Category: Artworks news

Through a new “co-habitation” implemented in collaboration with the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum (EPMAS), the Contemporary Greek Art Institute (ISET) and ARTWORKS join forces to encourage the research and documentation as well as the promotion of contemporary Greek art. The aim is to actively make use of the archive in order to produce exhibitions and live events, achieving extroversion and offering the local art scene a new impetus.

ARTWORKS announces the launch of a new initiative focused on artistic production, international networking, and cultural exchange.

The program is structured around five key pillars – ARTWORKS Connects, ARTWORKS Funds, ARTWORKS Partners, ARTWORKS Preserves, and ARTWORKS Reads – and significantly broadens the scope of support available to artists and curators, while reinforcing the local artistic ecosystem.

Since 2017, ARTWORKS – with the support of its founding donor, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) – has mapped and nurtured of artistic production in Greece, offering a platform to 390 emerging and established creators. Through its new program, it reaffirms and deepens this commitment, providing artists living and working in Greece with new tools for international exposure, access to funding opportunities, and collaborative frameworks.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) remains a major supporter of ARTWORKS, actively supporting the entire scope of its activities.

ARTWORKS Connects: International Collaborations & Curatorial Exchanges

ARTWORKS promotes Greek art both within and beyond borders and strengthens curatorial/artistic exchanges through its residency programs:

> ARTWORKS Athens Curatorial Residency (A/ACR): A residency program that offers international curators and art theorists direct access to and engagement with the contemporary art scene in Athens.

> Curatorial Exchange Residency: Organized in collaboration with cultural institutions worldwide, creating platforms for dialogue and knowledge exchange. The first collaboration is carried out jointly with SAHA organization (Turkey) and contributes to intercultural communication between Athens and Istanbul.

> Artist Residencies: A residency program for artists in collaboration with institutions and organizations in Greece and abroad.

ARTWORKS Funds: Support for Artistic Production

ARTWORKS provides financial support (grants) to artists and curators, enabling the realization of innovative projects across the visual arts, dance, moving image, and curatorial practices. The program is designed for artists who are at the midpoint of their professional careers.

The ARTWORKS Grants program is supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

Applications open on 10/4, and more information can be found here: www.art-works.gr

ARTWORKS Partners: Creating Strong Cultural Bonds

ARTWORKS forges partnerships with cultural institutions, museums, and international initiating joint actions that promote contemporary artistic practice:

> ISET – Institute of Contemporary Greek Art: In collaboration with the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum (EPMAS), ARTWORKS is hosted at ISET with the aim of contributing to the research, documentation, and promotion of Greek art. ARTWORKS activates its public program, creating a dialogue between historical research and contemporary artistic practice.
> Grek Film Archive: Through the new competitive section Reframing Images as part of the Athens Avant-Garde Film Festival, ARTWORKS introduces a new award for experimental cinema.
> Museum of Cycladic Art: Through a structured program of studio visits, the Young Patrons gain unique insight into the practices of ARTWORKS-supported artists.
> Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC): Continuing a long-standing collaboration, ARTWORKS supports exhibitions and events that bring contemporary art into the public sphere.
> Delta Restaurant: Since 2021, ARTWORKS has been integrating contemporary art into the gastronomic experience with annual exhibitions. This collaboration will culminate in 2025 with the establishment of a permanent art collection at Delta.

ARTWORKS Preserves & ARTWORKS Reads: New Perspectives in Art

> ARTWORKS Preserves: Through events and collaborations, ARTWORKS secures and reallocates resources for the implementation of cultural projects and artistic research, strengthening sustainable creative practices.

> ARTWORKS Reads: Exploring the intersections of art, theory, and criticism, this platform supports the writing of original texts while activating archival research. It includes contributions from Greek and international curators participating in the residency programs.

Read texts here: https://www.art-works.gr/en/readings/

ARTWORKS’ new program creates a strong framework of support for artists and curators in Greece, while actively enhancing their international visibility and networks. It offers new opportunities for creation, presentation, and professional development, making a decisive contribution to the resilience and growth of the contemporary art ecosystem.

ARTWORKS, in collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), is organizing a masterclass with Claudia Wieser exclusively for the ARTWORKS Fellows, in the context of the artist’s exhibition as part of the WOW – Women of the World festival.

