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PHILOXENIA

EI CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITIONS

Welcome - The European Hos

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PHILOXENIA

EI CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITIONS

R E G I O N O F C R E T ER E G I O N A L U N I T O F C H A N I AM U N I C I P A L I T Y O F P L A T A N I A SC O N T E M P O R A R Y A R T M U S E U M O F C H A N I A

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The CHANIaRT - Visual Arts Journeys in the Regional Unit of Chania program is implemented by the Museum of Contemporary Art of

Chania - Olivepress in collaboration with the Regional Unit of Chania, all the Municipalities of Chania and the Cultural Institutions whose purpose is the

exploration and development of Culture and the Fine Arts in the entire prefecture of Chania. The aim of the CHANIaRT - Visual Arts Journeys in the Regional Unit of Chania

program is for the Prefecture to highlight its artistic potential and become one of the major centres of visual actions in Greece, an arena of new artistic trends and a forum for artistic

dialogue and creation, a melting pot of interactions between the indigenous cultural values and the international avant-garde movements, the platform of presentation of visual actions and pursuits, both for distinguished Masters of Art, as well as the talented New Creators. Along with the promotion of our

land and promotion of the local cultural resources, the objective remains the construction of an interactive communication network between all Cretan Visual Creators, the local community, the wider artistic community,

and the worlds cultural fabric.

V I S U A L A R T S J O U R N E Y SI N T H E R E G I O N A L U N I T O F C H A N I A

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ISBN: 978-618-81571-1-8

PHILOXENIANatassa Karakatsani

Destination UnknownCurator: John Stratoudakis

Welcome - The European Hospitalityand its Borders

Curator: Megakles Rogakos

The catalogue entitled Philoxenia is published on the occasion of the separate exhibitionsNatassa Karakatsani - Destination Unknown under the curation of John Stratoudakis and

Welcome - The European Hospitality and its Borders under the curation of Megakles Rogakos,which took place from 13 June through 1 November 2015

at the Contemporary Art Museum of Chania - Olivepress, Dromonero, Crete, Greece.

Works CreditsThe works dimensions are given in centimetres height before width before depth.

Back Cover ImageExcerpt from Homers Odyssey, which describes the hospitality Menelaus offered to Telemachus

before even learning his identity (Odyssey IV.37-61).

ContributorsProject Coordinator: Ioannis N. Arhontakis

Introduction: Constantinos V. ProimosExhibition Curator of Destination Unknown: John Stratoudakis

Exhibition Curator of Welcome: Megakles RogakosCopy Editor: Dr Antigone M. Nounou

Layout: Vassilis Pitsonis, ScriptaPrinting: The catalogue was printed on acid-free paper in 1,000 copies by Kassimatis S.A.

Text and Images Copyright: All rights are reserved by the authors and the artists as credited. No part of this publication may be reproducedor transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or storing in a retrieval system,

without the prior permission in writing of the author. Exceptions are allowed in respect of any fair dealing for the purpose of research,study, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Legislation. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside

these terms should be sent to the editor: Ioannis N. Arhontakis, Contemporary Art Museum of Chania - Olivepress, Dromonero, 33rd Km.Chania - Paleochora, GR-73002, Crete, tel: +30 6937 383 500, email: [email protected], url: www.olivepress.eu

A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of Greece,32 Panepistimiou Street, Athens, GR 10679, Greece, +30-210-3470-330, www.nlg.gr

National Library of Greece Cataloguing-in-Publication DataJohn Stratoudakis. 1977-

Destination Unknown - Natassa KarakatsaniRogakos, Megakles. 1972-

Welcome: The European Hospitality and its Borders / Megakles Rogakos1. Contemporary Visual ArtsCriticism and Interpretation.

2. Immigration IssuesEuropean Union.I. Visual Arts Exhibition. II. CHANIaRT. III. Title.

ISBN: 978-618-81571-1-8

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Immigration is not a topical issue. It is a part of our daily life.Especially here, in Crete, the ancient crossroads of cultures and peo-ple, in the southeast borders of Europe that is prospering, of Asia that is torn by civil wars and inter-religious conflicts, of Africa that is starving, rebelling, and fighting...

