Artists’ dialogues in Shanghai
A group of distinguished contemporary Greek artists are joining forces with a number of up-and-comers in an exhibition that is scheduled to open in China today. All of the artists have created new works or are lending older creations for the realization of an exciting show, «A Dialogue Between Greek and Chinese Artists,» which goes on display in Shanghai. In all, 29 works by Greeks will go on display alongside 17 by Chinese artists at the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art, known as MoCA Shanghai. Pavlos Samios’s women, Alekos Fassianos’s «Olympic» stamps, Danae Stratou’s dancer-monk and Venia Behraki’s photographic collages are just some of the pieces that will take part in this dialogue with contemporary Chinese art. Comparisons According to Iris Kritikou, the exhibition’s Greek curator, the project is an attempt to offer a parallel reading of Greek and Chinese traditions as these are reflected in contemporary art through a variety of methods, techniques and original materials which often converge. Kritikou says this dialogue is a rare opportunity to juxtapose aspects of art that have stood the test of time in two countries that have very different traditions and today are both undergoing huge changes. Shanghai museum curators Diana Freundl and Mati Cuenca selected a series of works that would correspond to those of the Greek artists. Participating Chinese artists include Chen Qingqing, Victor Hu, Ye Fang and You Si. On the Greek front, artists include Aphroditi Litti, George Lappas, Harris Kondosfyris, Lida Papaconstantinou, Mina Papatheodorou-Valyraki, Apostolos Papageorgiou, Dimitris Skouroyiannis, Panayiotis Tanimanidis, and Dimitris Xonoglou. Following Shanghai, the «Dialogue Between Greek and Chinese Artists» will go on display in Thessaloniki, from October 13 to December 7, before moving on to Athens, from December 12 to January 22, 2009. The exhibition has been organized with the support and under the aegis of the ministries of culture and tourism development, the Greek National Tourist Organization as well as China’s Embassy in Greece and is part of Cultural Year of Greece in China events. Liana Skourli is in charge of the organization and co-ordination of the display.
