Open 15
30 Aug - 30 Sep 2012 | Lido, Venice, Italy
Effie Halivopoulou: "Liquid Network" (2007)
Discovering the body is not enough; its exposure, its apotheosis, the enjoyment of its existence, the extension of its limits. The body needs to be re-invented continuously, to be transformed: we need to participate in this process. Esse est percipi. By participating, everything is allowed. Interventions to the genetic material, in vitro fertilizations, discard of flawed or still born embryos, transplants. Transmutations, alterations, dislocations, repairs. If Gregor Samsa could re-transform himself, if a series of surgical tools or miraculous rays would deprive him of the shape of a cockroach, he would get rid of all his misfortunes. The body is structured, de-structured, altered, repaired, and recombined just as the personality. Nature is extremely slow, progress is not easily perceived. Nobody can wait; there is lack of time, lack of patience. It is imperative to see now, here, a draft of the post-human, the dusk of the era of monsters.
Soti Triantafyllou
Excerpt from text “Body Stories, Soti Triantafyllou, Artworks by Effie Halivopoulou, Athens Voice publications, Athens, Greece, 2006.
Soti Triantafyllou is a writer based in Paris
Discovering the body is not enough; its exposure, its apotheosis, the enjoyment of its existence, the extension of its limits. The body needs to be re-invented continuously, to be transformed: we need to participate in this process. Esse est percipi. By participating, everything is allowed. Interventions to the genetic material, in vitro fertilizations, discard of flawed or still born embryos, transplants. Transmutations, alterations, dislocations, repairs. If Gregor Samsa could re-transform himself, if a series of surgical tools or miraculous rays would deprive him of the shape of a cockroach, he would get rid of all his misfortunes. The body is structured, de-structured, altered, repaired, and recombined just as the personality. Nature is extremely slow, progress is not easily perceived. Nobody can wait; there is lack of time, lack of patience. It is imperative to see now, here, a draft of the post-human, the dusk of the era of monsters.
Soti Triantafyllou
Excerpt from text “Body Stories, Soti Triantafyllou, Artworks by Effie Halivopoulou, Athens Voice publications, Athens, Greece, 2006.
Soti Triantafyllou is a writer based in Paris
Open 15: A note from the Commissioner
Art and creativity can play a major role in overcoming the widespread crisis –not only financial but deeply social and political– and in forging an alternative scenario for the future. So, in spite of all, the Greek participation in this year’s OPEN is dynamic and generous, with seven artists in the main program and six Schools of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the exhibition’s special section.
Some of the featured projects are launching two of our latest initiatives that use creativity to interpret, reflect upon and fight against the crisis.
Artemis Potamianou creates the first work to be featured on the online platform GRenter.org – a new initiative of ours in collaboration with curator and theorist Sotirios Bahtsetzis, that will function as an archive of creativity, an accumulator of ideas, an accelerator of creative dissemination, ultimately a creative “bankruptcy lab” opening up new possibilities and changes.
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki’ participates -as a special guest in San Servolo- with the project Rethinking Crisis. (go)
Finally, the list of participating artists in the main program of OPEN includes 6 Greeks and 1 Italian based in the United Arab Emirates, as a result of our growing interest in the Middle East, which stems from our belief that a true and valuable exchange with the area can be possible, especially following our recent experience through the project “Roaming Images. Crossroads of Greek and Arab cultures through the eyes of contemporary artists” (2011, in the context of the 3rd Thessaloniki Biennial of Contemporary Art).
The participating artists have created strong images, taking advantage of the exhibition format, in order to communicate messages to the public. Their images engage with a variety of timely issues related to the way of life dictated by capitalism – from the current circumstances in Greece and Europe (Venia Bechrakis, Artemis Potamianou), to modern man’s addiction to material goods (Maria Kompatsiari) and contemporary art’s commercialization (Aspa Savvidi); from technology’s abuse of the human body (Effie Halivopoulou), to the precarious state of freedom in contemporary –digital– societies (Fotini Kariotaki) and to the stereotypical divisions of the world based on ethnic or religious classifications (Yousef Moscatello).
Christos Savvidis
Director, ArtBOX.gr
Commissioner of the Greek participation
Art and creativity can play a major role in overcoming the widespread crisis –not only financial but deeply social and political– and in forging an alternative scenario for the future. So, in spite of all, the Greek participation in this year’s OPEN is dynamic and generous, with seven artists in the main program and six Schools of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the exhibition’s special section.
Some of the featured projects are launching two of our latest initiatives that use creativity to interpret, reflect upon and fight against the crisis.
Artemis Potamianou creates the first work to be featured on the online platform GRenter.org – a new initiative of ours in collaboration with curator and theorist Sotirios Bahtsetzis, that will function as an archive of creativity, an accumulator of ideas, an accelerator of creative dissemination, ultimately a creative “bankruptcy lab” opening up new possibilities and changes.
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki’ participates -as a special guest in San Servolo- with the project Rethinking Crisis. (go)
Finally, the list of participating artists in the main program of OPEN includes 6 Greeks and 1 Italian based in the United Arab Emirates, as a result of our growing interest in the Middle East, which stems from our belief that a true and valuable exchange with the area can be possible, especially following our recent experience through the project “Roaming Images. Crossroads of Greek and Arab cultures through the eyes of contemporary artists” (2011, in the context of the 3rd Thessaloniki Biennial of Contemporary Art).
The participating artists have created strong images, taking advantage of the exhibition format, in order to communicate messages to the public. Their images engage with a variety of timely issues related to the way of life dictated by capitalism – from the current circumstances in Greece and Europe (Venia Bechrakis, Artemis Potamianou), to modern man’s addiction to material goods (Maria Kompatsiari) and contemporary art’s commercialization (Aspa Savvidi); from technology’s abuse of the human body (Effie Halivopoulou), to the precarious state of freedom in contemporary –digital– societies (Fotini Kariotaki) and to the stereotypical divisions of the world based on ethnic or religious classifications (Yousef Moscatello).
Christos Savvidis
Director, ArtBOX.gr
Commissioner of the Greek participation
OPEN
Conceived and curated by: Paolo De Grandis, Co-curated by: Carlotta Scarpa
Organised by: Arte Communications
In collaboration with: Venice City Council - Department of Culture
Under the patronage of: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Veneto Region, Province of Venice, Venice City Council
GREEK PARTICIPATION 2012
Commissioner: Christos Savvidis
General Coordination: Lydia Chatziiakovou
Artists: Effie Halivopoulou, Venia Behrakis, Fotini Kariotaki, Maria Kompatsiari, Aspa Savvidi, Artemis Potamianou, Yousef Moscatello
Conceived and curated by: Paolo De Grandis, Co-curated by: Carlotta Scarpa
Organised by: Arte Communications
In collaboration with: Venice City Council - Department of Culture
Under the patronage of: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Veneto Region, Province of Venice, Venice City Council
GREEK PARTICIPATION 2012
Commissioner: Christos Savvidis
General Coordination: Lydia Chatziiakovou
Artists: Effie Halivopoulou, Venia Behrakis, Fotini Kariotaki, Maria Kompatsiari, Aspa Savvidi, Artemis Potamianou, Yousef Moscatello
