The Urban Age Task Force Athens is a programme organized by the LSE Cities and the International Forum Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft in partnership with the City of Athens with the aim to address key priority areas in Athens’ urban development making the city more liveable and sustainable. The program involves establishing workshops of local and international experts as well as site visits to cities that have undergone successful urban change to identify best practice in the effective delivery of complex urban projects in the domains of public space, access and walkability, greening the city, addiction and homelessness. Through advanced GIS mapping and visualisations the programme’s partners also collaborate on assembling data on key urban indictors.

Creating local impact from academic knowledge

The Urban Age programme was launched in 2005 with the aim to explore the diverse spatial, social, economic and political dynamics of global cities in different regions of the world through conferences, research, advisory work and engagement. With the establishing of the Task Forces in 2019, the Urban Age programme expanded its activities from research, critical reflection and dialogue to concretely delivering urban change in cooperation with local and international experts and local authorities. The aim is to develop interdisciplinary, science-based proposals for action to tackle the challenges that fast-growing and rapidly changing cities are facing.

In February 2020, the Mayor of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis and the Director of LSE Minouche Shafik signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the implementation of the Urban Age Task Force Athens for an 18-month period. The project was coordinated by LSE Cities, and directed by Professor of Urban Studies Ricky Burdett, in close cooperation with the City of Athens and partner institutions. As the Mayor of Athens said: “What Athens really needs is not an ordinary city management. We need innovative interventions that will enhance the public space and highlight its routes and building wealth in order to transform it into a modern, environmentally friendly capital for its residents and visitors”.

The Areopagus with the Pnyx, Thissio neighbourhood and the National Observatory on the Hill of the Nymphs in the background © Zoonar/Daniel Ferreira-Leites Ciccarino / Alamy Stock Photo via “Athens Urban Age Task Force – A spatial compendium”

Analyzing Athens’ unique DNA

Athens has experienced a number of tumultuous changes and is now trying to re-invest in its future. The results of the Urban Age programme, that attempted an in-depth analysis of Athens’ unique DNA, were presented in Athens this June. The programme assembled data comparing Athens to 15 other cities in Europe and across the globe. Indicators cover a range of demographic, spatial, social, economic and environmental measures providing an overview of city-wide performance – not a ranking – based on information principally gathered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More precisely, according to the analysis:

• The City of Athens is the smallest in the sample at 38.9 km2, with over 660,000 people living within a much wider metropolitan region of 3.8 million people (based on data from the last available census of 2011), with the second highest density in Europe (after central Paris).
• Athens reveals a flat growth curve (after a period of negative growth), like other European cities including Berlin and Milan (0.1 %–0.2%), lower than Stockholm and London.
• Athens’ administrative area is very compact with 16,615 people/km2, three times higher than more dispersed cities like London (4,697 people/km2) and five times higher than Berlin (3,105 people/km2).
• Athens welcomes 6.4 million international visitors a year (which is still only one-third of the annual visitors to London, Paris and Singapore), with consequent stress on urban infrastructure and housing stock.
• Despite high rates of unemployment at 10.6% in the Attica Region, Athens is one of the least unequal cities.
• Although Athens is investing in sustainable transport, car ownership remains the highest of the sample at 799/1,000 persons.
• The City of Athens is currently exploring ways of improving its provision of green space, which at 6.63 m2 per person is lower than most European cities.

Looking south beyond the Acropolis towards Faleron Bay and the port of Piraeus © Rawf8 / Alamy Stock Photo via “Athens Urban Age Task Force – A spatial compendium”

“A city with a strong urban character”

The presentation of the results was a good opportunity for discussion between experts and local authorities, but most importantly it enriched the debate about the urgent need to re-design urban policies in Athens. The city is making new investments in its urban infrastructure and public realm to improve quality of life and it will certainly take into consideration the data of the Task Force analysis.

Stavros Niarchos Park - Photo @This is Athens

Athens is a fascinating city combining historical continuity and an interesting geography as it is surrounded by mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, it is a compact city of remarkable density comprising 129 neighborhoods. What is more, Athens is a city that has survived multiple crises and has come through today with renewed vigor, seeking to reconnect with its future.

Although it is a dense city lacking open and green spaces and with significant challenges to transport mobility, Athens is a lively city with full of energy vibrant neighborhoods. As Ricky Burdett, the head of the LSE Cities research center, architect and professor of urban studies at LSE, said in a recent interview with Kathimerini Newspaper: “Athens is dense both physically and within its experiences. It is a city with a strong urban character, not always pretty, but with an urban quality. You can feel the pulse.”

Athens’ Neighborhoods – Photos by Nick Night on Unsplash

* Intro photo: Lycabettus Hill, Athens © Steven / Alamy Stock Photo via “Athens Urban Age Task Force – A spatial compendium”

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Manolis Anastasakis: 200 years of architecture in Athens

Beautiful Athens by Night: The Capital of Greece among the World’s Top 3 Cities to explore after dark

IE

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The First Sustainable Fashion Summer School will take place in Greece next June (6-26/6/2022) and will be co-organized by Fashion Revolution Greece and the Athens University of Economics and Business under the auspices of the Municipality of the City of Athens and the Ministries of Education and Culture. The Summer School, that is organized in collaboration with leading Universities and sustainable fashion institutions from Europe and the U.S., is aimed at professionals from the clothing, footwear and textile industry but also to designers, researchers, artists, architects or students that want to upscale to sustainable, circular and ethical fashion processes that will reshape global fashion.

Taking inspiration from Greek craftsmanship

The Fashion Revolution Summer School will travel in Thessaloniki, Kilkis, Corfu, Kalamata, Mani and Athens, where participants will be part of unique guided experiences with local educators, regenerative farmers, artisans, entrepreneurs and researchers. They will visit fashion venues of the entire supply chain from raw material production to circular manufacturing in order to explore traditional Greek textile and fashion production techniques appreciating local craftsmanship. They will also have the opportunity to be inspired by the symbols of the Greek culture that in recent years have become source of inspiration for global fashion creators. Participants will also visit archaeological sites and monuments admiring Greece’s amazing landscapes and cultural heritage.