The immigrants arrive in our yard from their neighboring birthplace, following the shortest sensible route for the salvation of their lives. In such circumstances we too would do the same. In the past, we did so many times. Navigating our mutual gloomy sea they desperately jeop-ardize their lives, to risk it again, heads or tails, on the hard felt of our majority-supported statutory legislations and of our ambivalent, occa-sional, welcoming feelings

1+33 artists articulate word and work on the occasion of the sacred idea of Philoxenia (Hospitality) and its multifarious ramifications in the maelstrom of contemporary European model of hosting foreigners. Plenty are the models. Eventually, plenty are the controversial models that defend the construction of walls and fences on the basis of board game regulations go back to where you started.

Artists from Europe that are hosted in Greece, but also Greek art-ists who are hosted somewhere in the world, starting from their per-sonal lived experience, created visual works that involve heartbreak of the soul and multiple messages with different recipients. They all raise work and stature against techniques and current policies that differen-tiate the primary rights of people depending on whether they are in-side or outside the lines.

Through the exhibitions Natassa Karakatsani - Unknown Desti-nation curated by John Stratoudakis and Welcome - The European Hospitality and its Borders curated by Megakles Rogakos that will be hosted for five months at the Contemporary Art Museum of Chania - Olivepress emerges the tender sensitivity of artists for the human dis-tress of immigration and the harsh reality of unreachable dreams. The photographic exhibition Bridging Cultures of Katerina Kalogeraki, cu-rated by Dr Nikos Panayiotopoulos that is presented in the Municipal

Library of Chania is the third part of the triptych tribute to Philoxenia and Immigration within the framework of the CHANIaRT programme. I hope the tribute may give ideas and sensitize stakeholders and people for a constructive review of immigration policy and practice.

All three exhibitions reintroduce for negotiation the sacred idea of Philoxenia under the contemporary, imperative, social target of im-migration. In a place like our island, built with the quintessence of Philoxenia, where its people versify and sing diachronically through the rizitika (traditional Cretan) songs its highest ideal, the chances of stagnation of the primordial human solidarity feelings and of growing of the xenophobia complexes are minimized. It is in our hand to keep the bar high.

Mother, when my friends comedo not to discourage them.Lay the table for them to feastbed to recline.Lay the sidemantelsto rest their armsand in the morning when they get upand as they bid you farewelllet them know that I have passed away.

Ioannis N. ArhontakisArt Director

Contemporary Art Museum of Chania - Olivepress

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Greece & Immigration

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Immigration characterizes human history and, of course, does not constitute a new phenomenon in Greece. Mostly in the 90s, peo-ple used to immigrate massively to Greece as economic immigrants and in search of better conditions of life. Still, lately and until today, it seems that the number of refugees has risen significantly, that is to say, the number of people that are forced to leave their country of or-igin in search of protection. In other words, people from Syria, Leba-non or Somalia and Eritrea that move towards Greece and the rest of Europe nowadays, belong to the latter, they constitute therefore the modern refugees because they attempt to escape due to fear of being persecuted or suffer violence.

In the Greek public speech, the terms immigrant and refugee are often confused, resulting, on the one hand, in the reproduction of a distorted opinion about the refugees who are seen as economic immi-grants, and, on the other hand in the reproduction of the idea that ref-ugees and immigrants are the same and undivided enemy group that threatens the Greek nation and national security. The reproduction of such ideas and rhetoric, such as the attraction of immigrants, on the one hand, seems to cultivate a sense of threat to the local people and phobic attitudes towards the foreigners - the others, while on the other hand comes to underline the lack of a coherent immigration pol-

icy and the comprehensive weakness of the Greek government to ap-proach the refugee question.

The status of refugee, though, does not constitute a problem - threat to be handled. It evolves constantly and needs to be perceived as a social phenomenon that concerns the Greek and the European so-cieties, as well as the citizens of those societies who ought to allow the equal and fair coexistence and interaction with those others.

