PRESENTATION: Urban Mythology

Iera Odos is a street that during ancient times connected Athens with Eleusis and later on was named Iera (Sacred) because the Greater Eleusinan Mysteries procession was passing by this road. Starting Kerameikos, it was 22 km in length and 4,80 m in width it had all along its length stone columns and written on them were the distances from the Ancient Agora of Athens (precisely the altar of the Twelve Gods), measured in Roman miles. Today, it follows almost the same route and, starting on Pireos Street.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Lab for Arts Archive

The exhibition-action “Urban Mythology” will be presented in public open spaces in the area around Iera Odos. Mythology in its various definitions, either as the set of myths and traditions of a people, or as a science that studies these myths (their origin, evolution and interpretation) has been associated with concepts such as collective memory, the non-linear productive process of creation, the subconscious desires that are called to harmonize with the accepted patterns of human behavior, the “irrational” (irrational) lie that persists, reappears and is used to interpret the present, to describe the past, to determine the future. For “Urban Mythology”, 10 artists are called to create 9 ephemeral artworks in the public urban space, in dialogue with Iera Odos. In this charged place, rich in myths and archeological traces, which today is a living multinational mosaic full of contrasts, the original urban interventions of the artists, with their ephemeral and fragile character, function as modern “anti-monuments”, that will remain in the city after the end of the exhibition and will be destroyed by time and weather.

Artemis Potamianou knits with plastic threads on a metal fence the phrase “I want to be the hero of my own story”, paraphrase of an excerpt by John Barth. The barbed wire of the fence is transformed into a symbolic, ambiguous visual substratum, referring to conditions of protection or enclosure-exclusion. The artwork’s title  “Which side are you on? Fence 2” suggests her desire to awaken viewers to take a stand on hot social issues. Using car parts from a workshop in the area, Giannis Grigoriadis will compose, through an assembly process, a sculpture made of iron and concrete and pastes the image of a gasket (flange) near him. The work, entitled “Almost Proximity”, reflects the modern physiognomy of Kastoria Street where it is located. It refers to the “archetypal” construction systems and their reduction to analytical tools of the psyche and is a codified reference to human expectations and relationships. Eleni Exarhou will present a world map of residential areas and collects signatures for victims of migration routes to the other side of the globe. The project “Victim-Tribute of Honor”, is completed with the creation of an on-site installation that takes place under the sound of the songs of the Polyphonic Ensemble Isocrates. Inspired by the sanctuary of the Tritopatreio in the area of Kerameikos, one of the primitive places of worship in Attica, Giannis Ziogas creates the collective walking event “The sanctuaries of the Iera Odos”. With the participants, that identifies places that can be characterized as sanctuaries on the route from Kerameikos to the Agricultural University of Athens. mokotomoro (Lina Theodorou & Ioannis Savidis) narrates a story about the forgotten urban planner and opponents of the male-dominated urban planning of the Greek  political changeover of 1973  Elena Arivizatou. In her action “The tree is recognized by its fruits. According to Matthew”, Emilia Bouriti will plant a fruit tree, The action deals with the right to free food from the trees of the city and is performed as a sacred ritual, introducing passers-by to the cultivation of the land, the meaning of food, the perpetual cycle of the seasons and the idea of life and death. Eleni Tzirzilaki with her silent walk “Women’s Case” explores the female condition, the concept of inclusion and the issue of mental health. The asrtist composes a narrative about the insecure position of women today, using physical movement, sounds, poetry and images. “Minimum process” by Giorgos Papadatos is a wooden construction with fabric and color interventions, that functions as a theatrical stage of the performance during which the artist exhibits for sale ceramic fragments for about an hour. In “Limited Protest”, Dionisis Christofilogiannis, makes an  anachronism of the western gable of the Parthenon, supplying his protagonists with banners and bullhorn. The deconstructed work will be transferred from Thiseio, through Kerameikos and Iera Odos at the artist’s workshop, in a walking course that functions as a silent protest.

Recommended Route, 19 September 2021

1. 12:30-13:15,  Archaeological Site of Kerameikos, Giannis Ziogas
2. 13:20 – 14:50, Limited Protest,  meeting on Ermou street-Thiseio station and protest march to Kastoria 52, Dionisis Christofilogiannis
3. 14:00 – 17:00, visit of the works: 38 Kastorias str Yiannis Grigoriadis / 50 Agiou Orous str, mokotomoro (Lina Theodorou & Ioannis Savidis) / 94 Leonidou str, Artemis Potamianou
4. 17:00, In front ofArchaeological Site of Kerameikos Eleni Tzirzilaki
5. 18:50, 80-84 Leonidou str, Giorgos Papadatos
6. 18:50, 80-84 Leonidou str, Emilia Bouriti-Syn+Ergasia
7. 19:30, 80-84 Leonidou str, Eleni Exarhou

Participting Artists:  Yiannis Grigoriadis, Eleni Exarhou, Yiannis Ziogas, Emilia Bouriti, Giorgos Papadatos, Artemis Potamianou, mokotomoro (Lina Theodorou & Ioannis Savidis), Eleni Tzirzilaki and Dionisis Christofilogiannis.

Photo: Map of Urban Mythology actions

Info: Organizing team: Constantinos Constantinidis, Artemis Potamianou, Delia Potamianou and Bia Papadopoulou, Curators: Bia Papadopoulou and Artemis Potamianou, Duration:19/9/2021, www.lab4arts.eu