ART CITIES:Athens-Man On The Moon
As the only celestial body whose surface can be seen from Earth, the moon has quickly become a symbol of both closeness and elusiveness – too ubiquitous to simply be ignored, yet too far flung to be fully grasped, let alone understood. In 1609 already, Galileo was at the forefront of observing space, trying to decipher the moon and its planetary counterparts, and thereby laying the groundwork for the centuries-long artistic obsession that was to come.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Alexandros Maganiotis Archive
More than an anniversary exhibition, “Man on the moon – 50 years after” is notionally inspired by the 50th anniversary of the first manned moon landing, Apollo 11, in 1969, yet attempts, through the works of 52 Greek and international visual artists and architects, who offer their own version of the moon, presenting a multitude of references, approaches and depictions, comprising a coherent and appealing visual environment. The moon landing was not only a techno-logical breakthrough; it was a spectacular and thoroughly aestheticized event that was transmitted and distributed globally in images – and was both anticipated and interpreted in the visual art and the broader visual culture of the 1960s. At the official invitation of NASA, Robert Rauschenberg was present at the Apollo 11 launch and writes in his collage work “Stoned Moon Book” from his time there: “My head said for the first time moon was going to have company and knew it”. In modern Western art, the Moon is a recurring subject of artistic investigation and interpretation, while the role of the Moon finds a more condensed expression in broader culture: the Moon as inspiration for mythologies and mysticism, the cause of “lunacy,” the object of scientific inquiry, a destination for science-fiction fantasies, and a concrete territory to be conquered and mined.
Participating Artists: Giorgos Alexandridis, Michalis Arfaras, Annita Argyroiliopoulou, Manolis Baboussis, Catherine Bernis, Emmanouil Bitsakis, Cacao Rocks, Romain Cadilhon, Manolis Charos, Elli Chrysidou, Alexandros Dimitriadis, Voula Ferentinou, Marios Fournaris, Nikos Giavropoulos, Ioanna Gouma, Matthieu Gounelle, Kornelios Grammenos, Mark Hadjipateras, Danae Ioannidou, Athina Ioannou, Judith Espinas, Jordan Kalimerakis, Haralabos Katsatsidis, Antigoni Kavvatha, Maria Kokkini, Christos Kountouras, Nikos Lagos, Kosmas Lilikakis, Liquifer Systems Group, Alexandros Maganiotis, Michalis Manousakis, Dimitris Merantzas, Maria Panagiotou, Leda Papaconstantinou, Artemis Papadima, Nikos Papadimitriou, Antonis Papadopoulos, Andreas Papanastasiou, Konstantinos Patsios, Aris Roupinas, Alexandra Roussopoulos, Ifigenia Sdoukou, Stergios Stamos, Dimitris Tataris, Theodora Tsiatsiou, Κostas Tsolis, Andreas Vais, Teressa Valla, Leonidas Vassilopoulos, Spyros Verykios, Iakovos Volkov, Andreas Voussouras.
Info: Curator Alexandros Maganiotis, The Project Gallery, Platia Theatrou 14, Athens, Duration : 22/6-21/9/19 (closed 3-31/8/19), Days & Hours: Tue-Fri 11:30-18:00, Sat 12:00-16:00, www.theprojectgallery.gr
