PRESENTATION: Three-days of Art at George N. Vogiatzoglou Collection

As all we know, the George N. Vogiatzoglou Collection, is an active space that organizes not only contemporary art exhibitions but also events, lectures, and book presentations, contributing to a creative dialogue between art, artists, and the audience. Someone without knowledge of the Greek reality would say that is the purpose of such a space. However, what sets it apart and categorizes it as a unique venue, is that it warmly and practically supports not only art, but also the artists, by providing free studios for young artists to work and create. In a challenging era, the Collection and its hospitable owner-collector, Mr. Giorgos Vogiatzoglou, offer artists the opportunity to express themselves without stress in an amazing space like Building 1, which we visited recently. We had conversations with many of them, took photos, and left with the wish that we could have had the chance to be in this creative environment, even for a short time, to talk about their work and exchange ideas about art. Alongside the anniversary exhibition “10 Years George N. Vogiatzoglou Collection”, which is worth visiting if you haven’t already, “KTIRIO1 – OPEN STUDIO” – located behind the main building of the Collection – opens its doors and the artist in resident welcome you to their studios to present their for only three days: April 21-23. The three-day event concludes with Christos Christofis, who at the main building will present a re-edition of a previous exhibition. It concerns the exhibition “IN MEDIO VIRTUS” that was organized by the Collection in November 2019 and curated by Christos Christofis.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Dimitris Lempesis

Painting, sculpture, installations, graffiti, and a common artwork with various media is the puzzle of the artists that work in KTIRIO1, here they coexist, engage in dialogue, share their artistic concerns, dreams, and anxieties in an ideal space. With colors, materials and scattered artworks everywhere, the first topic that comes up in our discussion is the economic crisis in Greece and how affected these new artists who, as they confess to us, suffered a lot but it was also a starting point for artistic creation, which pushed them to find ways and to pursue their art because that is their priority. The desire of other generations of artists to leave abroad does not seem to bother them much, as they stated, they are very satisfied with Greece and the welcoming environment they have found to create. After all, one of them lived for a while in Berlin, but it didn’t really excite him. For them, Greece has many undiscovered paths and routes to explore, and what interests them, closely linked to their young age, is their work and experimentation. Gradually, they get to know each other, gain confidence, and create a common artwork, while they hope and aspire to create more along the way. Influences, thoughts, materials, and styles affect them as artists. Of course, they are also influenced by pressing social issues, which each one absorbs and presents in his own way. Some of them come from the graffiti scene and the street culture is reflected in their artwork, such as: Basement Rats, whose painting incorporates influences from cartoons, comics, and street art and the hip hop culture, and Kostis Damoulakis, whose involvement with graffiti and tattoos over the past two decades has influenced and shaped the references, form, and content of his artwork. Using painting as his main medium, he creates distinct contemporary artworks with symbols drawn from various movements, cultures, and eras. Miltiadis Digkas deals with sculpture, sculptural installations and environments are at the center of his work. These are based on a kind of allegorical narrativse, exploring transcendence on one hand and the absence of mythological phenomena on the other. The work of Sotiris Fokas “SOTEUR” revolves around street art, conceptual art, installations, and performance. The dipole between private and public space is the conceptual axis of the artist’s entire self-examination, with the public being either the streets or the platforms of social networking. Fotios Balas explores the boundaries between art and fashion, using old toys and ready-made materials, through the innocence and dreamlike world they represent. The artist comments with humor and sarcasm on serious social issues, while being drawn to the objects that have undergone the ravages of time and have completed their original purpose. He adores “beauty” and seeks it in the most unlikely places.

Info: George N. Vogiatzoglou Collection, Ktirio 1, 63 El Venizelou, Nea Ionia, Athens, Greece, Duration: 21-23/4/2023, Hours: Fri (21/4) 19:00-22:00, Sat-Sun (23-23/4) 12:00-20:00, www.vogiatzogloucollection.gr/