The
Equilibrists is a project organized
by the New Museum, New York and the DESTE Foundation, Athens in
collaboration with the Benaki Museum, Athens, on the occasion of
DESTE’s 33rd anniversary. This project continues the DESTE
Foundation’s history of supporting talented emerging Greek artists.
On the occasion of its anniversary, rather than focusing on its past,
the Foundation is looking forward with a focus on the future of young
art in Greece.
The
exhibition is curated by Gary Carrion-Murayari and Helga
Christoffersen with Massimiliano Gioni.
The
Equilibrists
brings together work by a new generation of young Greek and Cypriot
artists working in Athens and abroad. The artists were selected by
the New Museum curators, Gary Carrion-Murayari and Helga
Christoffersen, drawing on their own research and the recommendations
of a team of more than 20 advisors made up of curators, artists, and
writers in Greece, and following trips to Athens, Thessaloniki,
Cyprus, London, and Berlin.
The
33 artists and collaborations in the exhibition have adopted
radically diverse approaches towards reflecting and engaging with the
world around them. Working across painting, sculpture, drawing, film
& video, and performance, the artists in The
Equilibrists
capture the fragility of the present moment through a shared approach
to materiality. Their work touches upon themes as varied as
historical memory, shifting notions of cultural identity, the
politics of architecture and infrastructure, and the surfaces and
flows of the digital realm.
This
group of artists, ranging from their mid-20s to mid-30s, has emerged
amidst a climate of political and economic instability, part of an
international ‘young precariat,’ whose challenges have only
increased in the past decade. Instead of being paralyzed by these
circumstances, these young creators have responded with a spirit of
improvisation and cooperation. The exhibition also reflects the role
of these artists in sustaining and invigorating the artistic
community through artist run spaces, residencies, and other platforms
which continue to gain widespread international attention.
The
Equilibrists
is in keeping with the spirit of the ongoing DESTE Prize which has
honored a promising young Greek artist biannually since 1999. It also
reflects one of the fundamental aims of the Benaki Museum, which as a
historical museum, regularly seeks to bridge the past with the
emerging present. Finally, this project also continues the New
Museum’s ongoing commitment to international emerging artists,
highlighted by its signature Triennial exhibition which will next
take place in 2018.
LOUKIA
ALAVANOU,DIMITRIS
AMELADIOTIS,MARIA
ANASTASSIOU,ELENI
BAGAKI,MARGARITA
BOFILIOU,MARIANNA
CHRISTOFIDES,MANOLIS
DASKALAKIS-LEMOS,PETROS
EFSTATHIADIS,EIRENE
EFSTATHIOU,
ZOI
GAITANIDOU,
GIORGOS
GERONTIDES,STELIOS
KALLINIKOU,YANNIS
KARPOUZIS
LITO
KATTOU, KERNEL,
IOANNIS KOLIOPOULOS,CHRYSANTHI
KOUMIANAKI,ORESTIS
MAVROUDIS
IRINI
MIGA,OLGA
MIGLIARESSI-PHOCA,PETROS
MORIS,PERSEFONI
MYRTSOU & EVA GIANNAKOPOULOU,
MALVINA PANAGIOTIDI,ALIKI
PANAGIOTOPOULOU,EVA
PAPAMARGARITI,ZOË PAUL,SOFIA
STEVI,ANASTASIS
STRATAKIS,VALINIA
SVORONOU,PAKY
VLASSOPOULOU,MYRTO
XANTHOPOULOU, NATALIE
YIAXI
Duration:
June 17 – October 9, 2016
Benaki
Museum, Athens