The masterclass will take place on Friday, April 4, 2025, and is organized in the context of Claudia Wieser’s exhibition, which opens on April 4 and runs until November 16, 2025, curated by Katerina Stathopoulou. The exhibition is part of the WOW – Women of the World festival, the largest global event dedicated to women, femininities, and non-binary individuals. This festival is being presented for the third year by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) from April 4 to April 7, in collaboration with the WOW Foundation and the British Council.

Claudia Wieser’s outdoor sculptural constructions create an immersive environment for exploration. In Surroundings, featuring works created specifically to be displayed on the Esplanade of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Wieser’s Modernist-inspired geometric sculptures examine the intersection of art and the object – the aesthetic and the functional.

The exhibition Surroundings centers on a meticulously crafted free-standing stage adorned with more than 1800 clay tiles that were attentively hand-painted by the artist in her Berlin studio. Wieser, who trained as a painter, leaves traces of her brushstrokes in each vibrantly-colored tile. The sculpture serves both as a performance stage and a public space for assembly, prompting visitors to become consciously aware of their surroundings. It is an invitation to slow down the pace and be present in the moment. The geometric structure is embedded with built-in seating meant to encourage interaction and the exchange of ideas, drawing upon the rich history of art and design —from the democratic spaces of ancient Roman forums and ancient Greek theaters to the architectural principles of Bauhaus craftsmanship.

Sprinkled throughout the Esplanade are large-scale vertical metal structures that form an atmospheric immersive constellation amongst the trees. Each of the brilliantly-colored surfaces tells a different story through fragmented imagery: photographs of bodies taken by Wieser herself, reproductions of ancient sculptures, landscapes, painterly and geometric forms, entwined with actual hand-painted tiles. Seamlessly woven together, these assemblages capture the pulse and dynamism of human existence.

Heartfelt congratulations to Miranda Pennell, the recipient of ARTWORKS Best Film Award, for Man Number 4 which competed at the inaugural Reframing Image section within the 13th Athens Avant Garde Film Festival! 

Ιn the jury’s words the film resembles a renaissance painting of the internet. Borrowing a photo posted on social media, the creator maps out a geography to be explored and composes square by square, a transcendental experience that surpasses the boundaries of simple cinematic viewing.

This award is not only a recognition of artistic excellence but a call for action. It reflects ARTWORKS’ commitment to supporting contemporary artists and amplifying voices that redefine the landscape of Greek and international filmmaking. 

The Reframing Images jury also awarded 2 special mentions to Maria Anastassiou for her film Notes: Remembered and Found by and to Alekos Alexiadis for Climate Diary. Congratulations to both filmmakers!

A big thank you to Reframing Images jury – Kostis Charamountanis, Christina Koutsospyrou, and Neritan Zinxhiria – for your commitment to artistic freedom, to the Athens Avant-Garde Film Festival and the Greek Film Archive for such an inspiring collaboration, and always grateful to our founding donor, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). 

The awards ceremony for the ARTWORKS Best Film Award – Reframing Images Competition took place on Sunday December 15th  at the Greek Film Archive.

Marily Konstantinopoulou | ARTWORKS Co-founder © Photo Vangelis Patsialos

REFRAMING IMAGES JURY | Kostis Charamountanis, Neritan Zintziria, Christina Koutsospyrou | © Photo Vangelis Patsialos

ATHENS AVANT-GARDE FILM FESTIVAL TEAM | © Photo Vangelis Patsialos

 

ARTWORKS is collaborating with 7 partners from European countries to implement the program “Canvas for Change: Harnessing Public Art to Empower Youth and Communities” – a new initiative by Urban Center funded by the Erasmus+ program through the National Youth Agency. The program targets artists and youth workers aiming to become agents of social change.

From Greece, three visual artists and SNF ARTWORKS fellows have been selected to participate. Specifically, Madlen Anipsitaki, Konstantinos Kotsis, and Elina Niarchou will travel to Sardinia to take part in the seminar organized by Urban Center from December 9 to 18, 2024.

