Category: ARTWORKS

ARTWORKS, supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), in the context of its collaboration with MEDITERRANEA 19 Young Artists Biennale School of Waters will be organising a series of events in Athens under the title Liquid Junctions. The Liquid Junctions events are part of the Biennale parallel program, which will be held in various cultural institutions across the Mediterranean with a view to activating discussions around the themes of the Biennale and disseminating the exhibition’s programme .

On Friday, June 4, at 7 p.m. local time, ARTWORKS will hold a public event at the SNFCC Dome in order to support and showcase the work of all SNF ARTWORKS Fellows selected to participate in the Biennale (Ionian Bisai, Eva Papamargariti, Valinia Svoronou and Chara Stergiou). Liquid Junctions will include a DJ lecture by Hara Stergiou; a performative reading by Quinn Latimer and presentations of the works of Eva Papamargaritis, Valinia Svoronou and the artistic duo Latent Community (Ionian Bisai and Sotiris Tsiganos).

Between May 15 and October 31, 2021, MEDITERRANEA 19 School of Waters will be presenting the work of 70 artists from 21 Mediterranean countries for the first time in San Marino. The MEDITERRANEA 19 School of Waters envisions the Biennale as a collective tool for deconstructing stereotypes stemming from the Eurocentric interpretation of the Mediterranean basin, focusing particularly on the material and symbolic nature of water from a geopolitical as well as an ecological perspective. It is an invitation to discover anew the fluidity that has turned the Mediterranean basin into a versatile habitat in which various life forms and knowledge-production processes have coexisted for centuries.

The participating artists place the focus on ecofeminism and examine the major ethical and economic roots of environmental issues. Inspired by mythology, science fiction, contemporary history and examining the matter through the prism of complex marine ecosystems, they challenge human superiority and navigate the notions of feeling and thinking in more-than-human worlds.

Eva Papamargariti uses time-based media, printed material and sculptural installations to explore the relationship between digital space and material reality. Papamargariti focuses on the dialectics of fluidity, motion, as well as the relationship between bodies and the traces they leave behind as they float, sink, disperse, get cast in and out of water.

The work of the artistic duo Latent Community (Jonian Bisai and Sotiris Tsiganos) combines fieldwork and moving image to tackle contemporary judicial, social and ecological issues. The duo aims to create conceptual and emotional experiences through which a more equal and sustainable future may be imagined. Their research focuses on the critical reading of non-canonical stories and examines the ways in which these become embedded in new contexts.

Chara Stergiou’s interdisciplinary practice develops at the junction between epistemological research and artistic practice. Stergiou’s DJ Lectures are hybrid narrative techniques for disseminating stories, geographies, and identities based on non-locality and can be seen as sonic, almost radiophonic, events to be transmitted through the lens of a deviated ethnomusicology.

Valinia Svoronou’s practice includes text, moving image, augmented reality applications, publications, prints and sculpture. Using references from science fiction and mythology, she navigates alternative ways of remembering or narrating stories from a non-dominant perspective.

As part of Liquid Junctions, guest poet and critic Quinn Latimer will hold a performative reading based on her work The Samos Lecture (Like a Woman: Essays, Readings, Poems). Combining live performance and the written word, Latimer’s work examines issues of genealogy and influence, the poverty and privilege of place, as well as feminist economies of writing, reading, and art-making. She will also present her film How to Move Like the Ocean (Liquefaction, Lubrication & Expansion in Twelve Easy Steps), created in collaboration with Temitope Ajose-Cutting in 2020. In this work, the two artists ask a series of questions, for example: in times of isolation, what do we lack? How do we learn? What is a body, and what is a body of water?

The Mediterranean Biennale 19 School of Waters, organised by BJCEM – Biennale des Jeunes Créateurs de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée and the Republic of San Marino will present from 15 May to 31 October 2021 the works of over 70 artists from 21 different countries, hosted for the first time by the Republic of San Marino.

Senior Curators: Alessandro Castiglioni, Simone Frangi
Curatorial Team: Denise Araouzou, Giulia Colletti, Panos Giannikopoulos, Giulia Gregnanin, Theodoulos Polyviou, Angeliki Tzortzakaki and Nicolas Vamvouklis.

The Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs General Secretariat for Vocational Education, Training, Lifelong Learning and Youth in Greece as well as the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Directorate of Culture are founding members of BJCEM and support the participation of Greek artists and curators in the Biennale Mediterranea 19.

Liquid Junctions: MEDITERRANEA 19 Young Artists Biennale – School of Waters x ARTWORKS | SNFCC

Free entry by online pre-registration. 

