Show in remote town woven into the locale
When Athenian galleries and museums wind down their activity for the summer, interest in the visual arts shifts to provincial regions around the country. But the various events organized rarely make any lasting impression on local cultural life. In most cases, the excitement fades following the commotion generated on opening day. By contrast, «Transmission,» a group exhibition that opened in the town of Kardamyli, in southern Greece, last Saturday, is making more widespread impact. Organizers increased the possibility of this by selecting various public spots around the village, including the kindergarten, main square and a popular bar, as exhibition spaces for the show, the second in two years in Kardamyli. Its curator, Marina Lagou, assisted by the organizer Maria Panagidou and the participating artists, worked together to select appropriate exhibition spots for the 26 works on display. Great effort was made to find compatible environments for the respective works. A shining example of this was an impressive projection by Andreas Vousouras and Costas Deligiannis, an artistic duo known as Awesome2some, on the windows of an abandoned house next to the Town Hall. Another fine example is an installation by Yiannis Kapellos that has given the main square’s water fountain a new look. The majority of works are stationed at the kindergarten. Located by the sea, and surrounded by oleanders, olive trees and gravel at the entrance, the building has regained its educational purpose. Among the visitors drawn to the kindergarten on opening day were well-dressed elderly locals, who viewed the paintings, sculptures and installations with both curiosity and surprise. An impressive sculpture by Pantelis Chandris, first exhibited last year at a show organized in Metsovo, northwestern Greece, by the Averof Foundation, adorns the kindergarten’s exterior. The interior also includes delicate designs by Marigo Kassi, installations by Yiannis Bouteas, a sculpture by Vally Nomidou, and other works by Kyriakos Mortarakos, Spyridoula Politi, Kyriakos Katzourakis, Mary Christea, Nikos Kaskouras, Constantinos Tsolis, Katerina Zafeiropoulou and others. Another participating artist, Babis Venetopoulos, has contributed a cage-like screen, which hangs from a tree by the school. Theodoros Zafeiropoulos, a young and gifted artist from this Greek village who is preparing to head for New York City to study on a Fulbright scholarship, impressed with an installation at the Cafe Aman bar. Also on display here are photos by Zafeiropoulos. Annie Costopoulou, an artist who has developed a bond with Kardamyli, as indicated by her support for the village’s cultural initiatives, has made a very interesting video for the exhibition. Overall, this group exhibition leaves a lasting and positive impression on the visitor. The works on show are highly personal and seem to have found harmonious spots in the village. Both locals and tourists mingle with this show’s works, a situation that suggests that art can work both large and small wonders. The exhibition runs through August 13. MARGARITA POURNARA