Canvas for Change delves into the intersection of public art, youth work, and social/political action, emphasising the transformative power of art in engaging young people and fostering civic participation. The project aims at harnessing the power of creativity as a tool for social change in local communities.

Despite the potential of public art to inspire civic engagement, especially in young people,  youth workers, artists, and changemakers often lack the necessary tools and strategies to harness this power effectively. Additionally, marginalised youth frequently face barriers to participation in artistic and civic activities.

The primary aim of this project is twofold: to explore the synergy between public art and youth work and to equip youth workers, artists, and changemakers with the skills to engage young people in civic actions, foster political participation, raise awareness on pressing issues, and advocate for social change. Moreover, the project aims at creating a platform of exchange between young artists, youth workers and changemakers from European Islands (Sardinia, Madeira, Malta, Cyprus, Greek or Spanish Islands and Iceland).

The training week will take place in December 9-18 2024 in Elmas, located in the Metropolitan City of Cagliari, Sardinia.

Main objectives of the project:
– Exploring the benefits and potential of combining public art, youth work, and social/political action.
– Enhancing the skills of 24 participants in using public art as a medium to engage young people in civic actions and political life, to raise awareness among local communities on social and political issues, and to support key community-driven causes.
The program includes workshops, in-person and online lectures, as well as hands-on field activities, making it a comprehensive experiential and educational initiative.
A distinctive feature of Canvas for Change is its special focus on addressing the unique characteristics and needs of islands.

C A N V A S   F O R   C H A N G E
Harnessing Public Art to Empower Youth and Communities
Erasmus+
9-18 December 2024  | LOCATION Elmas/Cagliari (ITALY)  

Funding information

Canvas for Changes: Harnessing Public Art to Empower Youth and Communities is an Erasmus+ Seminar financed by the ANG (Agenzia Nazionale per i Giovani) with an Erasmus+ grant.

To 2022 έκλεισε με 2 επισκέψεις των SNF ARTWORKS Fellows, στο Goethe-Institut Athen και στο χώρο του TAVROS.

Στο πλαίσιο του 5ου Προγράμματος Υποστήριξης Καλλιτεχνών ΙΣΝ, επισκεφτήκαμε το Goethe-Institut Athen και την εγκατάσταση της Ινώς Βαρβαρίτη και του Γιάννη Δελαγραμμάτικα, με τίτλο “Tόπος εύρεσης: Γκαίτε, Ομήρου. Σημειακές αρχειακές συγκλίσεις“. O Γιάννης Δελαγραμμάτικας (SNF ARTWORKS Fellow 2018) ξενάγησε τους Fellows 2022 στο αναλογικό πολιτιστικό του αρχείο του Goethe-Institut Athe, κάνοντας μια σύντομη χαρτογράφιση της πολιτιστικής ζωής και της κοινωνικής πραγματικότητας των τελευταίων εβδομήντα ετών και ξεδιπλώνοντας την ιστορία της Αθήνας και της Ελλάδας – πάντα σε σχέση με το παγκόσμιο ιστορικό πλαίσιο.

Στη συνέχεια επισκεφτήκαμε τον χώρο του TAVROS και την έκθεση “The Sea Around Us“. Στο χώρο, μας υποδέχτηκαν η Μαρία-Θάλεια Καρρά (ιδρύτρια & επιμελέτηρια του TAVROS), ο Νίκος Μάρκου (καλλιτέχνης), ο Ευτύχης Πατσουράκης (καλλιτέχνης) και ο Γιώργος Σαλαμέ (καλλιτέχνης) μιλώντας για την ιδέα της έκθεσης και τα έργα που παρουσιάζονται σε αυτήν.

Tι μας χωρίζει και τι μας ενώνει; Και τι ρόλο έπαιξε -και παίζει- το θαλάσσιο στοιχείο στη δημιουργία των πόλεων, στα σύνορα των κρατών. Η έκθεση “The Sea Around Us”, δανείζεται τον τίτλο της από το βιβλίο της θαλάσσιας βιολόγου Rachel Carlson και μέσα από 3 αλληλένδετα κεφάλαια, ερευνά τον συνδετικό ιστό του θαλάσσιου περιβάλλοντος με τα λιμάνια, το εμπόριο και τις ανθρώπινες μετακινήσεις.

https://www.goethe.de/ins/gr/el/sta/ath.html

the sea around us

What is a choreographic process? How can a choreographic work activate and get activated by the viewer? How can we create a space where the creator’s perspective and the viewer’s perspective co-exist? How does the act of writing stretch the boundaries of the dancing experience ? These were some of the questions raised during the talk of Myrto Katsiki to our Fellows.

