Art Athina cements the Greek capital’s status as a destination for art lovers
Greece’s long running art fair, Art Athina, is on this weekend at Zappieon Mansion and it’s another testament to Athens’ darling status as a hot, hot, melting pot that there is a real energetic zing in the air this year. With galleries from all across Greece, and a few from further flung places as well, there is a broad range of talent on display, from established masters to new and exciting voices just starting to be heard.
The circular design of the mansion lends itself to an endless stroll around the gallery spaces and gives a pleasingly egalertian feel to the event, unlike certain other European fairs where you can sense the jostling for place. That said, as you turn left from the entrance hall, Breeder Gallery kicks things off in style with powerful large scale works from Olga Migliaressi-Phoca which takes aim at modern luxury consumerism with pinpoint accuracy. In one of the building’s spokes I was arrested by a series of abstract still life flowers by Claudio Coltorti, an Italian emigre to Athens. How long he has been here depends on what sort of mood you catch curator, Romain in – another part of the playfulness on display at the event. In keeping with Greece’s place at the forefront of the ceramics movement, clay forms and their cousins are particularly well represented. From the ephemeral folded paper trompe-l’œil of Maria Efstathiou’s porcelain at Gallery Elefteria Tseliou to the magical evocations of elemental emerging forces found in Diane Alexandre’s vase and mirror at the Taxidi stand, there is something to please the eye and tease the brain whenever you look. Taxidi is located in the design section of the fair which is particularly strong this year with a exceptional work, both vintage and brand new, on display. I fell in love with a remarkable drinks trolley by Jorge Zalszupin at Bombyx as part of their mid-century Latin American collection that looked like a 3D Kandinsky and which I am convinced will make any drink taste ten times better. With a range of interactive activities planned for the weekend it is a must visit for anyone in or near Athens this weekend. DETAILS HERE.