The four main thematic areas of the FR Summer School will be the following:
1. Sustainable Design & Materiality
2. New Business Models, Circular Manufacturing & Logistics
3. Digital Fashion & FashTech Hackathon, Heritage & Ethics
4. Policy

Over 25 top educators from institutions from the U.S. and Europe such as the Fashion Institute of Technology, Lasell University, the Pratt Institute, the University of Exeter, St. Martins, London College Fashion, the Institute of European Design and others will travel in June 2022 in Greece for a 3-week educational program that will be delivered to graduate students and industry professionals from all over the world.

Fashion Revolution Greece is member of Fashion Revolution, a global movement of people who work for the fashion industry acting at the same time as consumers and active citizens caring about the environment and people. Designers, academics, writers, business leaders, policymakers, brands, retailers, marketers, producers, makers, workers and fashion lovers participate in this movement representing at the same time the fashion industry and the public. Their aim is to ensure that clothing is made in a safe, clean and fair way changing the way clothes are sourced, produced and consumed.

To this end the Network along with its Country Offices tries to raise public awareness and educate people about the systemic challenges that the global fashion industry is facing encouraging them to consume less, value quality and take better care of their clothes. At the same time Fashion Revolution’s activity aims at putting an end to human and environmental exploitation in the global fashion industry anticipating safe, dignified working conditions and living wages for all people in the supply chain.

Action taken at EU level

Photo: Fashion Revolution Greece FB page 

The European Commission has just proposed in March 2022 an EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles having noticed the high impact of textile industry on the environment. According to EU data European consumption of textiles has the fourth highest impact on the environment and climate change, after food, housing and mobility. It is the third sector for higher use of water and land use, and fifth for the use of primary raw materials and greenhouse gas emissions. Aiming to create a greener, more competitive and more modern sector that will also be more resistant to global shocks, the Strategy proposes actions for the entire lifecycle of textiles products, while supporting the ecosystem in the green and digital transitions. It addresses the way textiles are designed and consumed, including by looking also at sustainable technological solutions and innovative business models.

The European Commission has invited all interested parties and in particular SMEs, public authorities, social partners and research organisations to express their views on how best to realise the transition, while boosting resilience.

Read also via Greek News Agenda:

A World of Fashion – Made in Greece

New ‘Chic’ Revives Greek Silk

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Greece’s biggest cultural festival and one of the oldest in Europe, the Athens & Epidaurus Festival (AEF), is kicking off today (June 1), scheduled to run through October 10, 2021. Despite this year’s tough winter -namely, the shutdown of Greek theatres and cultural venues for several months due to the pandemic- the AEF organizers decided, for the first time in the Festival’s history, to remain open throughout the autumn/ winter season, take up new initiatives, and expand instead of curtailing its activities. Hopefully, circumstances will allow them to present the artists’ work live; however, the organizers are also prepared to go online, if needed.

In this context, a series of research initiatives and collaborations were introduced, named after the well-known architectural term Open Plan, carrying connotations of open space, flow, freedom of thought, and movement. As with open plan spaces, this set of initiatives launched by the Festival suggests a new way of being together, of breaking down boundaries and barriers.

The Festival events under the Open Plan umbrella – workshops, master classes, performances, webinars, and original artistic works – are addressed both to professional artists and the public. True to the flexible character of this new project, the majority of the Open Plan events are specially designed to be conducted online, digitally bridging the physical distance that separates us all due to the ongoing pandemic and bringing us all together in a virtual, open space, a terrain of creativity and exchange of ideas.

 The Athens and Epidaurus Festival | New Brand Identity 

Moreover, as part of an overall effort to provide a breath of fresh air into the institution, the Festival’s brand identity has been redesigned after almost 25 years, ushering in a new era for its visual communication. More specifically, the new logo was created by the internationally acclaimed Designer / Creative Director Dimitris Papazoglou and the DpS/ Athens team to convey the institution’s various new goals and its historical continuity daringly and flexibly, free of space and time constraints.

“Our relationship with the world scene is of paramount importance: we are, at once, a Greek, European, and international Festival. We are aimed both at audiences in Greece and the thousands of visitors from around the world. This is precisely why we have decided to (re)introduce ourselves by our international name: Athens Epidaurus Festival” says Katerina Evangelatos, who was appointed Artistic Director of the Festival in September 2019.

Overall, the Festival is going to present more than 80 productions – approximately 50 Greek and 30 international productions – featuring about 1800 artists. Furthermore, the Festival expands its international performing arts co-productions, presenting 10 new works this year in collaboration with leading cultural institutions from Germany, Canada, France, Poland, the United States, Belgium, and Turkey; some of them are works by Greek artists, which will be presented at theatres abroad as co-productions, following their Athens premiere.

Even though this year’s artistic program cannot be pigeonholed into strictly defined theoretical frameworks, several of the Festival’s productions are, in fact, built around certain recurring themes:

• Gender Identities: Greek and international productions that touch upon gender issues and equality. The Festival, an institution largely comprised of women, could not be absent from this significant ongoing discussion sparked by the #METOO movement.
• Contemporary Ancients: This thematic section will focus on new dramaturgical approaches of ancient Greek drama, featuring works presented in Athens, the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, and the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus, as well as the interdisciplinary research program Parodos.
• Surprising Encounters: Startlingly original and unexpected crossovers and collaborations that push the boundaries of arts and aesthetic trends, in the form of concerts, hybrid performances, and installations.
• 1821 Bicentennial: As part of the festival’s tribute to the 1821 Bicentennial of the Greek War of Independence, theatre and dance artists have been commissioned to create original works that reflect on the Revolutionary War’s legacy in a subversive manner, exploring different aspects of this historic milestone.
• Electronic Music & Hip-hop Culture: The program also includes the Layers of Street dance thematic cycle, dedicated to hip-hop culture, and Chronotopia, two days of electronic music held in collaboration with Berlin’s CTM Festival and Goethe-Institute.