Myrto Katsiki is a dance researcher and dancer based in Paris. Her research and teaching focus on the analysis of choreographic works and practices with a particular interest in questioning the performer’s experience and the spectator’s perceptual activity. Myrto is a member of our dance selection committee for the 5th SNF Artist Fellowship Program.

On Friday February 3rd, we welcomed to Athens Alexandra Waierstall, choreographer, dance artist and member of our dance selection committee. Alexandra, along with her colleagues Rita McBride, Scott Jennings, Giorgos Kotsifakis and Eftychia Stefanou, organized an open studio for our #artworksfellows inspired by Rita McBride’s Arena (1997)–a modular sculpture that is activated by the presence of audiences.

During the open studio, cyclical encounters between the performers and our fellows unfolded in the space again and again: vertical and horizontal connections, resonances, transitions, changes of perspective and transformations were manifested. An ever changing and growing process which was not characterized by fixed points, beginnings or departures. Through her choreographic work Alexandra poetically responds to all those situations that are never entirely completed, are process-driven and indicative of the infinite perspectives on the relationship between man and space, body and structure, the individual and the collective.

The open studio culminated in a group discussion moderated by Anastasio Koukoutas around the ideas and values of democracy, the evolution of the arena concept, spaces within spaces, the economy of gaze and the importance of momentum.

Born in England and raised in Cyprus, Alexandra Waierstall is a Düsseldorf based choreographer and artist practicing for over 15 years. Her conceptually, physically detailed, crafted investigations are expressed through choreographies, installations, films, situations, sounds, texts and images. She approaches choreography as a vehicle for developing new skills and knowledge for living together, connecting bodies, life-forms, and environments. Choreography as a practice, as an act of empowerment, a way to reimagine and reinvent our world anew. She advocates for a form of radical attentiveness, across different contexts including theatres, galleries, museums, publications and in public spaces. Internationally, she has presented works at Musée du Louvre – FIAC, Sadler’s Wells, Dansenshus Oslo, Mousonturm, Crossing Festival Beijing, Fringe Festival Shanghai, International Festival Seoul, Dansenshus Stockholm, Sesc Pompeia (São Paulo), De Pont Museum of Contemporary Art, Kunsthalle Mannheim, Bauhaus Museum amongst others. Alexandra Waierstall has choreographed the companies National Dance Company of Wales and tanzmainz. Her choreographic work has been selected and supported by networks such as Aerowaves, Modul Dance, IDEE – Initiatives in Dance through European Exchange as well as Chin-A-moves. Since 2007 her work has been co-produced by tanzhaus nrw in Germany.

Anastasio Koukoutas is working in the field of dance theory, dramaturgy and writing. He studied (BA) Communication and Marketing at the Athens University of Economics, (MA) Performing Arts Administration at Accademia Teatro alla Scala (in collaboration with Bocconi University), Ethnomusicology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (within the e-learning course Greek Music Culture and Education). He has worked, in the publishing field, as a contributor and editor, for art institutions and organizations, such as: Athens & Epidaurus Festival, Stegi Onassis, Dimitria Thessaloniki Festival, Megaron — The Athens Concert Hall et.al. He has worked as a dramaturg in theatre and dance performances (Athens Festival, Stegi Onassis, Experimental Stage of National Theatre in Greece, Arc for Dance Festival, Porta Theatre — Athens et.al.). He writes frequently about dance for the websites springbackmagazine.com, artivist.gr, und-athens.com, and teaches Dance History at the dance college ΑΚΤΙΝΑ. Last but not least, he has worked as a performer for Denis Savary (Lagune –National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens — 2016), Virgilio Sieni (Biennale Danza / La Biennale di Venezia — 2016), Pierre Bal Blanc (documenta14–2017), Dora Garcia (Megaron, The Athens Concert Hall — 2018) et. al.

