Layers of Time. Recommended Exhibitions in Athens
One of the most interesting trends in the contemporary art world in recent years is the combination of different time periods. In an era where influences are global and transcend time and space, it seems natural that art history should also undergo a process of “mixing.” Like fusion cuisine, art also seeks to explore itself – in relation to itself in different periods.
The exhibitions on our list of recommendations this week all deal with this phenomenon. At the Cycladic Museum, a masterful exhibition by one of the world’s most important artists – Marlene Dumas; at the Municipal Gallery of Athens, the painter Stella Kapezanou brings together contemporary women with creatures from legends and myths; at the Old Tobacco Factory, an exhibition of photography that examines human engineering in urban spaces during different periods of Athens.
Wishing you all a good week,
with lots of fine art.
Shani Werner and the ATHENS ART TOURS team
Cycladic Blues: solo exhibition by Marlene Dumas, Museum of Cycladic Art
Curator Douglas Fogle, in collaboration with the artist
In recent years, the curatorial team of the Museum of Cycladic Art have started integrating contemporary art exhibitions into the museum’s permanent displays – with a strong focus on women artists and themes related to the female body, femininity, and gender.
Currently on view is an exhibition by the legendary Marlene Dumas, one of the most significant contemporary artists working today (b. 1953, Cape Town). Much of Duma’s work draws from a vast personal archive of imagery – sourced from both printed and digital media, as well as from personal photographs of her family and friends. The exhibition showcases works from the past 20 years, alongside new pieces inspired by the museum’s archaeological collection.
Dumas’s work resonates beautifully with Cycladic sculpture, offering a rich and layered dialogue between classical and contemporary representations of the female form.
Museum of Cycladic Art, Neofitou Douka 4, Athens. Included with general admission
Bad Girls, Big Dragons: Solo Exhibition by Stella Kapezanou, City of Athens Art Gallery
curator Ioanna Gerakidi
Stella Kapezanou is one of my favorite local painters. I have visited her studio many times and every time I am exposed to a new idea that her feverish mind concocts for us. Using humor, unnatural colors, a combination of sexy scenes with mythological themes, Kapezanou’s large-scale paintings tell the story of women from then to the present day in a touching way.
In the new exhibition, Stella imagines the story changes. She describes the symbols, animals, and nature that appear in fairy tales, where women are usually vulnerable and passive, and alongside them a new kind of woman, one who lives in peace and even conquers or tames the beast.
Opening: Thursday, July 3 7PM
City of Athens Art Gallery (Building A): Germanikou & Mylerou, 10436, Metaxourgio, Athens
More info www.opanda.gr
Landmarks of Connection, group exhibition, Former Public Tobacco Factory
An exhibition about urban destinations transformed into contemporary squares
Curator Fotis Tsimelas
In the case of this exhibition, the first thing to consider is the building in which it will be displayed. The old tobacco factory was built in 1930, and went through many incarnations from industrial and political use, until it was converted into a contemporary art complex in 2021. The enormous structure is one of the iconic buildings of modern Athens, and as an exhibition space it is the perfect surrounding for contemporary art.
The new exhibition was organized and produced by LAMDA DEVELOPMENT, an architecture and urban planning firm responsible for the construction of most of the major shopping malls in Athens, with an emphasis on public spaces, green building and sustainability. The exhibition will feature 70 fine art photographs that document the moments when people and the city meet, public spaces that encourage a physical and emotional experience for the citizen.
Opening: Thursday, July 3 7PM
Former Public Tobacco Factory, Lenorman 218, 104 43 Athens
More info
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