Pre-sale points:

• online through the Ticket Services website here
• by telephone: 210 7234567 (Ticket Services)

Schedule:

19.00  – Introduction and welcome by the co-organisers ARTWORKS & MED19
19.15 – Screenings and short introductions by the artists
Valinia Svoronou, Endymion (greek)
Eva Papamargariti,  As they were drifting away, their bodies turned into waves, 2021 (english)
Latent Community NEROMANNA (greek, english subtitles)
Latent Community Ocean is future (work in progress)
Quinn Latimer, How to move like the Ocean (english)
20.15 –  Quinn Latimer reading performance of The Samos Lecture (english)
20.45 –Chara Stergiou – dj Lecture Listening to an Elusive Geography  greek)

ARTWORKS, with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), partners with the Biennale of Young Artists – MEDITERRANEA 19 – School of Waters , joining the Expanded Public Program Digital Swamp which will take place in various Mediterranean cities. The aim of this Program is to activate a network of discussions and actions around the thematic School of Waters.

Specificatlly, ARTWORKS will support the SNF ARTWORKS Fellows who have been selected to take part in the Biennale (Ionian Bisai, Eva Papamargariti, Valinia Svoronou and Chara Stergiou) by organizing two events entitled Liquid Junctions. The first event will be held digitally on May 19th 2021, through two separate conversations between the guests speakers Ella Finer and Chuz Martinez, the participant artists and members of the curatorial group of Biennale, Panos Giannikopoulos and Angeliki Tzortzakaki. The second event will take part on June 2021, in a physical space in Athens, presenting the works of SNF ARTWORKS Fellows who will be exhibited at the Biennale at San Marino. More to be announced soon.

The Expanded Program of the Biennale MEDITERRANEA 19 – School of Waters, Digital Swamp, will be streamed online on the Biennale’s platform, mediterraneabiennial.org and the School of Waters Youtube account from May 14th until May 23rd 2021. ARTWORKS will be joining the Program on May 19 2021.

May 19

CONVERSATIONS
Liquid Junctions

18.00

Chus Martinez with Eva Papamargariti, Valinia Svoronou and Panos Giannikopoulos

19:30

Ella Finer with Chara Stergiou and Angeliki Tzortzakaki
With the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
Livestreaming from ARTWORKS, Athens, Greece

More info about the Digital Swamp | Expanded Public Program | 14-24 May 2021 in the following link

https://mediterraneabiennial.org/Digital-Swamp

During our dance workshop led by Efrosini Protopapa and Steriani Tsintziloni, we had the pleasure to invite Eleanor Bauer for an artist talk. Eleanor spoke to us about the theory and research behind her practice, the non-linearity of dance and the limitations of using language when trying to answer the question ” How does dance think?”. Thank you Eleanor for such an inspiring talk and many thanks to our dance selection committee members and mentors, Efrosini and Stergiani for making this happen.

Eleanor Bauer is a performer and choreographer working at the intersections of dance, writing, and music. Her work is rooted in syntheses of embodied intelligences in her practice of making sense with the senses in performance. From solos to talk shows to large ensemble pieces, her versatile works range in scale, media, and genre traversing categories of performance with wit, humor, and aplomb.

On February we had the chance to learn more about the works of Byron Kalomamas, Konstantinos Pettas, Eliza Sorogka, Elektra Stampoulou, Petros Efstathiadis, Lelle Demertzi, Stefania Orfanidou, Maria Tsilogianni, Antigone Theodorou and Anthi Kougia! Among other topics we reflected on displaced labour, questions around narrative formation and narration, authorship and authenticity, the ephemeral, the phenomenology of the space, speculative design and future studies. Thank you all for the great company and for the lively discussions!

This week we hosted Valentinas Klimašauskas for another Zoom meeting with our Fellows!
Valentinas is a curator and a writer based in Vilnius, Lithuania. During his presentation, Valentinas talked about his curatorial practice, issues of speculative economies of language, his interest in linking agents, concepts and readers into new performative systems, the ability to create hybrids of culture and much more.

