Cutting-edge digital works come to Athens again for video art festival
Avant-garde audiovisual arts fans are in for a big treat this weekend, as the 4th Athens Video Art Festival kicks off tonight. The Technopolis Arts Complex will open its doors once more to the international festival, which is scheduled to run to Sunday. Committed to the promotion of digital art and culture and hoping to break down barriers and stereotypes, it comprises a variety of exhibitions and activities covering a wide range of interests. Artists put to use different means to create original spectacles that can appeal to a wide audience. About 315 works by artists from 45 countries will be on display throughout the three days. Although the festival focuses on video art, the program further includes Web art, installation art and performance, always in the context of digital technology. Video art, a fast-developing and increasingly popular genre, combines movement, photography, music and more, with varying degrees of experimentation. As always, there are collaborations with various artists from abroad. This year’s highlight will be a presentation of Bill Viola’s work by John Hanhart, consulting senior curator for film and media arts at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which will be held at 7.30 p.m. tomorrow. Another highlight is Berlin’s Transmediale Festival which is sure to make its presence felt. Live music shows will round off each day in the evening. Popular local acts Micro, Raining Pleasure and Rodes are scheduled to perform, joined by up-and-comers Elica, Info, Squirk, Pop Eye and Zebra Tracks. This year, the festival is held under the auspices of the City of Athens as well as the Ministry of Transport, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the General Secretariat of Youth and the City of Athens Cultural Organization. Screenings will start daily at 3 p.m. and concerts at 9 p.m. The entrance to the Technopolis Arts Complex is on Persefonis Street and the exit on Iakchou. For further informationon the festival, log on to the website www.athensvideoartfestival.gr. Technopolis, 100 Pireos, Gazi, tel 210.346.1589.
