NOW, it might sound a bit corny, or kind of ‘ethnic’, or ‘regionalist’ to some, to be inspired by the country you live in, but let’s face it, most artists draw inspiration from their surroundings in one way or another. And for me, ever since I moved to Greece in 1994, the nature, the light …
CONTEMPORARY FREEDOM of expression versus the castle of tradition, at FokiaNou Art, where the group show ‘The Castro’ will open to the public on July 6. This new group show, curated by Mary Cox and Panagiotis Voulgaris, for which participating artists responded to an open call, presents a multifaceted perspective on what freedom and restriction …
DUE TO the pandemic, many of us have been left dreaming of situations that we would have preferred to have been in, which cannot be realized. Many of our activities were put on hold, and we could only imagine them in our mind’s eye. For the artists among us, however, they often became subject-matter for …
IT’S ALWAYS interesting to see what exactly is coming out of the art schools these days, and the Athens School of Fine Arts (or ASFA), is no exception. I visited recently the first part of the ASFA graduates show, which ran June 16-19, to be pleasantly surprised yet again, with the great variety and quality …
The exhibition ‘Universal Flux (Meta-Corona Era) at the artzone42 gallery, has us thinking of what the world will be like, after the pandemic is over. Will the post-Corona era be a continuation of the world as it was before? Or will we be witnessing a new future? The pandemic has certainly made us think of …
What does a forensic scientist, an artist and an explorer of computational arts have in common? They are all one and the same person: Geeta Roopnarine, who has combined her many skills and knowledge, plus her diverse cultural backgrounds, to create intriguing art forms. A selection of them will be on show to the public, …
After the exhibition ‘my hEART’ at the Hellenic-French Association on Kolonaki Square, comes the exhibition ‘Small Surprises’, which presents the beauty of small works. Often, small works are more intimate, and intricate. And more affordable! Some lovely jewellery designs are also on show. Organised by Dimitris Lazarou in collaboration with Arthub Athens and Tonia Nisotaki. …
NOSTALGIA was one thing that grew in parallel to the pandemic, with people wistfully remembering things like, when they used to go to the movies, on family outings, holidays etc. ‘The Good Old Days’ is also the subject of Fokianou Art Space’s upcoming show which opens on Friday, May 13, and which is curated by …
Stella Sevastopoulos interviews Dimitris Lazarou, α person of many talents, who has organized many exhibitions both online and in real space, whilst also promoting the work of contemporary Greek artists. His online exhibition ‘Woman Evolution 200’, which comprises the work of 113 artists, recently premiered also as a video presentation of the works, accompanied by …
Stella Sevastopoulos of ‘Art Scene Athens’ catches up with artists and gallery owner Georgina Theou, at the opening of the show ‘Figura’, at artzone42 gallery. A brief moment of culture in Athens during the lockdown.
One of the effects of the pandemic on the art world is that it has turned all the more to the internet in order to present art and organise exhibitions. Here in Greece, exhibition organiser Dimitris Lazarou was quick to pick up on this new side to art presentation.
THE DIVIDE between artists who still use traditional artistic mediums and those in favour of a more conceptual art, has created two different camps in the art world of today, even in Greece. The former are considered more as craftsmen, criticized for being ‘stuckist’, and bogged down with capturing light effects, creating illusions of reality, …
DUTCH artist Sef Berkers escaped the Covid pandemic and the lockdown in New York just in time after his art exhibition took place in the Big Apple. His works however haven’t made it back yet. The experience of this city changed his life and his art in unexpected ways. Back in his studio in Venlo, …
ARTIST, writer, and artist’s model Sue Tilley has had a colourful life to say the least: from dividing her time between her day job as benefits supervisor and her night job at Leigh Bowery’s ‘Taboo’ night club, Tilley has also performed in music videos, modelled for artist Lucian Freud, taught art, and has had her …
Stella Sevastopoulos caught up with artist Marina Syntelis, who found herself creating some interesting commissions during the lockdown, for customers abroad. MARINA SYNTELIS has been hailed as one of the world’s finest hyper realistic seascape painters of today. Her powerful wave images have become especially popular over the past two years, and her rising recognition …
Stella Sevastopoulos catches up with Kate Horti, a sculptor with an ecological conscience who enjoys transforming the industrial form of the bicycle into animals and insects (among other subject-matter), giving it a new lease of life. THE BICYCLE was originally invented in 1839 by the Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick Macmillan. Since then it has become …
Stella Sevastopoulos talks to Panagiotis Voulgaris, an artist-traveller, whose special relationship with nature and the urban environment have inspired his ephemeral artistic interventions. He is also the co-director of FokiaNou art space together with artist Mary Cox. PANAGIOTIS Voulgaris creates monuments to nature that revere the natural environment to such an extent, that they …
Stella Sevastopoulos talks to artist Margarita Radeva about the pros and cons of following an art career today, her experience as an art education professional, and more… THERE are many who teach art, but not many who do it properly. In many schools, art is considered of no importance, hence an excuse for the art …