Last week, Syrago Tsiara, Director of the National Gallery, welcomed us warmly to the recently refurbished building and guided us through the history of the institution outlining its mission and exhibition program. She highlighted the role of art in observing, creating, disseminating history as well as in shaping the collective memory. The tour was a stimulating experience, elaborating on certain works of the permanent collection and walking us through the exhibition currently on view “Konstantinos Parthenis (1878–1967) – Painting an Ideal Greece”. Thank you Syrago for sharing your knowledge and wisdom.

Syrago Tsiara is an art historian and curator. She is the Director of the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum. Until recently, she directed the ΜΟΜus – Museum of Contemporary Art and the Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art. She is a member of our selection committee for the 5th SNF Artist Fellowship Program in the discipline of curating.

2023 was kicked off with a gallery tour at Piraeus. Our Fellows were walked through Rodeo, The Intermission and Carwan gallery, learning about their history and exhibition program. They had the chance to see the current exhibitions and learn more about the hub that has been created in the neighbourhood of Pireaus.

Our Fellows were guided through the solo show “A KNIFE WITH NO BLADE, MISSING ITS HANDLE” by Guglielmo Castelli and the group show “ΝΕΟΚΛΑΣΙΚΟ” at RODEO Gallery. They then visited Carwan Gallery and the first retrospective of the late Aleko’s Fassianos design works. Finally, Artemis Baltogianni – art advisor and owner of The Intermission – welcomed us in the space and talked about the philosophy of the space, contributing to the creation of a market that attracts collectors and a hub for global artistic dialogue.

SNF ARTWORKS Fellows 2022 attended a workshop about intellectual property and artists’ rights led by Marina Markellou. What is the legal framework that protects and enforces creators’ rights?  How can the artist fortify his rights when creating? Through several case studies and q&a sessions, Marina Markellou mapped the general framework of intellectual property for artists in Greece.

Dr. Marina Markellou is a lawyer specializing in Intellectual Property Law. After obtaining a degree from the Faculty of Law, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a Master’s in Intellectual Property (Master 2, Spécialité Créations Immatérielles) from the University of Montpellier I in France, she continued her studies in Montpellier I with a PhD thesis entitled “The Copyright Contracts under French, German and Greek law”, studying under a scholarship from the State Scholarship Foundation in Greece. Subsequently, she completed a post-doctoral thesis on artistic appropriation at the Faculty of Law, University of Poitiers, France. In the last decade, she has been lecturing on intellectual property law, cultural heritage law and business law at the Ionian University, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Hellenic Open University, University of Nicosia and Open University of Cyprus, on both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Ioanna Gerakidi, Curatorial Fellow 2021, designed and moderated a workshop for SNF ARTWORKS Fellows 2022. Entitled “Articulating the personal, forming the collective”, the workshop thinks through and aims to work with diverse methodologies of researching, engaging with and producing a work. How can verbalizing, writing, or sharing processes of thinking through or making a work can be used as means to situate a practice, to find our words, to learn how to individually and collectively become otherwise.

Ioanna Gerakidi is a writer, curator and educator based in Athens. Her research interests think through the subjects of language and disorder, drawing on feminist, educational and anti-colonial studies. Poetry and other diaristic and archival schemes are often embedded in her practice.

On Thursday, February 16th, we visit the group exhibition “This Current Beteween Us” at the first steam-electric power station in Greece. Panos Yiannikopoulos, the exhibition’s co-curator and member of ARTWORKS team, guided our Fellows through the exhibition spaces and works and talked about the curatorial rational. He presented all 42 works exhibited in the show, 12 of which have been created by SNF ARTWORKS Fellows.

The exhibition examines the factory as a centre for the production of both power and materials, and moreover views it as a social model, a system for the organisation of space and human – and nonhuman – life, an architectural management of existing relationships and a generator of new ones.