See also: the Festival’s full program (2021) and info about the venues here.

E.S.

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A unique exhibition titled “The Human Form in Greek Painting in the 20th Century” was recently inaugurated and will run until the 26th of April 2020, on the B & M Theocharakis Foundation’s premises. The exhibition presents 73 Modern Greek art paintings from the National Gallery and the Evripidis Koutlidis Foundation’s collections, aiming to highlight the adventure of the human form in the history of 20th century Greek painting.

The exhibition, curated by art historian Lambrini Karakourti-Orfanopoulou, helps the visitor appreciate that the human form is a favorite subject of Greek artists throughout the 20th century and to observe its gradual freeing from academic naturalism in search of a more expressive autonomy, as well as the influence that the avant-garde movements of the early 20th century had on the contemporary Greek painting.

The exhibition features masterpieces by the following Greek artists: Simeon Savvides, Thalia Flora Karavia, Constantinos Parthenis, Theophrastus Triantafyllidis, Spyros Papaloukas, Otto Pervolarakis, Pericles Byzantios, George Bouzianis, Nikolaos Lytras, Gerasimos Steris, Yannis Tsarouchis, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas, Yannis Moralis, Diamantis Diamantopoulos, Georgios Vakirtzis, Konstantinos Byzantios, Panagiotis Tetsis, Dimosthenis Kokkinidis, Christos Karas, Giannis Gaitis, Pavlos Dionysopoulos, Dimitris Mytaras, Alekos Fassianos, Achilleas Drougas, Chroni Botsoglou, Thanassis Makris, Michalis Madenis, Xenofon Bitsikas, George Rorris.

The National Gallery (the upgraded version of which is expected to be inaugurated in the end of March 2021) was founded in 1900. Including the collections of more than 20,000 paintings, sculptures, engravings and other art forms, it is the treasury of Modern Greek artistic creation, covering a period from the post-Byzantine period until today.

As for the Euripides Koutlidis Foundation and the Collection, they are jointly housed and operate together with the National Gallery, following an agreement ratified by the Athens Court of Appeal; its artworks are on display in the permanent display of the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum Collections.

The B & M Theocharakis Foundation was founded in 2004 and aims to encourage the public to enter into a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary dialogue with music and the visual arts, to promote the work of Greek artists abroad and to develop networks facilitating collaboration and exchange, placing special emphasis on attracting younger audiences.

“The Human Form in Greek Painting in the 20th Century”

Exhibition duration and visiting hours:

22 January 2020 -26 April 2020

E.S.

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A vibrant capital in the midst of economic and migratory crisis, a metropolis of contrasts, a cultural hub in constant flux, Athens’ many facets are what make it one of the most interesting cities in Europe. A few days after the end of the Greek leg of Documenta 14 - "Learning from Athens" (8.4-16.7.2017) Greek News Agenda and Grèce Hebdo* interviewed sociologist Nikos Souliotis, Research Fellow at the National Center for Social Research (EKKE).

Nikos Souliotis spoke about Athens’ modern cultural identity, its new public and private cultural infrastructures, how social life in city has changed after the 60’s, the transformation of the city center through its rehabilitation and the  development of cultural and leisure activies in the 90’s, the "labour division" between public and private funding for culture, and what kind of impact can major cultural events, such as Documenta 14, have on Athens:

What is the imprint of culture in Athens life today?

The crisis has hit a large part of Athens and Greece´s cultural industry, while public funding for culture has shrunk. Yet, lifestyle and urban dynamics associated with Athens, such as the transformation of the city centre through entertainment and culture, have not changed much when compared to what was happening fifteen or ten years prior to the crisis. At the same time, Athens remains closely linked to globalized culture, without however being in its avant-garde. A new element in Athenian life is the multiplication of artistic initiatives coming from below, promoted by well-educated young artists with a cosmopolitan outlook. These initiatives often have a socio-political orientation, which was less the case in the years before the crisis. Their emergence coincides with that of social solidarity endeavours; these represent efforts at self-organization, following the weakening of public structures of support.   

Another important element marking Athenian cultural life today is the strengthening of the role of private cultural foundations, either through the funding of cultural activities - often projects by young artists - or through the establishment of new metropolitan infrastructures. Finally, it should be noted that Athens has the sad privilege of attracting international attention because of the crisis; hosting Documenta 14 for the first time in the Greek capital is a typical example of this.

During the 1960s, Athens basically consisted of an agglomeration of families resettled here from the countryside. What does the Greek capital represent today? What does the way that leisure and entertainment have evolved tell us about the changes in the organization of life and social relations in the city?  

In the first decades following World War II, the population of Athens tripled as a result of the great migration from rural areas to the capital. This demographic transformation was also the cause of a cultural transformation in the city. The new populations that settled in Athens gradually adopted urban lifestyles, which were themselves changing due to economic growth and rise in consumer spending. There were, however, other elements that ran against the shaping of urban cultures, such as social class divisions, cultural and social links with places of origin in the provinces, and the relatively limited number of cultural infrastructures in Athens.

Things changed a great deal since the late 1970s. The rural exodus was now over and there were new generations that were Athens born-and-bred, who developed an identity-based interest in Athens, its city centre, its history - or at least in the idealized images of the Athenian past - and in the relationship between Athens and other metropolises of the Western world. This interest has played a fundamental role in the “return” of the middle class to the city centre since the early 1990s. The cultural transformation of the city centre has brought about two trends: the rediscovery of the Athenian past and attempts to associate Athenian cultures with trends in European and American metropolises. Going through media articles of the 1990s, it becomes evident that the city of Athens is increasingly compared with international capitals in terms of culture, lifestyle, entertainment, etc., a pattern that is still valid today.

