And the Work of Our Hands
Devotion, introspection and the handmade, concepts that create space for self-reflection and exploration.
ATHENS — Five young Greek artists, whose work relates to the concept of devotion, introspection and the handmade, participate in the group exhibition And the Work of Our Hands, opening on Wednesday 5 April at ArtWall project space. Works on paper by Vasilis Botoulas, Panos Famelis and Stratis Tavlaridis, a six-meter-long installation by Panagiotis Voulgaris and a large-format composite photo by Maria Mavropoulou compose a minimalist visual landscape, which sensitively touches upon the various aspects of the relationship between labour and work — all the while creating a space that is offered for self-reflection and exploration. The exhibition is curated by Kiriakos Spirou.
Springing from the distinction that philosopher Hanna Arendt makes in her work The Human Condition between labour and work (“the labour of our bodies and the work of our hands”), the exhibition’s concept is to reveal the microscale on which the artistic hand operates, as well as the fragile, organic process out of which a work of art emerges. All the works at the exhibition share the element of repetition: obsessive lines and brushstrokes, thousands of daintily cuts with a surgical knife on paper, endless hours of digital photo editing and hundreds of meters of silk thread reveal, through their simplicity, the laborious intervention of the artist as a creative body in the world — while at the same time they materialise the arduous labour and time spent to be completed.
Vasilis Botoulas lives and works from Athens, Greece. On March 25, 2017 for the first time he saw Bill Frisell perform live.
Panos Famelis was born in Athens, where he lives and works. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Thessaloniki, Hogeschool University in Gent, Belgium, and at the postgraduate programme of the Athens School of Fine Arts. He is the recipient of many scholarships and awards, from the Greek State Scholarship Foundation, the Bank of Greece, the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and others. Panos Famelis deploys different media in his work, including painting, sculpture, installation, performance and theatre. He has presented seven solo exhibitions, and has curated several exhibitions himself. He is a founding member of the Under Construction collective.
Kiriakos Spirou is a Cypriot art writer, editor, publisher, pianist and composer. He studied piano and musicology in Athens and later on electroacoustic composition at the Utrecht School for the Arts. He is the publisher of UND, a new art guide for Athens. He spends his time between Kypseli and Limassol.
Maria Mavropoulou is an Athens-based artist. She is an Athens School of Fine Arts graduate. Currently she is a postgraduate student at the school’s Master in Fine Arts course. Her work has been presented in exhibitions in Greece and abroad, and she is a member of Depression Era collective of artists.
Stratis Tavlaridis is a visual artist who constructs perforated installations out of paper. His works are inspired by everyday life and with his eye for geometric patterns and flowing designs, he transforms ordinary items into ethereal manifestations of themselves. He lives and works in Athens, Greece.
Panagiotis Voulgaris is a visual artist based in Athens. He has completed postgraduate studies in Art and Architecture at University of East London and a BA in Fine Arts from Middlesex University. His work investigates the limits between art and architecture through works of public art, installations and in situ interventions both in the city and incountryside, as well as works of video and photography. He has participated in exhibitions in Greece and abroad, and at the same time he co-directs and curates the contemporary art space Fo Kia Nou 24/7 in Athens.
Participating Artists: Vasilis Botoulas, Panos Famelis, Maria Mavropoulou, Stratis Tavlaridis, Panagiotis Voulgaris
Curated by: Kiriakos Spirou With the support of Karavias Art Insurance
The Artwall Project Space was initiated in July 2012 as a result of collaboration between the Fresh Hotel Athens and CHEAPART. The aim of the Artwall was to showcase contemporary art and become a catalyst for discussion and collaboration among artists and art professionals. The Artwall's program was designed and implemented (2012-2017) by Fotini Kapiris, artist and curator, to meet requirements and standards of contemporary artistic production.
Opening: Wednesday April 5, 20:00
Duration: April 5 - 29, 2017
Saturday, April 27: "LOOP 1,2,3,4" performance by Stavros Yiagulis.
Exhibition hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 18.00 - 21.00, Saturday 13.00 – 16.00
Easter week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 18.00 - 21.00
Artwall Project Space
26 Sofokleous Str, 10552, Athens, Greece