—–

This Current Between Us
PPC Historic Electric Steam Power Station of Neo Faliro
Solomou 1 & Dimitriou Falireos, 185 47 Piraeus, Greece

Thursday–Sunday: 4pm–8pm
Exhibition duration: Friday, December 16, 2022 – Sunday, March 12, 2023

Participating artists: Nikos Alexiou, Micol Assaël, Eleni Bagaki, Eleni Christodoulou, Kostas Christopoulos, Anastasia Douka, Panayotis Evangelidis, Hypercomf, Konstantinos Giotis, Eleni Kalara & Valia Papachristou & Evaggeli Fili, Dimitris Kamarotos, Mikhail Karikis, Ali Kazma, Athina Koumparouli, Anna Lascari, Virginia Mastrogiannaki, Marina Miliou-Theocharaki & Marianne Tuckman, Petros Moris, Bill Morrison, Olga Migliaressi-Phoca, Paola Palavidi, Natasha Papadopoulou, Dimitris Papaioannou, Kostas Sahpazis, Louis-Philippe Scoufaras, Maria Sideri, Miriam Simun & Daria Kaufman, Iris Touliatou, Alexandros Tzannis, Theodore Tzannetakis, Jeph Vanger, Zafos Xagoraris, Marina Xenofontos

Participants from the Athens School of Fine Arts Lab: Alexandra Apsokardou, Despina Vaxevanidi, Anna Mastromichali, Katerina Messini, Olga Souvermezoglou

Curated by Panos Giannikopoulos & Georgia Liapi

Concept, research, coordination: Eleni Kalara

The exhibition “This Current Between Us” takes place within the framework of the project “The Other Body”, in collaboration with Blow-Up, Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA) and the PPC, with the support of the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Culture & Sports . Powered by PPC.

*Eleni Bagaki, Anastasia Douka, Konstantinos Giotis, Athina Koumparouli, Virginia Mastrogiannaki, Petros Moris, Paola Palavidi & Ioannis Kolliopoulos (Hypercomf), Maria Sideri, Iris Touliatou, Alexandros Tzannis and Jephn Vanger are SNF ARTWORKS Fellows

Galini Notti, curator and member of our curatorial selection committee for the 5th SNF Artist Fellowship Program, gave an extensive talk about the exhibition “Nikos Velmos (1890-1930) Drawings” that she recently curated and which is currently on view at Radio Athènes. Prior to her talk, we visited the exhibition space where Helena Papadopoulos guided us through the artworks and also spoke about the artist’s archive and the curatorial approach behind the show.

Galini Notti (b. 1980) is a curator who lives and works in Athens, Greece. In 2020, she curated the show Statues that don’t move, don’t speak, don’t laugh in three public squares in Athens. She has also curated one of the “Top Tens” for the project Shadow Libraries: UbuWeb in Athens at Onassis Cultural Centre, the exhibition Survey in the context of Art-Athina 2017, co-curated the show (Im)material Gestures as part of the project PIIGS_An Alternative Geography of Curating at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin, curated the exhibition Overseas at The American College of Greece in Athens and the show Fireworks out of Season – Riviera at the Riviera open-air cinema in the Exarcheia neighborhood of Athens. She has participated in the curatorial team of the 4th Athens Biennale – Agora as well as curated and co-curated exhibitions at independent, artist-run, municipal and commercial spaces. In addition, she often writes about artists and exhibitions. In 2013 she was the recipient of the NEON Curatorial Award. She holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Ioannina, Greece and MAs in Aesthetics from Paris 1 University and in Museology from the Ecole du Louvre, Paris, France. She has worked in museums and galleries in Paris, New York and Athens. For many years she was in charge of the Art Collection of the American College of Greece and is currently assistant curator at NEON.

NIKOS VELMOS (1890-1930) DRAWINGS
Curated by Galini Notti
29 January – 12 March 2023
RADIO ATHÈNES

The current exhibition’s work is comprised of many people and places – taverns, graveyards, the house of Rodakis in Aegina, Panormos in Tinos where he went to meet Chalepas, Athens, and Mount Athos. It approaches the drawings of Nikos Velmos as contemporary work. It is presented at Radio Athènes in Plaka, which is very near Nikodimou street, where Asylon Technis used to be.

More info here.

The art and labor of making a film.

Director and filmmaker Ektoras Lygizos and film producer Konstantina Stavrianou, both members of our moving image selection committee for the 5th SNF Artist Fellowship Program, gave yesterday at Romantso a joint talk, where they discussed with our Fellows important aspects of filmmaking: from the conception of an idea to script development and eventually the production of a film.

