Photography is the focus at Athens galleries this fall
Painting and photography go hand in hand this fall as, besides the prominent exhibitions on Spanish art at the National Gallery and the Museum of Cycladic Art later on in the season, the 9th Month of Photography currently offers a choice of 22 exhibitions in 16 Athenian galleries. Initially founded as a biennale in 1987, the event operated as such up to 1991. It re-emerged again in 1997, in collaboration with the Greek Galleries Association. This year, the works are going on display under the general title «Constructed Reality.» One of the month’s highlights is the exhibit «The Spirit of the Family.» Initially organized by the Photographic Center of Skopelos, the show was curated by Vangelis Ioakimidis and is spread across a number of Athens venues: Pere Formiguera presents photos of members of his family taken at different intervals (a.antonopoulou art, from October 2 to October 19); Max Pam and Machiel Botman correspond through images (Diana Gallery Down Town, running to October 12); and Olivo Barbieri presents travel photography at the Nees Morphes gallery from October 1 to October 3. On the Greek front, Dimitris Tsoublekas presents his recent work at the Ileana Tounda Gallery (October 7 to November 11), while Sofia Glabedaki and Sotiris Papanikolaou exhibit at the Yiayiannos Gallery from September 23 to October 12. There are also two noteworthy group shows: «Athens: Disposable Views» includes works by Giorgos Lazongas, Kyriakos Katzourakis, Ilias Papailiakis, Tasos Matzavinos and Giorgos Tzirtzilakis, among others, at a.antonopoulou (running to September 28), while another at the Agathi gallery (running to October 4), brings together «Young Greek Photographers.» According to Stavros Moresopoulos, the event’s director and head of the Athens Photographic Center, the lack of funds that defines the world of photographic shows leads a number of artists, especially the younger ones, to an impasse, while some even abandon the field prematurely. The event’s mission is to cultivate the public’s appreciation for the medium.