At the same time, since the 1980s, the public and private sector have continued to add to the city's metropolitan cultural infrastructure, the latest three significant additions being the new National Museum of Contemporary Art, the Onassis Cultural Centre, and the National Opera and National Library at the ​Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center complex. These institutions play a fundamental role in shaping and reshaping Athenian cultures; they constitute public spaces that "educate" the public and contribute in the development of a collective consciousness. They also make it possible to better integrate Athens into international cultural flows, thanks to their capacity to host demanding events. However, these centres also increase the centralization of cultural production and consumption, creating a kind of control over artistic opportunities that did not exist before. The relationship between public and private sectors is fundamental in this respect.

The construction of the new facilities of the National Opera and the National Library. Source: Athens Social Atlas

In fact, in Athens and generally in Greece, as far as culture is concerned, there exists a particular “institutional order”: the state monopolises antiquities, identified as an important area of national identity, while private agents and members of cultural elites have invested symbolically and materially in other cultural fields (popularization of science, modern art, contemporary art). This division has its historical roots in the Greek Diaspora of the 19th century and continues to persist, in more or less different terms, to the present day. It is, in fact, impossible to understand the cultural life of Athens from an institutional point of view without taking into consideration this division of labour between the state and the private sector. Naturally, there are no impregnable boundaries; yet there is a strong tradition that explains why, for example, the state delayed the creation of a Museum of Modern Art and a Museum of Contemporary Art, and why we are witnessing today the birth of new private cultural institutions like the Onassis Cultural Centre.

Another development that should be mentioned is the relative shrinking of class divisions in culture. The National Centre of Social Research recently completed a survey under the scientific direction of Dimitris Emmanuel, based on 2,500 questionnaires about cultural consumption in Athens. This study has shown that while upper classes are more likely to consume goods of so-called "high culture" (classical music, jazz, experimental theatre and dance, alternative cinema etc.), what we call “pop culture” (international and Greek popular music, commercial cinema and theatre) is addressed to all social classes, with the partial exception of the most disadvantaged strata. One reason for this is that after decades of social mobility, the social structure of the city changed as the working class shrunk. Moreover, in Athens you have places that function as "melting pots" frequented by people from different social classes sharing common cultural experiences.

The escape to the suburbs began at the end of the 70's and has not stopped since; at the same time we are witnsessing a boom of cultural and entertainment activities in the otherwise "decayed" centre of Athens. Would you like to comment? Is this a precursor of gentrification in Athens?

All this has undoubtedly transformed and is still transforming the centre of Athens, giving the city a cultural verve and nightlife that has been almost constantly changing for the past two or three decades. But can we say that this is gentrification? With this term we usually mean a process of transformation of a neighborhood, often through the establishment of cultural and entertainment activities, which is followed then by the influx of new, more affluent residents. These new residents are usually middle class and their presence increases rental and real estate values, ​​which in turn, leads to the exodus of the area’s original, poorer inhabitants. Researchers, such as Thomas Maloutas and others, studying the housing market and demographic movements in decayed downtown neighborhoods in Athens, have not found evidence of a massive resettlement by new middle class residents. Thus there is no gentrification process, in the strict sense of the term; there is a process of economic reinvestment and reintegration of certain neighbourhoods into urban mobility, but typically gentrification describes something else that is not found, at least not to a large extent, in the centre of Athens.

So, since we don’t have gentrification, how has the growth of entertainment (bars, restaurants, cafes) and cultural activities (theaters, galleries, cultural venues) changed the centre of Athens? What has been the impact of the economic crisis?

The economic crisis has unevenly affected cultural and entertainment activities. As a recent statistical study carried out by a Panteion University scientific team (V. Avdikos, M. Michailidou, G. Klimis, A. Mimis) revealed, sectors such as publishing and media were severely struck. In contrast, entertainment, bars and restaurants, as is visible in downtown Athens, carry on. There are three reasons for this: Firstly, Athens increasingly attracts more and more tourists as a result of the rehabilitation of its historic centre, a growing offer of cultural activities, and the geopolitical turmoil affecting tourism in neighbouring countries; Secondly, as statistics show, in times of crisis, local consumers do reduce their spending in entertainment as much as they do in other areas, such as clothing. This shows the psychological value of entertainment and its importance in maintaining a social life. Finally, entertainment offers entrepreneurial opportunities during a crisis: to open a bar or a cafe, you don’t need specialized knowledge and you can rely mainly your own resources (personal work, personal networks, etc).  

Can a major international exhibition such as Documenta influence the identity of a city like Athens?

Documenta is a large-scale event that embraces the majority of important cultural spaces of the city, attracts international visitors and provides visibility for Athens. However, I do not think that an event, however important, can change the cultural identity of a city. Cultural identity depends on more structural conditions, such as the existence of local artistic scenes whose products can be exported abroad, the involvement of a more or less broad public that is educated and interested in culture, the availability of public and private funding for cultural activities and the existence of cultural infrastructures. An event like Documenta can work as a catalyst when some of the above structural conditions are met, but this is as far as it goes.

One should address with certain realism the cultural impact Documenta had on Athens. In general, such exhibitions could have symbolic and /or organizational impact. From an organizational point of view, Documenta has created a precedent, in the sense that it has shown to the international artistic world that Athens has the infrastructure to host such a big event. This is important, but it should not be overestimated. From a symbolic point of view, I fear that the impact is more limited. Documenta came to Athens under the slogan "learning from Athens". This interest in "learning" from Athens is related to the crisis, rendering the Greek capital as an almost exotic or experimental space in socio-political terms. In fact, Documenta’s interest in Athens is part of a wider international interest from journalists, researchers and activists who visit ‘Athens of the crisis’, write about it etc. From this point of view, there is nothing original in Documenta’s concept of “learning from Athens”.

What we should comment on is the way in which Documenta integrates ‘Athens of the crisis’ in its symbolic strategies. According to organizers, choosing Athens as the second site for Documenta 14, utilizes the "tension between Athens and Kassel" in order to create "a critical space for the design of a collaborative, artistic and activist project beyond the nation-state and enterprises". For Documenta 14 itself, this is important because it renews its artistic-cultural identity by referencing resistance against neoliberalism, as Documenta 11 did, when, from a postcolonial perspective, it included non-European cities in its programme. Athens also provided a framework for creating site-specific art. 