Arsis, in the last ten years, carries out actions and provides compre-hensive services to refugees, hosting them and supporting them, but most importantly getting to know them. Daily, we get in touch and interact with them. In this way, we know that all they need is just a hug, a place that accepts them and does not consider them as some-thing strange or bad, that recognizes that we may be a little differ-ent, but in the end we are same and, mostly, equal.

Irida PandiriSocial Worker

Coordinator of the Shelters for Unaccompanied Minors - Arsis

By the Arsis team

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2 Jacques Derrida, Of Hospitality, Anne Dufourmantelle invites Jacques Derrida to respond, transl. Rachel Bowlby, Stanford, Stanford University Press, 2000, . 19.3 Emile Benveniste, Le vocabulaire des institutions indo-europennes, tome I, Paris, Minuit, 1966, . 360, 361.4 Constantinos V. Proimos, Hospitalitas and . Considerations on Heidegger, the Latins, the Greeks and the History of Arcitecture Annals of Aesthetics, 41A, Athens, Panayotes and Effie Michelis Foundation, 2001-2002.

There is a certain historical irony to be noted in todays Europe: since the 16th century several European countries have colonized the world, parts of Africa, America and Australia, imposing the European rule, customs, habits and culture everywhere and exploiting, dislocating and marginalizing the indigenous populations. Missionaries have eradicated the local cultures and religions and have subjugated the people whom they tried to convert to Christianity by persuasion or force. Europes violent colonial past is a legacy with which we still have to come to terms.1 The irony is the following: for the past ten years, at least, Europeans themselves experience an invasion in their own countries from people with different customs, religion and cultur-al background, these very same people whose ancestors the Europeans colonized. There is of course a stark difference: these invaders are not coming to impose their rule but attempt to enter the European space out of despair as immigrants, fueled with the hope of a better future, far from poverty, famine, war and destitution.

However, Europe has for a long time now been weak: its infrastruc-ture cannot accommodate the floods of people crossing illegally its bor-ders every single day. Being the continent of human rights, the right to education, health care, social security, etc. Europe cannot cope with the influx of refugees and immigrants. Most European countries are obliged to maintain immigrant camps or eventually direct the immi-grants back to their own country. They cannot take proper care of these people no matter how much some Europeans want. Many Europeans feel that it seems that their turn to be invaded has arrived.

1 See Harry Magdoff, Imperialism: From the Colonial Age to the Present, NY, Monthly Review Press, 1987.

And yet, in ancient Greece the foreigner had a right to hospitality,2 sanctioned by divine order, purportedly by Zeus himself, the head of the Gods. This right, appearing in literature from Homer to Emmanuel Levinas, establishes a long tradition of hospitality extended to the foreigner and the local, which has never really disappeared but has been a value inherent in all European societies. Of course hospitality as a right and a divine obligation was soon converted to hospitalitas, a Christian charity in the late Middle Ages, when the term appeared and, according to Emile Benveniste, akin to hostility.3 It seemed that the transition that was then made was from unconditional to conditional hospitality.4

As Jacques Derrida claims:

We will always be threatened by this dilemma between, on the one hand, unconditional hospitality that dispenses with law, duty, or even politics, and, on the other, hospitality circum-scribed by law and duty. One of them can always corrupt the other, and this capacity for perversion remains irreducible. It must remain so.5

The tormenting political dilemmas that pervade the European con-

2 Jacques Derrida, Of Hospitality. Anne Dufourmantelle invites Jacques Derrida to respond, transl. Rachel Bowlby, Stanford, Stanford University Press, 2000, p. 19. 3 Emile Benveniste, Le vocabulaire des institutions indo-europennes, tome I, Paris, Minuit, 1966, pp. 360, 361.4 See Constantinos V. Proimos, Hospitalitas and . Considerations on Heidegger, the Latins, the Greeks and the History of Architecture Annals of Aesthetics, 41A, Athens, Panayotes and Effie Michelis Foundation, 2001-2002.5 Derrida, op. cit. p. 135.