Valentinas Klimašauskas together with João Laia curate the 14th Baltic Triennial at CAC Vilnius (2021). With Inga Lāce he curated Saules Suns, a solo exhibition by Daiga Grantina for the Latvian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2019). He worked as a Program Director at Kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Riga (2017/18), and was a curator at CAC, Vilnius (2003/13). Recent curated projects include “Pulse” by Alexandra Pirici, enlivenment of the Kaunas Ninth Fort Monument; “Microorganisms & Their Hosts”, a collaborative solo by Mindaugas Gapševičius at Atletika, Vilnius. “The Cave & the Garden” at Futura CCA, Prague, “Columnists” at Editorial, Vilnius (2019); “Portals or location scouting in Kaunas”, presented by Spike Art Quarterly (2017). He is the author of Oh, My Darling & Other Rants (The Baltic Notebooks of Anthony Blunt, 2018), Polygon (Six Chairs Books, 2018), and B (Torpedo Press, 2014).

As part of a workshop designed for the current cohort of our dance Fellows, we hosted an online lecture by Bojana Kunst, philosopher, dramaturg and performance theoretician. Bojana talked to our Fellows about the difference between artists’ work and life, the flexibility and precariousness of artistic activities, how we should reconsider notions of social reproduction and care, reflect on the sustainability of life and much more. Thank you Bojana for this dense presentation and for being so open to the discussion that followed

Bojana Kunst is professor at the Institute for Applied Theater Studies in Justus Liebig University, Giessen, where she is leading an international master program in Choreography and Performance. The lecture was part of an online workshop curated by our dance selection committee members, Efrosini Protopapa and Stergiani Tsintziloni.

We had the pleasure to host a talk by Maria Paradeisi, associate professor of History and Theory of Cinema at the Department of Communication, Media and Culture of Panteion University in Athens. Maria talked about the emergence of the New Greek Cinema and its relation to the feminist film theory during a period of political and social turmoil in Greece. By deconstructing and analyzing the two female characters starring in the films “Reconstruction” by Theo Aggelopoulos (1970) and “Anna’s matchmaking” by Pantelis Voulgaris (1972), she discussed how their portraits reflected the womens’ role in society back then.Thank you Maria for bringing up issues that feel more relevant than ever these days, and for reminding us that we should always stand up for our rights!

We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with SAHA Association!
In partnership with SAHA, ARTWORKS will sponsor a residency position for one of its curatorial fellows who will have the opportunity to spend time in Istanbul and conduct research work. This is part of our collaboration with various international residency programs with the aim of supporting ARTWORKS Fellows to pursue learning and networking opportunities outside Greece.

SAHA Association is a non-governmental organization established in 2011 by a group of art enthusiasts united around the shared goal of supporting contemporary arts from Turkey.

This year we take pride in supporting Eva Vaslamatzi, ARTWORKS Curatorial Fellow 2019, for a 6-week residency position at SAHA, starting in May 2021.

Eva Vaslamatzi (Athens, 1990) is an independent curator and writer working between Athens and Paris. Most recently, she was the co-curator for visual arts at DOC!, a non-profit multipurpose space in northeastern Paris (2017-2019), while also working as an assistant curator at the Palais de Tokyo (2018-2019).

Miss Gourgourini on board!

On December 15h, we hosted the first part of a social media workshop taught by our dear collaborator Margarita Gourgourini, brand, online & social media strategist, and co-founder of Own Your Story agency. During this introductory session, Margarita talked about the importance of tracing core working values, embracing the multidimensional self and staying true to one’s self when sharing stories via social media.

This month, we kicked off a very essential component of our program: our Fellows’ presentations! Sharing creative insights, exchanging ideas and concerns, receiving feedback, are crucial to generating new ideas and building our community. Even though these gatherings are held digitally, we are still very happy to have the chance to get to know more about each one of you.

Thank you Eleni Bagaki , Bill Psarras, Yorgos Maraziotis , Janis Rafa, Myrto Xanthopoulou, Sevastiana Konstaki, Ioanian Bisai, Sofia Dona, Nikolas Ventourakis and everyone who attended !

Τhrough an overview of her various curatorial projects, Polina Kosmadaki, talked to our Fellows about the relationship of modern and contemporary art with history, academic research and distinctive artefacts. For Polina, contemporary art and art history go hand in hand, allowing her to take a critical stance towards both of them. Polina Kosmadaki, art historian, curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and Head of the Department of Paintings at the Benaki Museum, Athens, is also a member of our selection committee for the visual arts.