My point is that Documenta utilizes “Athens of the crisis” in artistic and identity strategies that are addressed to the international art world and not to local society. Documenta’s interventions in local social life are insignificant from the point of view of the inhabitants (one can see for example the small Documenta restaurant which offers free meals at Kotzia square, in a city where various organizations have been offering thousands of free meals since the beginning of the crisis). In addition, although several Documenta works have a socio-political content, they employ, like a good part of contemporary art in general, an artistic language inaccessible to the general public. In fact, I think that if there is a symbolic impact of Documenta on Athens, it concerns mostly young Greek artists: because of the crisis, Greek artists have fewer opportunities to travel abroad and Documenta was an opportunity for them to attend a major contemporary art event and to get to know international trends right here in Greece.

*Interview to Ioulia Livaditi, Magdalini Varoucha / Translation from French Ioulia Livaditi, Magdalini Varoucha

Monastiraki square, Athens 1954, Photo by Robert McCabe

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In Greece, there has been a long tradition of internationally renowned Greek soloists and conductors, such as Gina Bachauer, Vasso Devetzi and Rena Kyriakou (pianists), Irma Kolassi, Yannula Pappas, Elena Souliotis and Nicola Zaccaria (singers), as well as two figures that constitute landmarks in the international classical music scene: Maria Callas (soprano) and Dimitri Mitropoulos (conductor, pianist and composer).

An artist that has continued this tradition in recent years is Greek violinist and conductor Leonidas Kavakos, who was recently announced winner of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2017. The Prize was presented earlier this month (January 12, 2017) at a concert at DR Byen Concert House, with Fabio Luisi conducting the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Esben Tange, chairman of the board of directors of the Léonie Sonning Music Foundation, presented the Prize with the following remarks:

“The Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2017 of EUR 100,000 is awarded to violinist Leonidas Kavakos for having rewarded a large audience through decades with his radiant interpretations supported by vibrating musical presence and instrumental mastery. With a tireless will to sound the depth of the classics of violin literature, Leonidas Kavakos has been able to revitalize the musical inheritance of his instrument. With great personal integrity and a sense of originality where music is always valued above the musician, Leonidas Kavakos is a guarantee that honesty still has a strong voice in the world of music”.

The prize is Denmark’s highest musical honour and has been awarded annually to an internationally recognized composer, instrumentalist, conductor or singer since 1959. A list of winners of this important award include distinguised artists such as: Sir Simon Rattle, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Pierre Boulez, Mstislav Rostropovich, Miles Davis, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Benjamin Britten and Leonard Bernstein. Kavakos is the 5th violinist to win this award, which has been previously awarded to Yehudi Menuhin (1972), Isaac Stern (1982), Gidon Kremer (1989) and Anne-Sophie Mutter (2001).

Leonidas Kavakos in brief

Leonidas Kavakos has acquired world recognition around the world as a violinist and artist of rare quality and the highest level for virtuosity, superb musicianship and the integrity of his playing. He works with the world’s greatest orchestras and is an exclusive artist with Decca Classics.

Born in 1967, Kavakos was brought up in a musical family in Athens, the city where he still resides. At the age of 12, he was the youngest ever to be admitted to the European Union Youth Orchestra and by the age of 21 Leonidas Kavakos had won three major violin competitions: the Sibelius Competition in 1985, and the Paganini and Naumburg competitions in 1988. This success led to his recording the original Sibelius Violin Concerto, the first recording of this work in history, which won the Gramophone Concerto of the Year Award in 1991.

Kavakos curates an annual violin and chamber-music masterclass in Athens, attracting violinists and ensembles from all over the world and reflecting his deep commitment to the handing on of musical knowledge and traditions. Part of this tradition is the art of violin- and bow-making, which Kavakos regards as a great mystery and, to this day, an undisclosed secret. He plays the ‘Abergavenny’ Stradivarius violin of 1724 and owns modern violins made by F. Leonhard, S.P. Greiner, E. Haahti and D. Bagué.

Leonidas Kavakos on tour 2017

Kavakos embarks on a major recital tour of Europe and the United States with Yuja Wang this January and February, beginning with a performance in Turin, Italy on 29 January 2017. During the tour, the duo will be performing at major international venues including the Philhrmonie de Paris, Stockholm Concert Hall, Prinzregententheater Munich, David Geffen Hall New York and many others.

Full tour dates:

29 January: Auditorium RAI Arturo Toscanini, Turin.
30 January: Philharmonie de Paris, Paris.
31 January: Feierabendhaus der BASF, Ludwigshafen.
1 February: Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf.
2 February: Auditorio Nacional de Música, Madrid.
4 February: Stockholm Concert Hall, Stockholm
5 February: Prinzregententheater, Munich.
7 February: The Music Center at Strathmore, Washington.
8 Feruary: David Geffen Hall, New York.
10 February: Benaroya Hall, Seattle.
11 February: Balboa Theatre, San Diego.
12 February: Segerstrom Center for the Arts Aaron Egigian, CostaMesa
13 February: Granada Theater, Santa Barbara.

Watch video: Leonidas Kavakos & Yuja Wang: Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3 - IV. Presto agitato (excerpt)

More info: visit Leonidas Kavakos’ official website

The post Leonidas Kavakos, a world top violinist appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

The temporary exhibition activities of Greece’s National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST)recently restarted with the opening of the exhibition “Urgent Conversations: Athens – Antwerp” that will be running through January 29, 2017 at the Museum’s permanent home (the historic FIX building).

Greek News Agenda* had the pleasure of interviewing EMST’s Director, Katerina Koskina** on the key message she wished to convey through the exhibition, together with the co-curator of the show, M HKA’s Director Bart De Baere.

Katerina Koskina also spoke to Greek News Agenda about upcoming events and the highly anticipated full operation of the Museum which is expected by November 2017 and shared her views on how the crisis has affected the country’s arts scene, as well as on how important EMST’s opening is for the evolving cultural image of Athens.

