Setting art free in Syntagma Square
On Thursday at 9 pm, internationally renowned artist Maria Fragoudaki will surprise Athenians by attempting an artistic happening based on an idea of her own and realized in collaboration with the performance artist Anastasia Argyriou, who studies Art Psychology. This will be a visual event never seen before in Greece.
This event will signal the launch of an extensive array of visual and interactive events by the artist. She does not, however, wish to reveal exactly what will happen. All she will say at this time is that she will be hiding somewhere in Syntagma Square and that the lights will dim before the event unfolds.
Purpose
The artist’s main goal is to explore the most important question in the history of man: Are we free or do we just think we are? The Duality of Freedom begins right down at ground level; in front of the watchful eyes of the public, Fragoudaki will work to unravel the mysteries surrounding this question in an approach that will soar to the height of 3000 centimeters!
Her aim is to catch the crowd off-guard. “One moment is enough,” she says. Enough to transform the facade of the historic Hotel Grande Bretagne. Enough to shake the audience to its core. Enough to capture the unsuspecting spectators before they have time to filter their thoughts. Pure, raw feeling is what she is looking for. The first reaction.
“Extroversion and introversion alternate in an effort to reach a balance. Aspects of ourselves are expressed through our fellow citizens, our family and friends, our ideas, our actions and our movements in space. But which space?”
Futuristic process
This is the first time Maria Fragoudaki has involved herself in such a futuristic process, the implementation of which requires perfect synchronization and masterful handling of state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment. To date, her work has been about the interaction between movement and image, giving emphasis to the third dimension. Once again, Fragoudaki will use these elements to try to convey her art to her viewers, but this time, it will be in a more impetuous way than she uses with her canvases. In essence, she is releasing Art from confined spaces such as galleries or museums. In a symbolic act associated with the Duality of Freedom, she is tearing down the boundaries of walled spaces and bringing art closer to everyone. She is inviting everyone to see, to hear, to reflect and to judge, without limitations.
Syntagma Square is not a random choice. Fragoudaki chose to address her subject in the heart of the Greek capital, at a location which is both Athens’s busiest hub and one of its landmarks, associated with the nation’s history and with the democratic polity. Located across from the Parliament Building and the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, Syntagma Square is the ideal location for parades and other celebrations as well as for protests. Here beats the pulse of the city.
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