MONTH IN REVIEW: March 2024
A roundup of this month’s art and design news about the makers and creators from Greece and Cyprus
Greek-American artist Lucas Samaras passed away at the age of 87
Lucas Samaras who is known for his pioneering work in digital art and self-portraiture passed away on March 7 at the age of 87. Samaras’ autobiographical art centered on the body and the psyche. His works spanned across photography, painting, installation, textiles, and sculptures, to name a few. Samaras’s oeuvre acts as an extension of his body while underscoring the transformative possibilities of the everyday— a true blurring of art and life.
He was born in Kastoria, Greece and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1948. After attending Rutgers University then studying under prolific artists, he became involved in the New York City art scene. His early association with the Happenings movement – a hybrid art form that involves installations and performance – helped establish him as a leading figure in the industry. Even in these early years, Samaras was exploring his interest in depicting the self with richly- colored pastels, sculptural boxes, and other miscellaneous materials. He began working with a Polaroid in the 1960s. He would alter images – mostly self portraits – with applications of ink and his own hands. This created abstract end results that he would continue to explore with other future image making technologies.
For his provocative Sitting series (from 1979-1980), he photographed prominent figures in the New York art world posing naked in his studio. These talents included Alex Katz, Cindy Sherman, Jasper Johns, and many others. His XYZ series of psychedelic abstractions became the basis for his first NFT project and he later worked with his iPhone camera to create new self-portraits in his home in New York.
Pace Gallery started representing the Samaras in 1965.
The inaugural Cyprus Diaspora Forum was held in Limassol
The first Cyprus Diaspora Forum was held in Limassol from March 6-9. Founded by Paul Lambis, the four-day event included physical and virtual B2B events that brought the Cypriot diaspora communities together. It was formed to help recognize and promote the importance of the work and accomplishments of the diaspora and to help strengthen the connection between these individuals at home, in Cyprus, and abroad.
The event included panels and programming about entrepreneurship, innovation, philanthropy, and cultural and social topics, all led by the diaspora. The weekend ended with the CYDIA Awards which honored Cypriots of the diaspora in sixteen categories, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was awarded to Cypriot ‘Icon Hunter’ from the diaspora, Tasoula Hadjitofi, a globally recognised activist for human rights, religious freedom, international humanitarian law, and the protection of cultural heritage.
In her acceptance speech, Tasoula Hadjitofi said that “the moment you realize the power Cyprus will have when you embrace the Diaspora, for Economic Diplomacy, for Security Diplomacy, and the moment we change the ‘narrative’ about what happened in Cyprus, the narrative we have been promoting for 50 years now that ‘does not sell’, then that is the moment Cyprus will be free.”
Artwork by Petros Efstathiadis
Service95 reported on Athens’ thriving art scene
Service95, the news site founded by singer Dua Lipa, reported on Athens’ influential art scene and featured some of the latest talents and creators that are leading the charge in art, design, and culture. It included perspectives from artists such as product designer Aristotelis Barakos, fashion designers Stella Panagopouou and Valisia Gotsi of 2WO+1NE=2, and visual artist Petros Efstathiadis. Arthens founded by Theodora Koumoundourou was listed among the group of smaller yet equally impactful organizations that are championing contemporary art scene.
The Hellenic Conservatory of Athens is being restored
This historic educational institution for the performing arts, where Maria Callas and Nana Mouskouri, among others, once studied, is undergoing a restoration after being abandoned for half a century. The total budget for the project is €5,712,000, which has been included in the Recovery Fund, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Following the restoration, the building will host the Archive of the Art of Dance in Greece, the Library, and other selected programs of the State School of Orchestral Art.
The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni visited the site this month and shared that “this project is part of our policy of rehabilitating buildings. Our goal is to upgrade the capital's urban fabric, attributing buildings-monuments as cultural landmarks of wider scope and development importance.”
Millo’s street art enlivens a new residential complex in Cyprus
Italian artist Francesco Camillo Giorgino, known as Millo, is creating eight large-scale murals across the city. Millo is collaborating with the Art Square project on the island which will be a new residential development in the city. His artworks will enliven eight facades in the complex that are currently under construction. This artwork depicts beautiful scenes of the island’s nature and people and is composed with Millo’s signature bright colors, black and white drawings, and big faces. To bring a personal sense of the island into his designs, he has researched local flora and fauna and how they are represented in pop culture. While he creates these pieces, he will host a series of workshops for children in local schools.
This project aims to elevate Limassol’s image on the island and within Europe. The organizers of the project and developers of the Art Square residences said that “Limassol is changing every day toward becoming a city for people, for life, toward being a comfortable and safe urban environment. Pedestrian walkways and bike routes, parks, new galleries, cafés and restaurants and other public venues emerge every day. We are glad to be part of this phenomenon. We are sure that Millo’s paintings at Art Square will become another landmark of Limassol and Cyprus.”
The Art Spaces residences are scheduled to open on April 6.
The Consulate General of Greece in New York opened an Effie Michelis exhibition
Greek Naïve Painting by Effie Michelis (1906-1984) opened on March 20 at the Consulate General of Greece in New York. The show features 12 works by the self-taught artist whose paintings capture the spirit of Greece with their bright color palettes that depict familiar scenes of architecture, families, and nature.
Michelis first decided to enter into the art work after visiting an exhibition by Grandma Moses in Boston in 1952. She followed her own inclination and painted in a naive style that retained childlike qualities. “When I paint people and scenes from day-to-day life, I feel closer to mankind. I think most of my works are serene and joyful, perhaps because I feel serenity and joy when I paint, and because Greek nature is joyful and serene,” said Michelis about her work.
At the opening of this exhibition, the Consul General of Greece in New York Dinos Konstantinou spoke about how cultural diplomacy lies at the heart of his mission. Remarks by Michelis Foundation Board of Directors President Lambros Anagnostopoulos, Michelis Foundation Director Dr. Marina Tsoulou, American Folk Art Museum Director and Chief Executive Officer Jason T. Busch, art historian Dr. Sozita Goudouna, and Annie Ragia of the Melissa Publishing House followed.
The show runs until April 19.