We had the pleasure to host a discussion about the inauguration of Kickstarter in Greece, launched with a campaign from our beloved Fellows 3 137.
Patton Hindle, Head of Art at Kickstarter, talked to our communtiy about the mission of Kickstarter to help bring creative projects to life, while Evita Tsokanta, independent art historian and curator, currently also working as an arts outreach consultant for Kickstarter in Greece, moderated the discussion that followed. Chryssanthy Koumianaki, Kosmas Nikolaou and Paky Vlassopoulou (all SNF ARTWORKS Fellows 2018) shared with our group of Fellows their successful common efforts to raise funds for their future project “Greece 2021: An Anti-Fashion Show by Honey-Suckle Company” ! Thanks everyone who attended :)

Our Fellows attended an insightful, rich in content workshop about intellectual property and artists’ rights with our dear collaborator Dr Marina Markellou. Marina is an Attorney and Adjunct Lecturer of Law at the Panteion University, the Open Hellenic University and the Open Cyprus University. She specialises in Intellectual Property law, corporate, civil and data protection law.

Stamatis Schizakis talked about his role as a curator at the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) in documenting, highlighting and preserving works of greek & international artists. Among others, he referred to the projects which have had a decisive impact on his curatorial approach and he highlighted the importance of focusing in the present as an art historian. Last but not least, he presented his personal curatorial project “The First and Last and Always Psiloritis Biennale”.

Stamatis Schizakis , member of ARTWORKS selection committee for the SNF Artists Fellowship Program 2020, studied history and theory of art and photography at the University of Derby and art history at Goldsmiths College. He works as a curator at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, since 2005. He has curated the exhibitions Bia Davou, Retrospective (2008) (co-curated with Tina Pandi), George Drivas, (un)documented(2009), Angelo Plessas, The Angelo Foundation: School of Music (2011), Marianne Strapatsakis, Invisible Places – The Vast White (2011), Rena Papaspyrou, Photocopies straight through matter (2011), Georgios Xenos, Procession No 163 & Thousand Images (2012), Phoebe Giannisi – TETTIX (2012) Dimitris Alithinos, A Retrospective (2013) (co-curated with Tina Pandi), PLEXUS Petros Moris – Bia Davou – Efi Spyrou (2015) (co-curated with Tina Pandi) as well as the screening programs Wonder Women (2010), Secret Journeys (2011) at EMST and Terrhistories-Greece as part of the 26th Festival instants Video in Marseilles (2013). Since 2015 he is a PhD candidate at the University of Sunderland researching the introduction of new technologies in art in Greece. Since 2017, he realizes the First and Last and Always Psiloritis Biennale.

On November 10th, we had the pleasure to host Elpida Karaba, art theorist, independent curator and member of our selection committee for the weekly Zoom meeting with our Fellows. Through her personal archaeology, Elpida discussed her practice and her focus on the relationship between art and systems of knowledge, archival art, art in the public domain and performative and activist practices in the arts. Among others, she talked about her involvement in the Centre of New Media and Feminist Public Practices and the Temporary Academy of Arts (PAT), a hybrid of artistic, curatorial and educational practice.
How does one professional claim his/her field of action? For Elpida this is a matter of discursive exchange and position taking.

“Looking back, thinking sideways”
Referring to the milestones of her career, Efrosini Protopapa talked to our Fellows about the relationship between contemporary dance and choreography and other forms of art (such as theater and the visual arts) as well as practical philosophy. Efrosini is a London-based choreographer,scholar and member of our selection committee.

For our mentor’s talk, this week we invited Stergiani Tsintziloni, dance curator, researcher, theorist and member of our selection committee, to discuss  her vast experience in the field of dance. Stergiani talked about the notion of being a network extender (versus a networker) and her vision to contribute as such in the development of dance practices in Greece. Thanks everyone for attending and engaging in such a fruitful discussion with Steriani.

Sotirios Bahtsetzis – curator of contemporary art, critic and Assistant Professor of modern and contemporary art history at Deree The American College of Greece and the Hellenic Open University and ARTWORKS selection committee member, shared with our new cohort of fellows his curatorial experience. Among others, he underlined the importance of cultivating a nurturing relationship with the artists and talked about his methodology when taking on a new project. He presented various curatorial projected he has worked on, such as Drawing Screen (2006), Open Plan Art-Athina, (2007), Women Only (2008), Paint-id: Contemporary Painting in Greece (2009) , Homemade Exotica (2019).

http://sotiriosbahtsetzis.blogspot.com/

Ιn response to the Covid-19 healthcare crisis which has greatly affected arts and cultural workers, ARTWORKS with the support of its founding donor, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), decided to 10 additional fellowship awards. The prizes will be awarded to the artists and curators who have been selected as runners-up for the 3rd Stavros Niarchos Foundation Artist Fellowship Program.

Listed below the names of  the 90 awardees (SNF ARTWORKS Fellows 2020):