PhiloxeniaLimits, challenges and strengths

of an ancient Greek conceptin todays Europe

,

. By Dr Constantinos V. Proimos

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. . Jacques Louis David, Marat (1793) . , - 1960 . Nancy Spero Felix Conzalez Torres - - .6 Whitney 1993 , , , .

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tinent could not leave the artworld indifferent and unaffected. Art has always been politically concerned: Jacques Louis Davids masterpiece Death of Marat (1793) is a very illustrious example of political engage-ment. And yet, in the last half of the twentieth century, specifically from the nineteen sixties on and up to our days, political activism in the arts has become even more explicitly voiced. From the Vietnam protest artwork series by Nancy Spero to the Aids cultural politics of Felix Gonzalez Torres there is a growing conscience in the artworld that what really matters is the way artists ethically stand as citizens of the world.6 The Whitney Biennial of 1993 in New York dealing with issues of class, race and sexual identity demonstrated that the political activism explicitly adopted by the artists was embraced by the entire artworld as well.

Although Greece was hit extremely hard by the world economic cri-sis which started in 2008, it is still considered a developed country belonging to the European Union and a wealthy land of opportunity in comparison with many of the countries from which most immigrants are fleeing. Illegal immigrants disembarking every day in the long and often remote Greek coastline attempt to start a new and better life in a foreign country. There is a universal right indeed to security, health, work and education, as this stems from the fact that the world is now a global scene in which European values prevail due to centuries of colonialism and economic exploitation. It is therefore most appropriate that a concern is voiced by artists over the rights of the foreigners, im-migration and its ethical ramifications. We, Europeans owe this immi-grant people to safeguard their rights and secure a safe world in which they can make a decent and honest living. Artists voice this debt and responsibility. We should join them.

Dr Constantinos V. ProimosAdjunct Lecturer at the Hellenic Open University and Art Critic

6 See Nato Thompson, Seeing Power: Art and Activism in the Age of Cultural Production, New York, Melville House, 2014.

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Jacques-Louis David (France, 1748-1825).The Death of Marat, 1793. Oil on canvas (165x128).Courtesy of Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Brussels.

Natassa KarakatsaniDestination Unknown

Curator: John Stratoudakis

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The photographs of the Destination Unknown series constitute an account of the phenomenon of children on the move, who, mainly for reasons of survival, have to emigrate without a cer-tain destination. At the same time, these pictures introduce us into the Shelter for Unaccompanied Minors Asylum Seekers in Makrinitsa of Arsis - Association for the Social Support of Youth, which has been a stop-over for many of these children.

Viewing these pictures makes us confront the stereotyped Other as well as the stance we have towards him, a stance that the photogra-pher hopes we will reconsider. However, is the picture of the Other sufficient enough to lead to a deeper connection between him and us?

Natassa Karakatsani attempts to cut a passage of communication for fifteen teenagers who come from different places of the planet that are severely tried. Fifteen personalities that are being formed under cir-cumstances, which greatly influence their life and play a major role in it. These boys had to leave their home-country, embarking on a jour-ney of which they only knew the beginning. The photographer, in a way, avoids presenting them. She prefers to let them introduce them-selves. She uses the photographic medium with gentleness, switching over from portrait to snapshot discretely, thus revealing the dialectic relationship between her image of them and the image the boys wish to present about themselves. She stands before them with candidness and a mild realism, reminding us of Don McCullins phrase, Photogra-phy is the truth, if its being handled by a truthful person. The result appears to be particularly interactive. The pictures balance between a careful direction and a slovenly snatching of the form. The postures the teenagers choose before the lens, the placement of their hands and the imperceptible expressions of their faces make up the basis of a com-munication code, through which they potentially try to talk to us. The boys introduce themselves by presenting their personal choices, ones that betray the typical interests of teenagers all over the world. The photographer helps them to be part and parcel of the general image of the modern youth, yet without overshadowing anyones personali-ty. Elemental materials of different forms and shapes, such as the Holy Bible in Omaris hands, the earphones on Faheems ears, the shaving foam on Mokhtars still immature face or the furry toys in Amirs lap enlarge upon the content, functioning as the headstart for us to begin

to identify transitions and concerns, speculations and dreams, simi-lar to those that we, too, experienced as teenagers. They also consti-tute indicators that cross out every sense of outlandish differentiation among these children.

