Works made of precious or recycled materials
Whether precious, semi-precious or not precious at all, some of the materials used by artists and designers these days create beautiful and challenging results, as a tour of Athens venues shows. Daphne Valente, a talented fashion designer who has been focusing on jewelry in the last few years, presents her first solo exhibition at the Gallery 3. Inspired by da Vinci, Caravaggio and Klimt, Valente has come up with «mobile» jewelry featuring semi-precious stones, as well as silver pieces, based on a minimalist aesthetic. (Gallery 3, 3 Fokylidou, Kolonaki, tel 210.360.8984. To January 3.) At the Eleni Marneri Gallery, the mood is festive, with a group show featuring designers working on jewelry and accessories inspired by ruby red. Among others, Dimitris Dasios combines elements of art nouveau and art deco in crystal and velvet; Paola and Piero Ferro track down unique gems; Elsa Sarantidou works with titanium, while Lito Karacostanoglou presents delicate pieces made of gold and precious stones. (Eleni Marneri Gallery, 3 Agathoupoleos, tel 210.866.8195. To January 31). With the eye fixed on design and the heart on ecology, Mary Samoli and Vasso Tsonoglou used broken bottles, spoons and wine bottle corks, among others, to create 100 works of art, currently on display at the Athinais cultural center. For the artists, who alongside the recycled materials also use metals such as silver and copper, the idea is to give items a second chance, while sending out a message for controlled consumerism. (Athinais, 34-36 Kastorias, Votanikos, tel 210.348.0000. Show runs to mid-January.)