How was the idea to curate “Urgent Conversations Athens – Antwerp” developed and what is the key message you wish to convey through the exhibition?

We wanted to open the Museum’s temporary exhibition program in its new building with an exhibition that would express and signify the ideas of dialogue, exchange and collaboration. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp (M HKA) has been a great partner. “Urgent Conversations: Athens – Antwerp” has been developed bottom up, each time starting from a work of a Greek and a Belgian artist, that resonate, searching a notion that arises from this resonance, then adding a third artist from elsewhere in one of the two collections.

As such, the exhibition was structured around 22 notions, with the work of three artists in a dialogue around each notion in every case, in total consisting of more than 70 works from 66 artists. The key message is that dialogue is the fundamental element of culture and that art allows for reviews and reassessments of previous issues, redefining them and making them current. Thus, it proposes alternative solutions and ways of communication, detecting sensitivities and triggering peaceful actions.

What comes next? Can you tell us more on the Museum’s main plans with regard to upcoming events, activities and collaborations (2016- 2017)?

Our future plans include the collaboration with documenta 14, our project empty pr(oe)mises, the national participation at the 57th Venice Biennial, the opening of the exhibition of the Museums’ permanent collection, the traveling of the exhibition Urgent Conversations Athens – Antwerp to Antwerp in April, and of course the continuation of our full schedule with educational programs, conferences, temporary exhibitions and parallel events.

Tell us about the museum’s permanent collection. When is the full operation of the museum to be expected; what are the prerequisites in this direction?

The EMST permanent collection has a core of important works by Greek and international artists which is constantly enriched with new ones, especially with donations from artists. Most of the works focus on multicultural, identity and social issues.

Our full operation, which is expected by November 2017, depends on many factors, especially administrative. In collaboration with the authorities we are trying to solve them and meet all the prerequisites that will ensure the implementation of the museographical study and the smooth operation of the Museum.

We need more personnel and of course money, which we are making an effort to find from the private sector as well.

You have a long experience in the Arts field, having organized, directed and curated several projects in Greece and abroad over the past 25 years. Can you give an insight on whether (and to what extent) the crisis has affected the art scene in the country, both in terms of artistic creation and in terms of the art market?

From my point of view, the crisis made things more difficult but on the other hand, more creative too. It forced us to look into different directions, to reinvent ourselves and led us to synergies, cooperation and funding in goods. We cannot do things alone anymore. We have to be a chain, in creativity and in new ideas.

I am an optimistic person and I want, even from the dark, to look and find the bright side of every situation. I am not saying that things aren’t difficult but we cannot -and we should not- just sit and wait. We have to take action. That is what we did with the Museum. We took action and things moved at a moment that most people believed they wouldn’t.

In your view, how important is EMST’s opening for the evolving cultural image of Greece and especially for the city branding of Athens?

The EMST’s opening was received with immense joy by the public, as they had been waiting long to see its renovated spaces. We are very happy that the Greek and international audience has now the opportunity to visit the Museum, the heart of which beats for contemporary art.

Greece is known internationally for its important antiquities. It has been a bet for us to develop an interest for contemporary art as well, to be extrovert and play a role as a capsule for the arts, the combination of their different forms, the dialogue between antiquities and contemporary art and to be a destination in the City, for its citizens and visitors.

* Interview by Eleftheria Spiliotakopoulou

**Katerina Koskina is an Art historian, museologist and curator of exhibitions. In December 2014, she was appointed Director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) in Athens, Greece.

Born in Corfu, she studied French Literature at the University of Athens, as well as History and Philosophy of Art at Paris I-Sorbonne University. In addition, she studied Museology at the Ecole du Louvre and has a PhD in Art History.

From 1988 to 1992, she worked at the European Cultural Centre of Delphi as a Special Advisor for visual arts. She was the Greek Commissioner at the 23rd Biennale of Sao Paulo in 1996 and at the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005, and the Director of the 3rd, 4th and the 5th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art (2011-2015). From 1992 to October 2014, she was Curator of the Alpha Bank Art Collection. She has also been Artistic Director of the J. F. Costopoulos Foundation, Athens, until the end of 2014 (1992-2014), President of the Board of Trustees of the State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki (from December 2008 until January 2015), member of the Artistic Committee of the Athens METRO (from 1998 to 2011) and Artistic Consultant to the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games/Athens 2004 S.A. from 2000 to 2004. She is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the Greek section of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA Hellas).

Katerina Koskina has organized, directed, curated and co-curated many group and one-man shows, while she has contributed essays to several books and exhibition catalogues, as well as articles in newspapers and art magazines. She has been awarded as “Cavaliere dell’ Ordine della Stella d’ Italia” and “Chevalier dans l’ Ordre national de la Legion d’ Honneur”.

Read also: EMST: “Urgent Conversations Athens – Antwerp” (by Greek News Agenda)

Watch video: EMST- A Museum for Contemporary Art (Katerina Koskinas’ interview to ANA-MPA, June 2015)

Visit: EMST’s official website

The post Creative Greece | Katerina Koskina on the need for cultural dialogue & EMST’s role as an arts capsule for the city branding of Athens appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

The exhibition “Genii Loci | Greek Art from 1930 to the present” showcases over 140 emblematic works of 100 modern and contemporary Greek artists at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall in Saint-Petersburg (December 1, 2016- January 9, 2017).

The event is organized by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports in the framework of the Greece-Russia Year (2016) programme, which aims to familiarize the Russian public with contemporary Greek art and offer a deeper understanding of the particular characteristics of Greek contemporary culture.

Featured works come from the three largest State Museums of Greece (the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutzos Museum, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens and the State Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki) as well as from major private collections, covering a wide range of artistic media, from painting and sculpture, engravings, drawings and photography to video art and installations.

The main idea behind the exhibition is to demonstrate important aspects of modern and contemporary Greek art that are inextricably linked to the concept of place and its significance as an area of aesthetic, artistic and -in broader terms- cultural pursuit. The exhibition highlights the multiple aspects, particularities, new experiences, ruptures and transformations that contributed to the shaping of Greek art until the present day.

