Balkan art in the spotlight at Salonica forum
Contemporary art from the Balkans and Southeastern Europe is the focus of a series of events that are to begin tomorrow in Thessaloniki. «Cosmopolis 1, Microcosmos X Macrocosmos» presents art from 10 countries of the Balkans, including Greece, and is organized by the State Museum of Contemporary Art in collaboration with the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and the Organization for the Promotion of Greek Culture. Magda Carneci, who is the general curator, has worked together with the curators of each country represented in the exhibition. «Cosmopolis» is the continuation of an exhibit on Balkan art that was organized by the State Museum of Contemporary Art two years ago. Its objective is to overturn prejudices about and isolation of art from the Balkans and to reveal the richness and variety of the artistic scene in this part of the world. The exhibit will last through the end of March and will lead to a biennial event on Balkan art – of an international scope, it is hoped – which the museum plans to establish in Thessaloniki. (www.greekstatemuseum.com) Another event is the three-day «Forum for European Artistic Mobility,» an event organized by the State Museum of Contemporary Art – Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki along with Apollonia and ArtBOX. The forum, which is being held for the fifth consecutive year, has helped bring artists of different nationalities together and to encourage artistic collaborations. This year’s forum will center on the role of artists’ residencies in the development of art. A number of exhibitions have been organized on the occasion. Art from Poland (video and photography) is the subject of a large two-part exhibit that is organized by Apollonia and was first presented in France. Other parallel events include PUBLINK (public+Blink+Link), a series of public art projects (exhibits, video projections, works using interactive animation) around the city. There is also Open Studios 4, an exhibit hosted by the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki and coordinated by artist and art professor Dimitris Xonoglou. The exhibit focuses on the work of young artists from the Polytechnical School at Aristotle University. (www.apollonia-art-exchanges.com or www.artbox.gr)
