At the present, Kunsthalle Athena resides temporarily in an old neoclassical and un-restored building that bears traces of urban life reaching back to almost one hundred years ago. During this seeding period, Kunsthalle Athena views its’ output as an open-ended process, where each project imbricates with the following, culminating into a horizontal and ever expanding body of work and critical stances. It is one experiment to see how ephemeral episodes can make one whole conceptual narrative of visual politics.

 

              

 Aids-3D - mega athena-2010-courtesy of AMP - photo by Socrates Socratous 

KUNSTHALLE ATHENA - THE BAR (13-16 May 2010)     BRING YOUR OWN BEAMER - BYOB (23 October 2010)   MOUNTAIN / HOPE (December 2010 - February 2011)    CRISIS, ART AND SYSTEMS OF KNOWLEDGE (8 - 11 December 2010)   FAREWELL (13, 14 June 2011)   SUMMER IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER (12/09-15/10/2011)   THE OBLONG BOX - JANNIS VARELAS (22/10-26/11/2011)

Place: 28, Kerameikou str., Kerameikos - Metaxourgeio, Athens

A series of events took place in the Opening Party which was held with The Breeder Gallery and Amateurboyz.

Participating Artists: Aids-3D, Alexandros Georgiou, Penelope Georgiou, Alexandros Mistriotis, This is Amateur, Andreas Angelidakis, Angelo Plessas, Annika Larsson, Christina Dimitriadis, Christos Lialios, Dimitra Vamiali, Forte, Gert & Uwe Tobias, Helga Wretman, Iraklis Renieris, Lo-Fi, Hior Chronik, Jenny Marketou, Joulia Strauss, Juliette Bonneviot, Kostas Tsioukas, Lydia Dambassina, Manolis Baboussis, Marc Bijl, Matthieu Laurette, Olaf Nicolai, Panos Koutras, Pantelis Pantelopoulos, Paul Zografakis, Heinrich Spaeth, Rafaël Rozendaal, Robert Pettena, Socratis Socratous, Vvork, Warren Neidich, Ylva Ogland, Yorgos Sapountzis, Yorgos Stamkopoulos.

KUNSTHALLE ATHENA’s launching project, THE BAR emerged out of the need to set up an open space for informal dialogue between locally based artists, curators and other experts, the public and visiting practitioners and scholars from around the world. During the 2010 IKT Congress in Athens (13-16 May), when a large number of curators and art world professionals visited the city, KUNSTHALLE ATHENA - THE BAR was initiated in Metaxourgeio-Kerameikos, the emerging gallery area of downtown Athens. Since then it 's operating as an alternative, temporary, living space, activated and nurtured by its transient inhabitants. Assuming the form of entertainment, its first exhibition THE BAR became an experiment on how to stimulate intellectual exchange and facilitate communication beyond productivity quotas and networking obligations, just for the fun of it! Athens’ new, nomadic art institution, KUNSTHALLE ATHENA aspires to acquire concrete form as a welcoming, material and symbolic art venue. During the IKT Congress, KUNSTHALLE ATHENA -THE BAR fostered an ambience of hospitality for visitors and Athenians alike, who had the chance to pursue an alternative, more sensually oriented way, of relating to art. KUNSTHALLE ATHENA aspired to be a crossroad where art and theory can be ‘practised’ live, with no strings attached. Visitors also had the opportunity to find out about art projects that address Athens in its urban specificity.

Locals and frequent visitors to the city are aware that Athens enjoys a thriving bar culture. In this city, bleak days of hard work transform into serene or raucous, music-filled bar nights, and THE BAR acknowledges the significance of the complex social dynamic that Athens bar culture generates. KUNSTHALLE ATHENA wants to learn from it. But also art encounters beyond the canon require a departure from normative interaction and rules of behaviour. Think of Cubism’s birth in bars, Warhol’s Factory or Diderot writing his Encyclopedia in Café Procope. Looking beyond the ‘white box’ and yet complementary to it, KUNSTHALLE ATHENA -THE BAR participated in the ongoing recasting of curatorial activity, from its former understanding as a study into the poetics and politics of display, as part of an open-ended art event.

KUNSTHALLE ATHENA - THE BAR hosted a variety of events related both to the city of Athens and the newly launched Kunsthalle: Site and conceptually specific works, responsive public performances, screenings, as well as Athenian pop archives, an Athens book archive dj-sets and concerts, selected Athenian blogs, magazine launches, even an artwork–taxi service, will come together with DIY catering activity within the specially designed interior (one of the artworks) of the venue. The content of this event-cum-exhibition - or better, the bar itself- was the outcome of what can only be described as a collective offer: that of artists, curators, theoreticians, choreographers, friends of KUNSTHALLE ATHENA, and hopefully the public, in order to put ideas into orbit.

