NEON presents the exhibition space of togetherness, at the Drama School of the National Theatre of Greece | School of Athens – Irene Papas. This exhibition was inaugurated on 9 September, and runs to 20 October 2024.

Curated by Elina Kountouri, Director NEON, the exhibition raises some of the most pressing issues facing Europe and the world today. Safety, wars, climate change, socio-political conditions but also global demographic and economic status push towards a movement of people, cultures and ideas and shape our world as a space of flows through the interaction and diversity of cultures. space of togetherness is an exhibition of stories from the intersection of race, politics, and the rights of individuals and communities.

The exhibition explores the assumptions and prejudices of contemporary society woven into our daily lives, around racism, social mobility, and the rights of different communities and migrants. It suggests how, through greater awareness of class, race, and gender, we can learn to co-exist and find a sense of belonging.

20 artists and artistic collectives, representing 13 countries, will present various artistic practices. It features recent and past works of Taysir Batniji, Enri Canaj, Døcumatism, Mona Hatoum, patricia kaersenhout, Menelaos Karamaghiolis, Bouchra Khalili, Grada Kilomba, Tarik Kiswanson, Sophie Kovel, Kalliopi Lemos, Malgorzata Mirga-Tas, Stella Nastou, Georgia Sagri, VASKOS, including five new works by Marianna Christofides, Maria Loizidou, Igshaan Adams, Antrea Tzourovits and Kostas Roussakis, especially commissioned for the exhibition.

During the exhibition, space of togetherness creates a unique living laboratory from the cohabitation of the activities of the Drama School, the exhibition and a versatile public programme, open to the public. The programme will include talks and discussions, guided tours, educational programmes for children and families, concerts, readings and performances. Nonprofit organizations, local communities, artists, academics, civil society activists and policy makers will be active participants. diaNEOsis, Melissa Network, Dipylon, Døcumatism, Drama School of the National Theatre of Greece | School of Athens – Irene Papas, Hellenic Children’s Museum, EIGHT / ΤΟ ΟΧΤΩ, Papigion project, TAVROS, Fulbright Greece participate in the exhibition’s public program.

The Afro-Greek community has also played an active role in this exhibition. Afro-Greek actors and actresses are opening a dialogue about the difficulties and challenges they face due to their color and origin. The public event, Color as an Obstacle or Limitation for an Actor in Greece, will take place on Thursday, October 10, at the Drama School of the Greek National Theatre | School of Athens – Irene Papas as part of NEON’s exhibition space of togetherness.

Does skin color limit the choices available to them, confining them to stereotypical characters while preventing a black actor or actress from playing the roles they dream of? The discussion will address the prejudice of casting directors, the limited repertoire, the presence of Afro-Greek actors and actresses in the Greek theater and cinema, the access to theatre and cinema studies, the challenges of obtaining Greek citizenship as an obstacle, potential strategies and suggestions for inclusive casting, the contemporary use of blackface, and the importance of amplifying the voices of actors and actresses from diverse backgrounds.

On 19 October, one day before the closing of the exhibition space of togetherness, the Afro-Greek protagonists of the collective community project in progress will organise an evening combining moving image with dance and music, at the open air theatre of the Drama School of the Greek National Theatre. The event, entitled ‘The Art of Now – Dancing in the space of togetherness – dance battles’, will take place 5-8pm. Dancers Mikel Ergar & Kofi Yiadom – protagonists of the project the AfroGreeks – organize and will present ‘The Art of Now’.

Thirty-five street artists from across Greece will compete in a dance battle that breaks boundaries and prejudice, claims the right to express through art and initiates a dialogue between the exhibition, the artists, the artworks and the Greek underground hip-hop dance scene. Judges: Mc Prince, Dida Dee and Chocolate Muffin.

• SPACE OF TOGETHERNESS runs till 20/10/2024, National Theatre of Greece Drama School | School of Athens – Irene Papas. Curated by Elina Kountouri  – NEON Director. OPENING HOURS: Wednesday & Sunday | 11am-7pm; Thursday, Friday & Saturday | 12-8pm; Last admission 30 min before closing. Metro | Station Moschato (Metro Line 1, 13 min. on foot). Bus | 049, 420 (bus-stop ΙΟΝ) & 860, 914 (bus-stop Gefira). FREE ENTRANCE.
• For more info, visit the NEON Organisation site here