MONTH IN REVIEW: July 2024
A roundup of this month’s art and design news about the makers and creators from Greece and Cyprus
We hosted our first Kalo Mina event
Since our founding in 2021, we have been devoted to exposing Greek and Cypriot artists to the diaspora through interviews and collaborations. This year, we hosted our first event ever: an Artist Meet & Greet at The Melting Pot Concept in Limassol, Cyprus. We brought together artists, industry professionals, and art enthusiasts for a night of cocktails, networking, and creativity. At the event, we had a communal canvas where guests created their own designs under the theme “Cyprus Landmarks.” This theme honored the history and influence of Cyprus from ancient times until today. Visuals such as Kourion, the Carob Warehouse in Limassol, olive branches, the Kamares Aqueduct adorned the canvas. Following the event, we donated this artwork to the Ronald McDonald House of Charities in Nicosia, Cyprus.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities Cyprus (RMHC) works intensively to keep families together during difficult times. In collaboration with other RMHC branches worldwide, it helps families travel abroad to be near their child for the duration of their treatment. By empathizing with the children and their families, Ronald McDonald House Charities Cyprus secures vital resources and ensures that children receive medical care from top hospitals globally.
The Stavros Niarchos Hall at the Greek National Opera. Photograph: courtesy of GNO.
SNF announced a two-year, €11 million grant to the Greek National Opera (GNO)
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s new two-year grant to the GNO – the only opera house in Greece – aims to support and enhance the opera’s outreach in Greece and internationally. The donation continues SNF’s commitment to the organization – a four-year SNF grant that supported GNO’s outreach efforts from 2019-2023 was just completed.
This grant will:
Further develop the GNO’s artistic outreach in Greece and abroad through the continuation of co-productions, artist residencies, and an international touring program.
Attract donors and strategic sponsorship partners.
Provide a number of free tickets to each of its performances at the Stavros Niarchos Hall.
Continue to promote its work in Greece and abroad.
Invest in the education and training of the GNO’s artistic personnel.
Of the €11 million, €10 million is an outright grant and €1 million will be provided once the GNO secures matching funds from other international sources.
Cyprus displayed some of the artifacts that were returned to the island at the Archeological Museum in Nicosia. Aydin Dikmen, the Turkish art antiques smuggler, looted these artifacts from the island throughout the years after the country’s divide in 1974. They were kept in Germany after authorities there seized them in 1977. Many legal battles secured their repatriation in three phases, the last of which was finalized this year.
Among the 60 most recently returned artifacts put on display include jewelry from the Chalcolithic Period between 3500-1500 B.C. and Bronze Age bird-shaped idols.
Cycladic Identity completed three programs in Kea and Paros
Cycladic Identity is the Cycladic Museum of Art’s initiative that aims to actively contribute to the protection of the cultural and natural heritage of the Cycladic islands and their local communities and visitors. Since this program launched earlier this year, it has supported the creation of 10 documentaries on traditional instrumentalists on the island of Kea, the production of 20 podcasts of stories about the oral tradition and mythology of Kea, and the first geo-technical stability study in the Ancient Marmaros Quarries of Paros.
The 10 independent documentaries feature 10 remaining elderly instrumentalists on the island of Kea. They also show the children and/or grandchildren of some of the most important musicians of the island. These videos were filmed in landmarks of Kea such as the Holy Monastery of Kastriani and Saint Simeon as well as in natural environments such as the Fountain of Benjamin, which highlighted the sound diversity and biodiversity of the island. In the films, the musicians play traditional sounds, tell stories of long ago, and interpret specific songs that were recorded for old celebrations. This preservation and promotion of traditional music as an intangible cultural heritage can be viewed here and at https://www.youtube.com/@KeaGreece.
“Listen to the Story…” is the name of the series of 20 podcasts produced on the island of Kea that report on the oral tradition and mythology of the island. The podcasts are available on the Cycladic Identity page on Spotify, Google podcasts, and Apple podcasts.
In Paros, Cycladic Identity supported the completion of the “Stability and Visitability of Underground Galleries,” which is the first geo-technical stability study in the Ancient Quarries in Marathi. The ultimate goal of this was to ensure the safety of visitors to these mining galleries. These Ancient Quarries operated from the 7th century BC onward. They are where the Parian marble could be mined. During the program, the team executed a technical report and included the complete recording of the high-risk areas at the entrances and inside the galleries.
Artist, Writer, and doctor Kyrillos Sarris passed away at 74
The artist and writer Kyrillos Sarris died in Athens at the age of 74. He was born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1950. From 1963-1969, he studied with Cypriot painters Lefteris Oikonomou and Telemachos Kanthos and then studied medicine at the University of Athens from 1970-1976. He practiced oncology in Athens.
His exposure in visual arts started with his first solo exhibition in 1986. Most of his works were installations made with visuals, written notes, and videos. The artist focused on the communication dysfunction of art in today’s cultural environment. He approached the theoretical side of this problem with a practical artistic proposal. These contradictory elements were integrated into the work itself.
Sarris was a student of Marcel Duchamp's work for decades and edited the book Marcel Duchamp, The Engineer of Lost Time (1989 and 2008), which was one of many books he edited.
Portes Magazine published its 10th issue
Portes Magazine is a print and digital publication that celebrates art, design, and culture in Greece. It recently revealed its 10th issue, which has four numbered, limited edition collectable covers of only 250 copies each. Its 120 pages are filled with interviews, anecdotes, and visuals of Greek creators and Greek lovers such as Cacao Rocks, the Stephen Antonakos Studio, Kristina Headrick of Yia Mas, the Attic Black pottery, and Elena Votsi jewerly, to name a few.
You can pre-order a copy here. The books ship in August.