Merging everyday life and art can take many different forms. KUNSTHALLE ATHENA - THE BAR prefers the form of a fleeting get-together. This is the moment to say what you think and think what you say, a moment to make friends and a moment to repeat. You are invited to be part of it as you make it happen!

(Text by Marina Fokidis, Sotiris Bahtsetzis and Angela Dimitrakaki)

 

         

Marc Bijl                                                                    Matthieu Laurette
Never Mind the Politics-2004-2010                          Opportunities lets make lots of money- 2005 present
courtesy of The Breeder                                            courtesy of Gaudel de Stampa, Paris
photo by Dimitris Papadopoulos                               photo by Robert Pettena

Gert & Uwe Tobias- untitled-2010-courtesy of The Breeder photo by Robert Pettena

           

Alexandros Georgiou                                                               Andreas Angelidakis
without my own vehicle-2007-2008                                         sculptural exchange-2010
courtesy of Eleni Koronaiou gallery & private colection         courtesy of Rebecca Camhi
photo by Karatzetzou Giota                                                       photo by Angelo Plessas

Manolis Baboussis - untitled -1994-courtesy of Ileanna Tounta center of contemporary art- photo by Robert Pettena

           

Annika Larsson                                                         Dimitra Vamiali
Symphony No. 2- 2010                                               lights on-2010
courtesy of the artist                                                 courtesy of the artist & vamaili's gallery
photo by Robert Pettena                                            photo by Robert Pettena

Alexandros Mistriotis- while dreams die- 2010-courtesy of the artist- photo by Dimitris Papadopoulos

           

Jenny Marketou                                                    To Ktinos fanzine 1984-1990
Fragile-2010                                                          Iraklis Renieris archives
courtesy of Marketou studio                                  photo by Eleni Malami & Kiki Xandra
photo by Danai Parouniadi

        

Lydia Dambassina                                                    Pantelis Pantelopoulos
Alle Wege sind verschlossen-2010                         Relief room- 2010
courtesy of the artist                                                courtesy of the artist
photo by Robert Pettena                                           photo by Dimitris Papadopoulos

 Heinrich Spaeth- Fantasia-courtesy of the artist- photo by Dimitris Papadopoulos

      

Joulia Strauss                                                                               Penelope Georgiou
Koúros Narkotikós,a Monument to the Junkies of Omonia- 2010      petunia-1980
courtesy of Beton7 gallery                                                             courtesy of the artist
photo by Giota Karatzetlou                                                            photo by Eleni Malami & Kiki Xandra

Kostas Tsioukas dance company-performance-2010-courtesy of the artist- photo by Anneta Papadatou

Socratis Socratous - the school- 2007- courtesy of the artist-photo by Dimitris Papadopoulos

         

Paul Zografakis                                                  This is Amateur 
illuminations-2010                                              acid amour set-2010-
-courtesy of the artist                                          courtesy of the artists
photo by Dimitris Papadopoulos                         photo by Socrates Socratous

Helga Wretman- fire performance-2010- courtesy of the artist- photo by Dimitris Papadopoulos

        

Yorgos Stamkopoulos                                            Yorgos Sapountzis
untitled-2010                                                           Courage-2010-
courtesy of the artist                                               courtesy of Loraini Alimantiri gazonrouge
photo by Robert Pettena                                         photo by Giota Karatzetzou

 

Juliette Bonneviot- Series of prospective, virtual, virtualized painted images- 2010-courtesy of the artist-photo by Dimitris Papadopoulos

Warren Neidich-In the MInd's I- 2009-2010-Courtesy of Edward Mitterand Gallery-photo by Danai Parouniadi

Ylva Ogland - we are the master of ceremonies MC- 2010- courtesy of Bernier-Eliades-photo by Dimitris Papadopoulos

Panos Koutras- l'attaque de la moussaka geante-courtesy of the artist- photo by Robert Pettena

Robert Pettena- Jungle Junction- 2010-courtesy of the artist-photo by Robert Pettena

 

Exhibition organiser: Anneta Papadatou

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Kunsthalle Athena

Διεύθυνση:

Κεραμεικού 28, Κεραμεικός - Μεταξουργείο (χάρτης)

Πλησιέστερος σταθμός μετρό: Μεταξουργείο

Address: 28, Kerameikou str., Kerameikos - Metaxourgeio, Athens (map)

Closest Metro station: Metaxourgeio