Thank you both for sharing your experience and personal input.

Born in Athens in 1976. He studied Greek Literature, Linguistics and Film Directing. His feature film BOY EATING THE BIRD’S FOOD (2012) premiered at Karlovy Vary Film Festival, won several awards and was in Competition at the International Film Festivals of Toronto, London, Montreal, Seville, Reykjavic, Hong Kong, Linz, Brussels, Leeds, Goa, Haifa, Thessaloniki, Bergen and Tallinn among others. It has also won the Best Feature Film, Best Leading Actor and Best Newcomer Director Awards from the Greek Film Academy (2013). His short film PURE YOUTH was premiered at Venice Film Festival 2004 – Official Competition. He has directed for the stage plays by Aeschulus, Euripides, Shakespeare, Moliere, Ibsen, Beckett, Verdi, Checkov, Jarry, Frayn, Boretz and Murray, Koumendakis, Walsh, Minyana, Owen and Klaus at the National Theatre of Greece, the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, the Onassis Culture Centre, the Greek National Opera among others.

Konstantina Stavrianou co-founded Graal, a production company and a post-production facility, based in Athens, Greece. She oversees the production & co-production sectors for both Greek and international productions and is Graal’s co-managing director. The company has co-produced 65 films to date and has a portfolio of approximately 430 titles. In 2012 & 2013 she has been in the Hellenic Film’s Academy organizing committee of the two-day conference “Riding the Greek Wave” in Athens. Its first instalment focused on project development and festival strategies, while in 2013 on international co-production & distribution. Since 2014, attends workshops as post-production tutor collaborating with FOCAL Digital Production Challenge, Doha Film Institute, Red Sea Lodge and others. She is a member of the preselection / selection committee at the Berlinale co-pro series, Torino Film Lab, Locarno Open Doors consultances and Biennale College Cinema. She is a MEDIA programme expert, a Berlinale talents alumna and member of the EAVE network. Since 2021, she is an awarded member of the Hellenic Film Academy.

Within the framework of the 5th SNF Artist Fellowship Program, visual artist Kostas Sahpazis designed a workshop on art and social engaged practices.

During the the workshop, Kostas Sahpazis talked about the boundaries between personal practice and collective action, about the social role of art and the consequences of its aestheticization. The aim of the workshop is to establish the theoritical framework for the social role of art through the experience of Kostas Sahpazis’ collaboration with KE.TH.E.A. THERAPY CENTER FOR DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS

Workshop duration: February – April 2023

Xenia Kalpaktsoglou, independent curator and member of our visual arts selection committee, presented her work through a lecture performance she put together for our current cohort of Fellows. Moving between informal historiography and anecdotal storytelling, she demonstrated bits and pieces from past talks, feedback from peers and shared considerable information about her overall professional experience in the art world.

A heartfelt thank you to Xenia for taking the time to prepare such a stimulating lecture and to everyone who attended.

Xenia Kalpaktsoglou (1974) is a curator and a founding member of the Athens-based collective Laboratory for the Urban Commons (Neo Cosmos). Her curatorial practice is rooted in collaboration, the creation of (trans-)local projects and initiatives, and in the reconsideration of the protocols of exchange and production between cultural producers and institutions/organizations. She co-founded the Athens Biennale and co-directed it from 2005–2016; during those years she was primarily active with the curatorial team XYZ. Between 2006-2008 she was the director of the DESTE Foundation. She is currently a PhD candidate at the Artistic Research department at the Zurich University of the Arts / Linz University of the Arts.

www.neocosmos.gr

Tina Pandi, art historian, curator at the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) and member of our visual arts selection committee, welcomed us at EMST and talked to us about her role as an institutional curator, the curatorial considerations from such point of view, the evaluation criteria when producing an exhibition versus its intrinsic value and much more.

Following her talk, Tina gave us an exhibition tour of Eleni’s Bagaki solo show “Something like a poem, a nude, and flowers in a vase”. Gladly, our dear Fellow, Eleni–SNF ARTWORKS Visual Arts Fellow 2020–joined the tour and we had the chance to hear from both of them about their collaboration and behind the scenes stories.

Learn more about the exhibition here.