ON APRIL 8, 2023, 50 years will have passed since the pioneering artist of Cubism, Pablo Ruiz Picasso, left this earth. His body might not be with us anymore, however his spirit certainly lives on and has touched the work of many an artist who has looked towards him and has studied his work, has been influenced by it or has been inspired by it, in order to go further on their creative path. In order to commemorate this great master, an exhibition has been organized at the Tsichritzis Foundation for the Visual Arts in Kifissia. The exhibition’s title, is one of Picasso’s most thought-provoking quotes: ‘My hand tells me what I’m thinking’. The exhibition comprises the works of 45 artists who have been inspired by Picasso’s words and art, and has been organized by Dimitris Lazarou, under the aegis of the Spanish Embassy and the Cervantes Institute (Instituto Cervantes Atenas).
What exactly Picasso meant by the statement ‘My hand tells me what I’m thinking’, will certainly be explored in this exhibition. The hand of the artist executes a work of art, and is governed by the mind in order to carry out its task. However, the relationship between hand and mind is a complex one, as evident in the case of automatism for example – a technique of painting and writing which was especially used by the Surrealists, but also by abstract artists, by which the hand is allowed the freedom to spontaneously create marks in order to express the unconscious mind. Furthermore, emotion can also influence our perception and creativity, and therefore also the depiction of a scene. Children’s paintings are very much expressions of emotions, but also of both conscious and unconscious thoughts, and Picasso was a great admirer of children’s art. One of his most famous statements was: “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” This is why Picasso was also in awe of the jungle scenes created by naive painter Henri Rousseau, and was also influenced by African art, especially African masks, where expressionism was allowed to reign free.
The exhibition, organized by Dimitris Lazarou in collaboration with Art Hub Athens (www.arthubathens.org), will open to the public 6-10pm, Wednesday, March 22, and runs till April 9. Further to the usual open hours of the Tsichritzis Foundation, the exhibition will also be open on Sundays.
On Sunday, April 2, at 2pm, the event ‘Reference to Picasso’ will be performed by the award-winning stage director Maria Katsioni. The event will comprise theatrical sketches, poems and texts which refer to Picasso. Actress/choreographer Georgia Karamerou will also be performing in this event.
Participating artists: Eva Soldatou – Jocasta M. – Lydia Z. – Paul Spourelas – Sandra Fourlis – Stella Sevastopoulos – Lina (Niki) – Kiki Arka – Maria D. Georga – Mina Geldi– Grigorios Karkalis – Anna Dimitrokali – Theodoros Eleftheriadis – Sotiris Iliadis – Aglaiah Thanassou – ION – Vasilios Kagaras – Leonidias Kambanakis – Maria Karageorgiou – Fanis Kottas – Mina Kouzouni– Evangelia Liaskou – Eleni Louki – Christina Makropoulou – Prodromos Manou – Maria Matala – Keli Mela – Maria Michalopoulou (Marygoround) – Vasia Moustaka – Kostas Nikakis – Epi Nikolakopoulou – Olga Xythali – Chrysoula Xyneli – Popi Palatianou – Marietta Papageorgiou – Aphrodite Patika – Anastasis Protopapas – Irini Rapti – Phaedra Ritoridou – Alexis Telianidis – Margarita Telianidou – Panagiota Tsaktsira – Ioanna Tsachtsirli – Stelios Floriotis – Paris Chrysos
- ‘Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881-1973): My hand tells me what I’m thinking’ runs at the Tsichritzis Foundation for the Visual Arts March 22-April 9. Opening on March 22, 6-10pm. Open hours on the following days: Tuesday-Friday 11am-7pm; Saturday, Sunday 12-6pm. Closed Mondays. Closed on Saturday and Sunday of March 25-26.
- Concept, organization, communication: Dimitris Lazarou, email: repdla@hotmail.com // dimitriolazarou@gmail.com
- Co-organisation: ART HUB ATHENS / Art for social change – www.arthubathens.org
- Tsichritzis Foundation for the Visual Arts: 18 Kassaveti Street, 145 62 Kifissia. Tel: 210-809975, email: info@iett.gr website: www.iett.gr
- FREE ENTRANCE
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