The choices finally seem to be common and effectively functional. The creators target is not our aesthetic enjoyment. The childrens aim is not our pity. Their common target is to help us develop a variety of interpretations, to become witnesses to a empathetic process, to have us listen to their voice by looking at their picture. But are we ready to experience something like that?

We will find out, if we look more carefully at the childrens faces. If we let their gaze penetrate us. We are natural imitators, as the psy-chologist Paul Ekman maintains. We mimic the expression of sorrow, of joy, of grief, fear, disgust and surprise through a mysterious but nat-ural procedure, effortlessly and not necessarily through our conscious choice. What is conscious is only the choice of blocking this natural contact we have with other people. When we observe and interpret an emotion on somebodys face, then, that is reflected upon us; and, a lot of times, it causes the emergence of empathy, the deep experiential un-derstanding of that persons position who stands before us. Then, the boundaries and stereotypes among us and the others begin to fade; and it becomes noticeable that in actual fact there have not been any, ex-cept only as projections of our social perceptions.

Driven by this notion, Natassa Karakatsani brings her crucial role as intermediary to completion, offering us some more personal details, such as the name, age and country of origin of these boys, greatly ac-centuating their uniqueness. Mother Teresa had said: If I look at the mass, I wont act. If I look at one person, then I shall act.

John StratoudakisPhotographer and Curator

Natassa KarakatsaniDestination

Unknown

By John Stratoudakis

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(70x90).Photographic print mounted on dibond (70x90).

Natassa Karakatsani

, . 1963Greece, b. 1963

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WelocomeThe European Hospitality

and its BordersCurator: Megakles Rogakos

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In all languages the wish Welcome is pronounced as a sign of hos-pitality towards the foreigner. It is a polite word denoting the guile-less and selfless love that a civilized man at home automatically proffers to his fellow man from abroad.

The Welcome is closely linked to the concept of hospitality, etymo-logically from philo (love) and xenia (foreigner). It refers to the treat-ment and care of a guest (xenos in the ancient terminology) in the hosts home (xenistes in ancient terminology). Especially for the an-cient Greeks, it was an institution to receive and nourish foreigners at home. They strongly believed in the idea of hospitality and felt it a moral duty and a sacred rule of gods, with its protector the chief of the gods, Xenios Zeus. That is why foreigners, as sent by the gods, were considered sacred persons, honoured and respected. This treatment of foreigners started from the belief that the gods themselves, trans-formed, visited them to check which people observe religious rules and obey the laws, hence are civilized, and which ones do not, hence are abusers. Furthermore, the lifestyle of the Greeks travelling for trade or war resulted to their being on the road, in foreign lands, with great need for shelter, assistance or protection. Therefore, with the in-stitution of hospitality, they themselves found what they were seek-ing from others. Moreover, foreigners were welcome, because for many they were the only contact with the outside world and a source of in-formation due to the lack of other means of communication.

The etiquette of hospitality is known from Homers epics, namely from the Odyssey. There, in many parts hospitality is described and each time the same standard is followed, that is, the same rules are kept when the host is going to provide hospitality to someone. One

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such case is delivered in Book 4 of the Odyssey, in verses 23-347. There, guests are Telemachus and Peisistratus and hosts are Mene-laus and Helen. The hospitality takes place at the hosts home, located in Sparta and in particular in the palace of King Menelaus. Accord-ing to the etiquette of hospitality, when the foreigners arrived, Mene-laus servants immediately took care of their horses and they greeted them at the palace. First they offered them bath in shiny tubs and then called them to sit on thrones beside the king. Right afterwards one maid poured water from a gold pitcher to a silver bowl in order to wash their hands. Then she led them to a well-carved table where the cellar master brought them many edibles and the table master offered them paltes with all sorts of meats and golden mugs with wine. Before start-ing turning to food, the king welcomed them and told them to eat and drink without even asking them who they were.

