The International Contemporary Art Fair “21st Art Athina” kicked off on the 26th of May and ended on the 29th. The fair is an annual event and every year, it is a little bit more successful than the last. It was organized for the first time by the Hellenic Art Galleries Association in 1993 and since then it has been steadily helping contemporary art gain more fans in Greece.

Large number of participants

This year, thousands of visitors flocked to the “Art Athina”. There was a large number of exhibitors, amongst which 50 galleries from 13 different countries. This fact shows that Greece now has a strong presence in the worldwide visual arts community.

An integral part of the fair is the Platforms Project@Art-Athina, which has been presented successfully since 2013. This year, 650 artists created and presented 51 artistic action platforms. The Platforms Project’s objective is to give visitors an “inside look” into the world of artistic creation and the experience of collaboration in the artistic practice.

The Galleries and the platforms that participated in the “Art-Athina” came from Greece, Cyprus, Australia, Korea, Germany, France, Turkey, Georgia, China, the UK, Bulgaria, Holland, Belgium, the US, Switzerland, Spain, Iran, Canada, Sweden and Finland.

Aside from the exhibitions and the Platforms, the fair also had a rich parallel program which consisted of speeches, workshops, smaller exhibitions and special tributes. The display of paintings from the Art Gallery of the Municipality of Athens was exquisite, as it featured works by famous Greek artists.

Growing acceptance

In the past, contemporary art was not widespread in Greece. It “touched” only the rich suburbs of large cities but had little impact on other Greeks. During the 1970s, many people -mostly university students participating in the student protests of the time- came into contact with contemporary art. Back then, this art form was used as a tool of expression against repressive regimes and outdated prejudices.

Most Greeks, however, became familiar with contemporary art during the 2004 Olympics Games of Athens. Back then, many contemporary art pieces were exhibited in the capital’s streets, creating euphoria to passers-by. It was a bombardment of aesthetics, which confirmed the magic role that art has in every person’s life.

The “Art-Athina” has been continuing the work of bringing people -especially the younger generations- in contact with modern art. If the number of people interested in the fair continues to grow, it is safe to assume that the exhibition will be packed next year and, of course, in the years to follow.

Good organization

This year, the exhibitions and activities were so many that it took visitors a couple of hours to tour the fair. The selection of works highlighted in this article is random. The photographs taken might not do the works justice, as they were captured by an amateur camera during an impromptu visit to the fair. Better photos and more information on the “Art-Athina” are available on its official website (http://www.art-athina.gr).

It was not only the works of art that were impressive at the fair but also the artists’ and staff’s eagerness to inform visitors in the best possible way. Only something good can come out of combining art and courtesy.
TEXT-PHOTOS: George Zafeiropoulos
SOURCE: www.greecewithin.com

ΠΕΡΙΣΣΟΤΕΡΕΣ ΦΩΤΟΓΡΑΦΙΕΣ

Athena Latinopoulou

Dafni Angelidou

Aygun Tugay

Eric Guo

Farida El-Gazzar

Francoise Heitsch

Giorgos Tserionis

Thanasis Totsikas

Radoil Serafimov

Dimitris Anastasiou

Jarek Wojcik

Dimitris Merantzas

Konstantine Kakanias

Rania Ragkou

L Mpogiatsou

Sonke

This year, 650 artists created and presented 51 artistic action platforms.

The display of paintings from the Art Gallery of the Municipality of Athens was exquisite.

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