INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION AT THE KANELLOPOULOS ART CENTRE IN ELEUSIS
In flux
1 September – 9 Οctober 2015
Eleusis21 European Capital of Culture – Candidate City and Aeschylia Festival organise the exhibition “In Flux” curated by Shoair Mavlian at Kanelopoulos Arts Centre in Eleusis, Greece.
The exhibition In Flux brings to the forefront the idea that we are currently in a state of flux, acknowledging that we are in a period of transition. The exhibition highlights how artists are engaging with this change. In Flux focuses primarily on Europe and its neighbouring countries that for some time have been engaged in European dialogues and looks at four themes which artists have engaged with in recent years, these being; the complex relationship between east and west, migration and the refugee crisis, moments of protest and resistance and the construction of national identities. Works by Bouillon Group and Ahmet Öğüt explore the complex relationship between east and west in relation to European Union member and non member states. Thomas Mailaender and Henk Wildshchok’s work looks at migration and the refugee crisis documenting how these issues materialise in visual terms across the European landscape. Emine Gozde Sevim, Émeric Lhuisset and Sergiy Lebedynskyy and Vlad Krasnoshchok’s works all engage with and document moments of protest and resistance which have erupted across major cities in recent years. Aikaterini Gegisian’s work explores the construction of national identities and the merging of past and present in times of transition.
The exhibition seeks to expose the fragility of what seemed like embedded indestructible institutional systems, how quickly they can be dismantled and the often immediate arrival of change. For most, since the end of the Second World War Europe has been a symbol of democracy and prosperity however this seems like a far cry from our current state as the ongoing aftershocks of the 2008 crisis continue to redefine the institutional structures which bind the continent as a union. These institutional structures are simultaneously expanding and contracting and change has emerged across all realms of our society and materialises in both subtle and drastic ways in our political, economic and social spheres. The exhibition is both a chance to reflect on recent events and to pose questions to consider for the future as each artist offers different observations and perspectives on our current state of flux.
The artists selected for the exhibition hale from across Europe and its neighbouring countries and all regularly exhibit internationally and many have represented their respective countries in recent Venice Biennials. The list of artists is; Bouillon Group (Georgia), Aikaterini Gegisian (b. 1976, Greece), Emine Gozde Sevim (b. 1985 Turkey), Sergiy Lebedynskyy and Vlad Krasnoshchok (b.1982, Ukraine and b.1980, Ukraine), Émeric Lhuisset (b. 1983, France), Thomas Mailaender (b.1979, France), Ahmet Öğüt (b. 1981 Turkey), Henk Wildschut (b.1967, Netherlands). The exhibition will be accompanied by an essay and small publication.
In Flux is curated by Shoair Mavlian. Shoair Mavlian is a curator at Tate Modern, London, focusing primarily on photography, working on the research and delivery of exhibitions and displays across Tate Modern and acquisitions for the international collection. She co-curated the major exhibition Conflict, Time, Photography (Tate Modern, London, 2014) and the collaborative exhibition Project Space: A Chronicle of Interventions (Tate Modern, London and TEOR/éTica, Costa Rica, 2014). She has also worked on many of the photography displays of the permanent collection across Tate Modern including New Documentary Forms (2011), Harry Callahan (2013) and Close Up: Identity and the Photographic Portrait (2015).
Kanelopoulos Arts Centre
37 Dragoumi st, 19200 Eleusis
Greece
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00 to 13:00 and 18:00 to 21:30
Free admission
NY Arts Staff – Courtesy of the Eleusis21 European Capital of Culture, Greece: Press Release