The exhibition is divided into three major conceptual sections: the first deals with the concept of identity and the Greek artists’ search for identity in the 1930s; the second relates to the sense of questioning and the aesthetics of political upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s; and the third deals with the transformations in contemporary Greek art in relation to tradition and memory, exploring existential fields and sociopolitical developments from the 1980s until today.

The Minister of Culture, Lydia Koniordou, who visited St. Petersburg on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition (November 30), highlighted in an interview that Greece's cultural heritage is “the country’s real capital and perhaps the most important thing it has at this time". Noting the Russian public's strong interest in the exhibition, she stressed that Greece needed to invest in this "comparative advantage that all give us credit for", adding that Greece intends to continue cooperating with Russia in these areas after the end of the Greece-Russia Year 2016, while the experience gained will also be put to good use during Greece-China Year, which follows.

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Alexandros Psychoulis, Greek artist and Associate Professor at the University of Thessaly, showcases his new work in the exhibition "Collective Dizziness Protocol” running at Zina Athanasiadou Gallery (Thessaloniki, November 18- December 10, 2016).

Alexandros Psychoulis** spoke to Greek News Agenda* about his new work which deals with the idea of symbiotic bliss based on his research of the “tsipouroposia” custom (the consumption of tsipouro in taverns) in his home town, Volos, as well as the new Postgraduate Program "Post-Industrial Design: Design and Artistic Practices for the Production of Everyday Life" which he co-directs with architect Zissis Kotionis, at the University of Thessaly.

He also shared his views on the relationship between collective and individual happiness and the reasons why one chooses to become a visual artist.

How did it all start? When did you realize that you want to become an artist?

My father was a chemist and a painter; my mother also painted, as a hobby. Together, they ran a gallery in Volos. Painting was like a game for me. When I realized, later on, that I could also study painting or become a professional artist, I felt I was a lucky man. To this day, my involvement with art is nothing but that game of my childhood years. Sometimes I feel as if I’ve tricked everyone and that I’ve never grown up.

You are show great diversity as an artist, as you’ve experimented with various artistic practices, from painting to theatre. After all of these years, would you say that you can now identify with one particular form of art?

I was always one of those people that wanted to try everything, whose parents and teachers usually try to admonish by telling them: "Don’t do many things, focus on one and do it well." If this advice is not merely an ideological construct, it is certainly a dull recipe. I never tried to prove that one can do a lot of things and do them well, but that everything – that is, "many" things – is one: That different artistic expressions are under the surface associated with the same rules.

I consciously use a different discourse depending on the subject I am exploring. Different subject matters lead to different media. I walk this path with determination, telling myself that I have a commitment towards others, my students and children who enjoy digging, full of guilt, into different things. I hope that, someday in the future, parents will say: "If you want, go ahead and do many different things; you do not need to become a virtuoso, but to tell your own stories in the most honest way."

Can you tell us more about the concept of your new work "Collective Dizziness Protocol"? What was it that sparked your interest to explore this issue?

The starting point of this exhibition is the participation and the subsequent observation of a particular culinary tradition, that of “tsipouroposia”, namely the consumption of tsipouro in the taverns of Volos (the so called “tsipouradika”). It is a unique banquet experience that brings people to a state of camaraderie, tranquility and brief happiness. But not always; in order to have the above results, nine conditions must be met, which I first elaborated in detail, by watching and analyzing the types of this ritual as it evolved in the city, in the course of a hundred years. What cannot be expressed in words is approached with drawings, paintings and sculptures.

The idea of collective happiness is interpreted and attained in different ways across cultures throughout the world. In your view, how important is collective happiness for the Greeks and how is it related with individual happiness?

Starting with the second part of the question, I would say that happiness is never a personal matter. Happiness that cannot be shared is at the same time misery.

One will find that people all around the world pretty much congregate in gatherings that unwind and bring bliss to participants as they collectively take a step beyond their daily reality. If we look at "tsipouro adulation" as a relatively new "ritual" and take a leap comparing it with the tea ceremony in China and Japan - rituals whose roots go back many years – we’ll be faced with two completely different cultural approaches. For instance, in the Japanese tea ceremony, the objective is to reach a "symbiotic bliss". In the “tsipouroposia” in Volos and not only there, one will realize that the result is the unconditional identification in mind and spirit with the others.

Whilst the Greeks are part of western society and culture, they will never give up, on account of temperament and inherited wisdom, their blissful gatherings in the name of overproduction.

You are also an Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture in the University of Thessaly. Was teaching a conscious choice through which you felt you can express yourself, as well as to give-and-take things or one of necessity as a means of earning a livelihood?

I began teaching at the University of Thessaly at the age of 34 – that is, quite early in my life. However, I recall having already begun feeling not so “young” anymore. What I’m saying is that my approach to life had begun being utterly “rational”; the time of questioning had faded, my rage had subsided.

So, I thought that if I started teaching at the University, I could “steal” some of the students’ anger. But things didn’t exactly turn out that way. Times had changed for good. Both my students and I had to create the mood for change in academic terms and not to expect it as a natural impulse.

You are co-director of a new Postgraduate Programme on "Post-Industrial Design”. Does such a thing exist in Greece today, and if so, in what form? What is, in general terms, the relationship between design and fine arts?

In a discussion with the architect and writer Zissis Kotionis, who also teaches at the University of Thessaly Architecture Department, we concluded that – contrary to what happens with industrial design – having a postindustrial approach to design is something that could have a huge range of applications in Greece.

You see, postindustrial design focuses on small scale of production; it redefines the model of production of traditional techniques and is inspired by them so as to even arrive at a singular object, the “transcendental” or “non-utilitarian” object, what we recognize as a work of art.

Despite being one of the most prolific contemporary artists, with many solo and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad, you have stated that “there is no such thing as a career in Greece for visual artists”. What do you mean by that, does it relate to the crisis? If this is true, what are the motives for one to become a visual artist?

