Contemporary Art
Art Athina Director Antonis Kourkoulos On Bringing Contemporary Art to the Cradle of Classical Culture
Greece is primarily famed for its ancient heritage, beautiful beaches and delicious food; less well known is the country’s contemporary art scene, which is vibrant and encompasses institutions like the ΕΜΣΤ National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens, leading international and Greek art galleries and a solid core group of local collectors. Greece also has its own art fair, Art Athina, an annual event organized by the Hellenic Art Galleries Association that offers opportunities for locals and visitors to discover new art and artists, creating a dialogue between the Greek and international markets and providing a platform to grow the local collector base.
If you could live with just one work of art, what would it be?
Friendship by Agnes Martin. The first time I saw it was at Tate Modern. I remember walking into the room and slightly losing my breath. It was such an incredibly powerful but very calming piece. I was brought up with a Welsh Methodist background and I remember first going to Catholic churches when I was studying art history and I’d never seen such beautiful, wild, incredible works of art in religious spaces. Seeing these layers of gold leaf in the Martin really connected me back to that.
Which cultural experience changed the way you see the world?
When I was 14, my dad took me to see the Pop art exhibition at the Royal Academy. It had all the big hits—the Warhols, Blake, Ruscha and Oldenburg. For a 14-year-old to come across giant silver pictures of Elvis and soft sculptures and images from advertising—I’d never imagined that this is what art could be! It seemed really fresh and exciting.
Which writer or poet do you return to the most?
I’m a habitual re-reader of George Eliot’s Middlemarch, which I studied at school and at university and absolutely adore. And maybe this has just become more heightened over the last few months with funding crises and the slightly terrifying political climate that we live in, but I was bought a book by a friend called The Book of Delights by Ross Gay. It’s about him finding small moments of joy and connection and inspiration every single day.
Promotion: collectible design fair PAD London is returning for its 16th edition, featuring 20th-century and contemporary furniture, jewellery, design and art presented by 63 galleries.
Taking place every October within a tent pitched across Mayfair’s Berkeley Square, PAD London is the only UK fair exclusively dedicated to 20th-century and contemporary design.
Read More: https://www.dezeen.com/2024/10/07/pad-london-16th-contemporary-design-fair-promotions/
Art Matters is the slogan of an international fair of contemporary art which is taking place in Sofia. Taking place at Sofia Tech Park, it features galleries and art collectives presenting 70 artists who work in a variety of artistic styles, aiming to provoke thought and the senses, educate, and contribute to the European cultural image of Sofia.
“I hope that Sofia will play an increasingly important part in the development of contemporary art and be a place where more and more artists will exhibit their artwork,” Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev, who is the patron of the event, said in his opening address.
“We are opening a new chapter for contemporary art in Bulgaria,” the organizer of Sofia Art Fair, Radoslav Mehandzhiyski, said.
Todor Mladenov of Sofia Tech Park (STP) said that he was glad the organizers had picked STP as the venue for the fair. “I look forward to the next edition,” he added.
Suni Danadzha, the initiator of Sofia Art Fair, thanked the event’s entire team, partners, sponsors, and supporters of the project.
Read more: https://www.bta.bg/en/news/culture/754805-art-matters-sofia-hosts-international-fair-of-contemporary-art
