A dialogue in Exarchia
The neighborhood of Exarchia is about to be transformed into an alternative art center for a week. Different kinds of art, including painting, street art, photography, installations and video screenings, will take over the block surrounded by Arachovis, Themistocleous, Coletti and Zoodochou Pigis streets, as the second «Wo + Man =?» festival kicks off tonight. Organized by the Open Horizons organization as part of the 6th Art Festival for Human Rights, this year’s event will explore sexuality, gender and identity issues. With the focus being on street art, 40 artists will redefine the use of public space as a venue for communicating with the public, by selecting outdoor and indoor spaces of bars, restaurants, cafes and other stores to exhibit their work. By exploring the possibilities that public and private venues can offer, they are hoping to send out a message about art and society. The aim is to create a bridge of communication with visitors and passers-by and trigger dialogue and a collective conscience. The festival’s central venue will be the Cosmos of Culture center on the corner of Andrea Metaxa and Emmanouil Benaki streets. That is where the official opening will take place, at 7 p. m. today and where information regarding all of the scheduled events will be available. Cosmos of Culture will also host all the video screenings. Participating artists include Alexandros Avranas, Artemis Alkalai, Alma Bakiaj, Margarita Gelada, Giorgos Gyparakis, Antigone Kavvatha, Anna Laskari, Caroline May, Costas Beveratos, Giorgos Tserionis, Dorota Zglobicka, Ioanna Ximeri, Vangelis Raftogiannis and many others. The event was conceived and curated by Costas Theonas. The festival will run until Sunday, April 5 and will be open daily 3 p. m. to 9 p. m. Admission to all venues is free. For information, call 210.330.3385 or 210.884.6038 or log on to www. humanrights. gr or www. cosmosofculture. gr.