The idea of a career as a visual artist in Greece has always seemed like a joke. The Greek state has always been promoting and capitalizing on our ancient Greek heritage, but not contemporary art production; fortunately we’ve never had in Greece the so called “Art Stock Market”, which operates with celebrities.

The crisis simply added the final nail to the coffin even of those artists who had some commercial success.

In Greece, you don’t get involved with Art so as to have a career, become rich or famous. You know this as a fact from the very beginning. From an early stage you look at the future and see the difficulties rising like a mount. If you can give it all up, you do so. If you can’t - if you believe that this form of expression is the only thing that makes you happy- you go on. You become a visual artist because you cannot do otherwise.

* Interview by Eleftheria Spiliotakopoulou

** Alexandros Psychoulis was born in Volos in 1966 and studied Painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts. He is also an Associate Professor of “Art and Technology” at the Architecture Department of the University of Thessaly, Greece and co-director of the new Postgraduate Program "Post-Industrial Design: Design and Artistic Practices for the Production of Everyday Life.

In 1997, he was awarded the Benesse Prize for his work “Black Box”, with which he participated in the 47th Venice Biennial. The exploration of virtual reality territory has been up until now the central drift of his work, which consists of installations, animation and painting, while in his most recent works the element of manual work is also present. He has presented many solo exhibitions such us: “God’sNails” (a.antonopoulou.art Gallery, Athens, 2012), “Under the shadow of Ailanthus Altissima” (Zina Athanassiadou Gallery, Thessaloniki, 2010), “Body Milk” (a.antonopoulou.art Gallery, Athens, 2003) and “There’s no place far enough for you to escape from images and the pain they caused you” (Deitch Projects, New York, 1998).

He has taken part in many group exhibitions, the most important of them being: THE LUMINOUS INTERVAL, Guggenheim Bilbao (2011), THE ARK, Old seeds for new cultures, 12th Biennale International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia (2010),Expanded Ecologies/ Perespectives in a Time of Emergency, National Museum of Contemporary Art EMST, Athens, (2009), Transexperiences, Greece (2008), 798 Space, Beijing (2008), Exploring cultural means to combat global homogenization, Foukoutake Hall, Tokyo University (2008), MASQUERADES/ femininity, masculinity and other certainties, State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki (2006), Positive Charge, State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessalonikι (2006), BIDA Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki (2005), Body Works Art Centre of the Municipality of Nicosia, Cyprus (2004), BREAKTHROUGH!, Greece 2004, Contemporary Perspectives in Visual Arts, Alcala, Madrid (2004), ϋber MENSCHEN, "Synopsis 1- Communications" Contemporary Art Museum, Athens (2000).

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”I am happy because I can work; for I have no ambition, no hatred; for my heart is uncontaminated. When working spiritually, one never gets ill, never gets old – that is the secret: alas, should one give up one’s work. Five minutes past one’s death, the brain is still functioning” said Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis (in an interview with Tahydromos magazine, in 1957).

What does Nikos Kazantzakis have in common with contemporary artistic creativity?

NEON’s exhibition “Flying over the Abyss” refers to a very important cultural asset of Greece, the renowned Cretan writer and thinker Nikos Kazantzakis, creating a dialogue between his philosophical essay “The Saviors of God” (a series of "spiritual exercises" that occupy a central role in his work) and the creations of 34 contemporary artists from Greece and around the world, such as Costas Tsoclis, Alexis Akrithakis, Vlassis Caniaris, Marina Abramović and Louise Bourgeois. Previously presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete and the Contemporary Art Centre of Thessaloniki, the exhibition is now on at the Athens Conservatoire and will be open to the public until January 29, 2017.

Curated jointly by art historian, Dimitris Paleocrassas and Maria Marangou, Artistic Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete, “Flying over the Abyss” traces man’s course from the trauma of birth to the struggle of life unto death, ‘following’ and drawing inspiration from Kazantzakis’ work. Also, with the synergy of NEON and the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum, the exhibition will be hosting the manuscript of the book “The Saviors of God”, shown for the first time in Athens and for the first time in interaction with contemporary art.

As stated by co-curator Maria Marangou: “The exhibition Flying over the Abyss in an Athens heroically wounded and trying to overcome its own suffering comes at the most critical moment. Although the book that the exhibition is inspired from and the qualities of the artworks presented are timeless, the role of this exhibition is to be a powerful ontological testimony that defends the city’s right to its own cry before current events. And in this sense, the exhibition is deeply political”.

NEON is a culture and development nonprofit organization that was founded by the collector and entrepreneur, Dimitris Daskalopoulos, in 2013, with the aim to bring contemporary culture closer to everyone, believing firmly that this is a key tool for growth and development. NEON breaks with the convention that limits the contemporary art foundation of a collector to a single place and acts on a multitude of initiatives and spaces within the broader civic milieu. In this direction, it constructively collaborates with public and private institutions to enhance increased access and inventive interaction with contemporary art, by organizing free exhibitions, educational programs, talks and events, grants and scholarships, as well as a network creation of international partnerships.

The Athens Conservatoire was refurbished and financed by ΝΕΟΝ with the aim of enhancing the Athenian scene and host art and culture events. Founded in 1871, it is the country’s oldest educational institution for music and drama, with former students or teachers major figures of international acclaim such as Nikos Skalkotas, Maria Callas, Mikis Theodorakis, Dimitris Sgouros and many others. Housed in the emblematic building by architect and Professor Ioannis Despotopoulos (whose design won the first prize in the national architectural competition of 1959, and ranks among the top expressions of the radically modern spirit of Bauhaus), the Athens Conservatoire is currently making a great effort for this important building, which remains unfinished, to be completed and to assume its rightful place and prestige among the city’s architectural heritage, with the aid of the State and through national, EU as well as private funds.

For more info, read: Flying over the Abyss |Athens Conservatoire | Leaflet

Watch videos: Exhibition | Flying over the Abyss | Presented by NEON; "Flying over the Abyss" | Athens Conservatoire | Presented by Athens Art Walk

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