan den Houter talk with their students, of which six were doïng performances durig the fair. One for a Euro!
The students found props in Athens and used those to arrange their space
They proved quite popular, here Elsemarijn Bruijs working on chewing gum
The shift was together with Philippa Driest
Who showed pictures of urban places accompanied by sounds of airplanes
AKA artist run from Saskatchewanm, Canada with sculpture of Svea Ferguson
Super 8 video by Leslie Supnet
and Lori Blondeau who researches diverse persona’s
The Lo and Behold (GR) wants to fertilise the soil in “Bureau of Soil making” by Yiannis Hiridoglou
From Boston (USA) the Museum of Contemporary Cuts with heavy conceptual work with a direct approach
Which works rather good I think
Then an installation of Amiraly from Parking Gallery/New media Society from Iran, a presentation which is well worked out
Cut the Fence, a project of Copa & Sordes: the 657 meter long fence of a Swiss refugee camp is transformed in to the same length of African damask fabric with fence pattern: everybody who cuts a piece of it contributes to the destruction of the fence
Groupshow at SCI (UK) with very nice works, some fresh from the boats coming to Greece
Ed video: always interesting video-stuff, here by Iris Fraser and David Hanes
Foreign Affairs, A beautiful collaboration by Bella Easton, Tiny Dominguez and Julia Riddlough of resp. Beaston projects, Rosa Lux and A Brooks Art
The beauty of statistics, by Tiny Dominguez
In the mean while the Capacity-project of Navine Khan Dossos is a large succes
The refugee-camp is turning in a large field of flowers!
At A-Trans beautiful work on paper by Marian Wijnvoord
Who also burns down the Netherlands in her Photo-collages
The line in Andreas Martí’s installation is lengthening
Bcademy’s students don’t stop performing, here Maud van den Beuken moves sand
from stage to visitor
and Casper Braat plans a make-over for your humble reporter
Various Artists from Belgium, a research in shit which Belgians find interesting in general
Trying to find the pearls which are being digested by test-persons
And also the deterioration of Bonsai-trees under water is a process that results in esthetic pleasures under the name Agua con Gaz
The very big collective EN-FLO (GR) installed suit-cases with fillings
And then there is the very interesting Milena Principle, showing projects that relate to our own activities. Action in public space about silence and slowness.
In Venice
And Athens, we will hear more from them!
Last but certainly not least Kunstenaarsinitiatief Elders from Den Haag (NL), here an expanding painting by Lucius Pax
Painting by Liesbeth Bosch
And surprising ceramics by Corine Barendregt
Art Athina 2016
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