A dissenting art exhibition
The annual contemporary art exhibition that the Kappatos Gallery has organized in Athens since 1999 has grown inot the second-largest recurring event on contemporary art after Art Athina. The two have never been antagonistic projects: They have had separate goals, a different personality – with «Visions» focusing on curatorial projects – and have chosen a different context for the display of art. «Visions» has always been held at an Athens hotel (the Athens Imperial and the Macedonia Palace in Thessaloniki) thus bringing art out of the gallery scene. This year’s event, however, is somewhat different from the preceding ones. Coined «Unfair,» the exhibition does not include the proposals of curators but places the emphasis on the gallery scene by hosting 16 of the most well-known names in the field. Each gallery is given a maximum of three of the hotel’s rooms for the display of art by the artists which it represents. The arrangement bears some resemblance to an art fair. Even more, one has the sense that the idea is to call attention to the work and personality of each gallery. Although not clearly or openly stated, «Unfair» is an event in reaction to the forthcoming Art Athina. This is not a sentiment shared by all of 16 participating galleries, at least not to the same degree (only a few of the galleries participating at «Unfair» will not be present at the Athens art fair), yet Gerasimos Kappatos, who has organized the event, feels that an injustice was done when Athens galleries were excluded from Art Athina’s so-called «Contemporary Club» project. In this project which Art Athina’s new organizers have introduced to the fair, a gallery – The Breeder has been chosen this year – is asked to organize a project of their choice. Gazon Rouge, which is an active part of an emerging and young contemporary art scene in Athens, is the only Greek gallery that The Breeder selected to participate in the project. However, Art Athina still remains an event open to all galleries. The reasons behind the controversy therefore become more complicated than the «Contemporary Club» incident allows. Broadly speaking, the fact that the organization of the Art Athina has passed into new hands and that the board of the committee of the Panhellenic Association of Art Galleries has changed, has created new alliances and discords which have been building up. In the meantime, the gathering force of an emerging, trendy art scene supported by certain gallerists and curators has bred dissatisfaction among some older galleries. «Unfair» brings to the surface and to public awareness a certain tension that has been in the air for some time now. However, it is clear that this is not the exhibition’s main objective. What «Unfair» hopes to do is to develop a platform for contemporary art and to keep on showing art’s various directions from an unbiased perspective. Indeed, in the past several years, this annual, large exhibition (first named «Rooms» and then «Visions») has helped build collaborations and has brought fresh ideas and projects to the fore. Unlike its predecessors, «Unfair» does not present joint projects between curators and artists and in that sense it is closer to an art fair. The dynamism born out of the previous collaborations between artists and curators is lacking, yet the exhibition has a neatness and a sense of balance that is noteworthy. «Unfair» also covers a broad spectrum of contemporary art and includes works that have been carefully selected. Counted among the numerous interesting works are the paintings of Pericles Goulakos at Gallery 3, the installation of Lydia Dabasina at ZM, the works of Giorgos Lappas and Nikos Alexiou at the Xippas gallery, or the small black-and-white collages of Haris Epaminonda at AD. There are also works by emerging or young artists such as Panagiotis Pasandas at the Athens Art Gallery and Michalis Kallimopoulos at the Nees Morfes gallery. The works of both artists blend humor with the grotesque. The participation of Cube editions is an unusual and welcome addition. This publishing house, which specializes in artists’ books, presents both its own publications and other books by artists who work in the medium. «Unfair» puts across a representative image of the Greek gallery scene. It contains innuendos and stands as an indirect protest. In a small field such as the Greek art scene and market, the conflicts that «Unfair» expresses are probably unavoidable. As long as dissent is expressed in a constructive way, conflicts will hopefully not become self-entrapped and never-ending. «Unfair» at the Athens Imperial Hotel (Karaiskaki Square) to March 25, and at the Macedonia Palace in Thessaloniki in April. For info, contact the Kappatos Art Gallery (12 Athinas, tel 210.321.7931).
