MONTH IN REVIEW: November 2023
A roundup of this month’s art and design news about the makers and creators from Greece and Cyprus
From an American philhellene with a solo exhibition in Kolonaki to a Greek jewelry brand expanding into the U.S., this month was filled with talents who are reinforcing Greece and Cyprus’ influence on the global cultural stage.
Part of the Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, at the British Museum in London
Credit: Daniel LEAL via Barrons
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak canceled his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
This month, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reinforced the return of the Elgin Marbles to Greece. Keeping the Elgin Marbles in the UK is like “cutting the Mona Lisa in half,” Mistotakis claimed. He was scheduled to meet with UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the week of November 27, but Sunak canceled the meeting and offered for Mitsotakis to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden instead. According to Barrons, Mitsotakis said that "Those who believe in the rightness and validity of their positions are never afraid to confront the arguments," in response to the canceled meeting.
Ileana Makri Jewelry is now available at Bergdorf Goodman
Greek jewelry designer Ileana Makri was in town earlier this month to celebrate the launch of her namesake jewelry brand at the luxury retailer. This milestone was celebrated with an intimate dinner at the BG Restaurant. Attendees included Linda Fargo, Ashley Olsen, director Zoe Cassavetes, artist Louis Eisner, editors Stellene Volandes, Leandra Medine Cohen, and Lynn Yaeger, to name a few. Family style Greek mezzes were on the menu.
The “Casts of an Island” exhibition debuted at the Mercedes-Benz showroom in Nicosia
The Cyprus Import Corporation (CiC) marked the 70th anniversary of Mercedes-Benz’s presence in Cyprus with the “Cast of an Island” exhibit. The show features 25 artworks, most belonging to the Cyprus Contemporary Art Center. Nikos Chr. Pattichis, the publisher of Phileleftheros, curated the show and placed these artworks among the historic and collectible models of Mercedes-Benz cars from the last few decades. Among the artworks in the exhibition are sofa Woosh of architect Zaha Hadid with a parallel projection of the Freedom Square in Nicosia that was also designed by her office.
The Onassis Foundation launched the Cavafy Archive
"160 years after his birth, Constantine P. Cavafy finds a new 'home', from which the timeless sensitivity of his poetry will continue to radiate,” said Anthony S. Papadimitriou, President of the Onassis Foundation about this new space. The Cavafy Archive is housed on Frynichou Streek in Plaka and includes over 2,000 items, most in digital form, including manuscripts of poems, literary works, articles, and notes from the prolific Greek poet, journalist, and civil servant from Alexandria. The Onassis Foundation acquired the Cavafy archive in 2021 and has dedicated this site as free space that provides access to Cavafy’s work for exploration, research, and enrichment.
The Larnaca Biennale concluded on November 24
The third edition of the Larnaca Biennale concluded this month. Its exhibitions and programming under the “home away from home” theme strengthened the connection between the local community and international arts and artists. The festival intertwined discussions, performances, artworks, interactive events, and more to deepen the community’s understanding and appreciation of “home.” The festival ended with the Museum of the Moon installation, a children’s art exhibition that reflected on Alzheimer’s disease, and with short film screenings that explored the universal search for “home” by the Open-Air Cinema Nights program.
“Aphrodite I (ad dorsum),” Darryl Keith Babatunde Smith, 85x9, 2021,
Darryl Keith Babatunde Smith’s exhibition “WHISPERS OF THE LINE” Opened in Kolonaki, Athens
American artist Darryl Keith Babatunde Smith (DKBS) opened his solo painting exhibition at the Athens Art Gallery in Kolonaki. DKBS is multilingual and conversant in ancient and modern Greek language. He is inspired by the sculpture of antiquity as well as by his own image. The artist explores these many talents and interests in this show, which consists of 15 works on paper. Each of these works is the memory of a personal moment immersed in ancient Greek sculpture and the myths that gave birth to it. Between this past and present is the body — DKBS’ body in this case — depicted in ancient postures that approach painting from the paths of sculpture. Elizabeth Plessa is the curator.
“I think of these works as whispers: whispered hymns, whispered praises, whispers heard through a crack in the window, whispers muttered by my unconscious. They are fragmentary journal entries about my daily life, about my body, about my thoughts, sensually designed with a piece of gold and silver,” says DKBS about the artwork in this show.
The exhibition is open until December 9.
Keep up with DKBS here.