Marina Syntelis is an artist whose exploration of the power of the sea, has attracted the interest of many a collector over the past few years in particular. In the UK, she is represented by the Papillon Gallery. But the creative journey that got her there – to her awe-inspiring renditions of the structures …
According to Stavros Mihalarias, a prominent restorer and art dealer of Greece, the Greek artists are the bad boys of art, because they don’t play by the rules. To find out more, read my interview with him, where we also discuss his relationship with the recently deceased artist Takis, who’s show is on at …
Stella Sevastopoulos of ‘Art Scene Athens’ talks to Greek-Australian artist Chrys Roboras who has managed to spread her wings and exhibit around the world, with great success. CHRYS ROBORAS loves to place the human figure in vast, colourful semi-abstract landscapes. In some works her figures are depicted as an outline which has been filled in …
STELLA SEVASTOPOULOS interviews Rosalind Forster, an artist who has divided her time between England’s Derbyshire and Greece’s Spetses, creating unique watercolours and linocut prints in the process: EVERY now and then, you discover a new artist, and a whole new way of seeing the world through their work. I had such an experience recently, …
GOING to an art show, or even trying to practice art, isn’t really top on the list of ‘things to do’ for many people. And that’s a shame, because art has a lot to offer, for people of all ages and classes. In fact recent studies argue that the homo sapiens were more advanced than …
LIKE HIS beloved material of glass, which he has tirelessly transformed into monumental sculptural forms, Costas Varotsos is sharp, cool and transparent – in the sense that he is unafraid to speak his mind. There are not many contemporary Greek sculptors who are also international names, however Varotsos is one of them. With his public …
I RECENTLY interviewed one of Greece’s most well-known and definitely most contemporary of artists – Eleni Mylonas – for the Athens Insider Magazine . As is the case with interviews, a lot of material remains unpublished. I felt it was a shame to let this material get lost in time, and to never be shared, because …
THERE are so many elements that converge in Chryssa Verghi’s art. Among her painted odes to nature, you will spot references to certain crucial crossroads in the history of art and landscape painting, such as her painted encomium to Monet ‘s ‘ Water Lillies’, a touch of Romanticism’s passion for the sublime and mystical in …
By Stella Sevastopoulos RECENTLY I came across the work of Takis Parlavantzas (1930-2014), who passed away in Athens, Glyfada, July 28, penniless and dismayed with the inability of the Greek public to appreciate abstract art. He was an artist who despite his copious studies, his attempts to develop further the oblique machinations of the non-figurative … Continue reading
BRITISH artist Chris Hawtin’s work at the FokiaNou art space in Athens these days, has an eerie, gothic feel to it. His atmospheric, chiaroscuro, and mostly miniature oil paintings (albeit with maximum detail), are heavily varnished to a glossy finish, exuding the character of an old master. Details such as the light filtering in through … Continue reading
Originally posted on Daniel Pateman:
There is something restorative about Stella Sevastopoulos’s paintings. Whether turning her gaze on the Greek coast’s undulating waves and their shifting hues of green and blue, or producing more intricate geometric designs, her artistic practice evidences the natural balance of the world, and a desire to regain it in our…
Stella Sevastopoulos speaks to Dr David Anfam about the current exhibition of works by Lynda Benglis, on show in Athens at the Museum of Cycladic Art’s Stathatos Mansion: THE EXHIBITION ‘Lynda Benglis: In the Realm of the Senses’ at the Museum of Cycladic Art’s Stathatos Mansion in Athens (runs till March 15), heralds the first … Continue reading
IN THE HEART of Athens, on the 7th floor of a typically grungy inner city block of flats, you will find a real gem of an alternative art space, where contemporaneity of all forms and mediums features in the show ‘Love and Disaster in Athens’ these days. The works of 32 artists were selected after … Continue reading
Many expats come to Greece to live and work, and some of them have offered so much to the arts scene. I think that especially after the Documenta14 art show, which drew arty people from around the world to Athens, that this city is becoming a kind of Greenwich village, attracting many artists who can … Continue reading
If you haven’t been to the new Goulandris Museum of Modern Art in Athens, then do! It’s a wonderful experience. The collection of works by modernist masters and contemporary pioneers is awesome. Here’s a link to my article on this grand addition to the Athenian art scene. Continue reading
Recently I wrote about Art Athina for the Neos Kosmos newspaper in Australia. I got to interview Anna Pappas, Greek-Australian gallery owner who has participated in this fair for the past seven years. See the link if you want to find out more… Continue reading
Stella Sevastopoulos celebrates Mother’s Day with a homage to mother artists, their trials and tribulations, in the history of art and in modern-day Greece: The truth is that most women artists have had a pretty tough time trying to penetrate the glass ceilings of the art world in general – a chauvinistic, male-dominated profession up … Continue reading
THE CENTRE of Athens is hosting some top-notch art shows at the moment, well worth the visit. What’s more talks are on offer by the artists too. On Saturday, April 13. Chryssa Verghi will be giving a guided tour of her painting exhibition ‘Flumen Vitae’ (runs till May 5), at the Evripides Gallery, at noon. … Continue reading
