Paky Vlassopoulou, Explosions in the sky, Welcome ghosts, 2013

Afresh, A new generation of Greek artists

24.10.2013 - 23.04.2014

Athens Conservatoire

Shortly before the completion of its permanent home, EMST is shifting its focus to the young generation of Greek artists.
Afresh, A new generation of Greek artists exhibition highlights the closure of EMST’s first significant period that counts already 13 years and the beginning of a new promising chapter in its permanent location.

Main aim of the museum’s exhibition policy since the beginning has been to bring out the most vibrant, progressive and innovative domestic artistic forces, while enabling the opportunity for artists to create new works of art. Afresh, A new generation of Greek artists exhibition explores our future in an international environment, presents the new questions posed, showcases these emerging artists as they gain momentum. Born in the 80s (from 1979 to 1990) these 34 new artists and the members of 3 artistic groups have just completed their studies and started to make their first steps in Greece but also in international art centers such as London, Berlin, Vienna, Cologne, Amsterdam, Manchester. More than 60 works will be displayed (installations, drawings, video, performance, sound installations, paintings), out of which 27 are works made especially for this exhibition. The participating artists are opening in new interdisciplinary fields in order to give a fresh approach to materials, concepts and artistic practices in times of crisis and economic recession. They critically comment on the current politico-economic reality, they confront recent history; they bring back issues dealing with the portrayal of symbols and monuments of our cultural heritage. They establish open and ambiguous narratives that often start from personal experiences. They utilize digital technology as a raw material and explore the culture of the Internet giving a critical insight at its role. Representatives of a generation shaped by (and from) the intangible digital technology, they are brought up with the new consciousness of co-creation, collaboration, diffusion of knowledge and information. They create collective and participatory communities; explore contemporary issues related to the new economy and production processes, labor, sustainability, autonomy and alternative ways of living.

Six works are being made with the support of the National Documentation Centre (EKT), under the program «Creativity: Innovative Models of Production and Access (CIMPA) ». One of them, the installation AKTINA* by the groups of City Index Lab & Energize is already on view from September 30 and throughout the duration of the exhibition in the courtyard of the National Research Foundation (48 Vas. Konstantinou Av. Athens).

The Afresh, A new generation of Greek artists exhibition brings us closer to the enchanting and living side of artistic creation, the very moment that its vocabulary is being constructed, deconstructed and re-tried, where experimentation and doubt are a pivotal point in the quest for artistic identity.

Curated by Daphne Dragona, Tina Pandi and Daphne Vitali

ARTISTS

Christos Vagiatas
Hrysa Valsamaki
Ino Varvariti
Maria Varela
Afroditi Psarra
Marinos Koutsomichalis
Paky Vlassopoulou
Panagiotis Vorrias
Theodoros Giannakis
Natalie Yiaxi
Manolis Daskalakis-Lemos
Athanasios Zagorisios
Efthimis Theou & Thanasis Deligiannis
Valentina Karga
Chrysanthi Koumianaki
Marinos Koutsomichalis
Alexandros Laios
Bill Balaskas

Rania Bellou
Petros Moris
Kosmas Nikolaou
Sofia Dona
Myrto Xanthopoulou
Ioanna Ximeri
Maria Papanikolaou
Tula Plumi
Erica Scourti
Evangelia Spiliopoulou
Anastasis Stratakis
Stefania Strouza
Maria Tsagkari
Maro Fasouli
Myrto Ferentinou
Marianna Christofides
Kernel (Petros Moris, Pegy Zali, Theodoros Giannakis)
City Index Lab + Energize