THE CENTRE OF ATHENS  has all sorts of nooks and crannies where you can find art, ranging from ancient relics to totally contemporary art venues. For example, tucked away in Stoa Kairi, an old forgotten mall off Athinas Street, near Monastiraki metro station, you will find Haus N Athens’s Emergency Plan. This is an exhibition that celebrates the necessity of art, the ultimate product of civilization.  The exhibition is under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and is organized by PoWWoW.

The exhibition’s press release expounds on the concept of civilization, and how “the word civilization refers to the totality of intellectual, aesthetic and technological acheivements. The weight given to each of these factors varies from period to period and from place to place. While the culmination of technology, science, in modern technocratic culture is considered a necessity, we tend to forget the necessity of art for the personal culmination of human individuality. This triggers a reflection on the necessity of art.”

Aristotle is brought into the mix also: “The necessity of art is specific and is defined in a very beautiful way in the Aristotelian definition of tragedy. Art, through projective process, leas to self-knowledge and catharsis. It offers psychological upliftment, transforms and educates. Art, through the production of apparently “useless” objects – useless in the sense that they only serve the purpose of their own existance – satisfies a deep, human need.”

As far as the art is concerned, you will see a wide variety of contemporary creativity, ranging from the use of found objects, to the most meticulous, hyper real paintings of deserted and graffitied huts.  

Curated by Grigoria Vrytta.

Participating artists: Gergoria Vryttia, Mary Cox, Katerina Botsari, Ioanna Bouzika, Despina Nissiriou, Stavroula Papadaki, Vasiliki Pantazi, Periklis Pravitas, Mima Razelou, Elutheria Rapanaki, Mary Roussioti, Vasiliki Sifostratoudaki, Voula Paraskevi Ferentinou, Nopi Fountoukidou, Fenia Chatzimichail, DJ Marble, MCD (Dimitris Kritikos).

• “Emergency Plan” runs till Feb 8. Haus N Athens is on 6 Kairi Street, in the arcade, 2^nd floor. Open Thurs, Fri 4-7pm and Sat 3-6pm.

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