MONTH IN REVIEW: May 2024
A roundup of this month’s art and design news about the makers and creators from Greece and Cyprus
The Museum of Cycladic Art opened the Cindy Sherman at Cycladic: Early Works exhibition
Cindy Sherman at Cycladic: Early works offers a comprehensive view into Sherman’s ground-breaking early series that explores how women are imaged in popular culture. It includes over 100 pieces from Untitled Film Stills (1977-1980), Rear Screen Projections (1980), Centerfolds (1981) and Color Studies (1981-1982). The exhibition reveals and deconstructs women’s roles and stereotypes, questioning how the representation of women has evolved over time, how societal expectations have changed and been contested, and how art can shape and challenge cultural perceptions. This is the Sherman’s first show in Greece.
Sherman’s intersection of photography and performance in the late 1970s established her as an artistic pioneer. She worked alone in her studio and transformed herself into various characters that she would photograph. She critiqued traditional gender roles and identity by appropriating female images and stereotypes from television, film, and advertising, such as the femme-fatale, career girl, and housewife.
A 20-minute segment about the artist from the film Transformation, a 2009 Art21 production, is looped in the exhibition. It surveys some of the artist’s untitled works and the creative process she has been following for more than forty years.
Hyper Hypo Athens published a new book entitled Doors of Kypseli
The design bookstore Hyper Hypo Athens published a new book about the modernity of the mid-20th century Athenian architecture. Titled Doors of Kypseli, this book is a compilation of 100 illustrations that show the diversity of wrought iron door designs from this culturally and geographically central Athens neighborhood.
This book is author Eleanor Lines’ love letter to Athens, her adopted city. Lines explored the neighborhood with a camera and smartphone in hand and captured the most intriguing doors. Lines focused on designs from the 1930s to the 1960s, including those with Art Deco, Bauhaus, and modernist influences. Lines edited and perfected the doors in each photo to bring them back to their former glory. She then converted and printed the doors in a blue color that enhanced the visual impact of the multitudinous patterns.
The book is accompanied by an essay by cultural writer Nikos Vatopoulos.
The PSI Foundation in Cyprus repurposed a historic Carob Warehouse into a public space
The PSI Foundation, a non-profit in Cyprus that cultivates the island’s art scene through curated exhibitions, creative sessions, and other collaborative projects, initiated the adaptive reuse of the Carob Warehouse in Limassol into a public space. In collaboration with curator Nicos Chr. Pattichis, The PSI Foundation will launch its first exhibition entitled Cast of an Island 2024 in the space this June.
The exhibition highlights a tumultuous historical era for Cyprus during the last 50 years and commemorates the tragedy of 1974 when the island was divided. It features 43 artists with over 120 collective works, many that are political in nature and date back to after the checkpoints in Cyprus opened in 2004. Some pieces are new and are inspired by the exhibition theme and location.
The Carob Warehouse is one of the most significant modernist structures in Cyprus. It was built in 1960 by local engineer Andreas Papadopoulos and architect Fivos Polidorides and is located between the Limassol Marina and the New Port.
Transitions was an exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Tomas Watson at the Anita Rogers Gallery. It included work from 2017 to present day. This time period was characterized by radical upheaval – both emotionally and physically – for the artist.
Watson is a figurative artist that is not restricted by realism. He lived and worked in Greece for most of his career. When asked why, Watson answers, “The Greek light.”
For the closing party on May 25, the Anita Rogers Gallery transported guests to 1940s Greece with live rebetiko and smyrnaiko music, Greek food and wine, and dancing.
The Poor Things: The Costumes exhibition will open at the Benaki Museum
The Benaki Museum in Athens announced that it will host an exhibition featuring the costumes from Yorgos Lanthimos' movie Poor Things. The show entitled Poor Things: The Costumes gives the public the opportunity to discover 12 of the original handmade costumes created by designer Holly Waddington, an Academy Award and BAFTA winner.
The show opens on June 12 and closes on September 29. On the day of the opening, the museum will host a talk with the costume designer Holly Waddinton and Sofia Pantouvaki, PhD, scenographer, Professor of Costume Design at Aalto University, Finland, and vice-president of the Hellenic Costume Society, and Pavlos Thanopoulos, set and costume designer, who designed the exhibition. You can RSVP here.
Travel & Leisure reported on the Ellinikon Smart City development
When completed in 2037, Ellinikon will be the largest smart city in Europe. It is located on the site of the former Ellinikon Airport, which closed in 2001, and sits along the Athenian Riviera. Lambda Development is leading the project and envisions a futuristic city that is centered around sustainable energy, open spaces, and green zones. The repurposed site is anticipated to increase Athen’s greenspace by 44 percent. Hotels, casino resorts, shopping malls, sports centers, and residences will be part of this new landscape.