To quote from the Epitaph of Thucydides, Pericles says that the Athe-nians maintained their city open to all, did not expell foreigners and did not prevent them from experiencing the culture of Athens. With the term xenoi, Pericles meant the other Greeks, except the Athenians, and not the foreigners. The settlers in ancient Athens were Greeks from other cities and not foreigners (barbarians in ancient terminology).

The ethical obligation of archetypal hospitality was to be offered to every passerby, regardless of his social status, his financial condition or his political position. All the guests were treated with the same respect. The material obligations that ensued were for the host to greeted the foreigner and pamper him, offering him a meal, bath and sleep. At the end of his stay the host bade him farewell with wishes and gifts (xen-ia in ancient terminology). So, the host and the foreigner were linked

By Megakles Rogakos

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by bonds of friendship, which they bequethed to their descendants.In the course of time until today, people have proliferated and the

map of the world has changed with power disputes and wars of con-quest. The famous archetypal hospitality is somehow preserved in con-fined places that, in spite of the changes, have remained faithful to ancient customs and traditions. Increasingly, however, the foreigner is no longer perceived as a fertile carrier of new information and ide-as, but as barren immigrant representing financial burden, causing dis-trust, and spreading fear for crimes and diseases. Today, immigration, the policies and the problems of immigrant integration in European so-cieties are huge issues. According to estimates of the European Com-mission there are currently at least 4.5 million illegal immigrants in the Member States of the European Union, a number that increases by 500,000 to 700,000 annually. Europe is flodded by poor immigrants, who continue to flow because the global system condemns to poverty the so-called third world. Also, it acquired more enemies, the funda-mentalists, who resent the Western lifestyle and add to the migration issue forcing locals to become refugees.

It is ironic that Greece, which established the conditions of hospital-ity, is now used as a precautionary limit of immigrants. Since Greece is on Europes borders, it was funded handsomely (with an amount greater than 500 million euros) from the European Commission, Fron-tex, the grants of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK Bor-der Agency for the control and management of irregular immigration. In recent years, the Greek authorities in the context of a common Eu-ropean approach to immigration, invested primarily in the fear and the exclusion of immigrants, aiming to prevent the inflow of immigrant and refugee population. The Greek authorities, utilising the resourc-es available and having as main objectives the prevention of entry and return of irregular population, formed their strategy around three axes: 1) border control with the fence in Evros and border guards; 2) Polic-

ing with the Aspida operations in the periphery; and Xenios Zeus in the countrys interior in the form of on the spot interrogation; and 3) Capture-Detention-Return in order to help boost returns of illegal im-migarnts to their country of origin and to work as a warning measure daunting newcoming immigrants. Thus, the fence and the border con-trol with the construction of the fence in Evros and the Aspida op-eration, combined with the severity of the Xenios Zeus and leveling application of administrative detention, constitute an unprecedented investment in prevention measures.

The exhibition entitled Welcome - The European Philoxenia and its Borders refers to the long tradition of hospitality with Greek roots, and examines its situation and the principles which govern it in Europe to-day. The exhibition intends the works to raise public awareness of the archetypal idea of hospitality, as well as of the important issue of im-migration, in order to acquaint the public with its causes and inspire them to reflect on fertile ways of dealing with it. The exhibition hopes to stimulate reconsideration of the concept of hospitality and promote the issue of immigration as a major challenge that can benefit rather than harm European societies.

Megakles Rogakos, M.A., M.A.Art Historian and Exhibition Curator

30

Sofia Vlazaki

, . . - , . , -. -. . ( , , ) ( -, , ). . .

Observing nature, Sofia Vlazaki investigated the behaviour of insects in relation to the flowers and the effects of the interaction between them. A peculiar kind of hospitality is activated between flowers and insects in order to satisfy their natural needs. The flowers, unable to relocate, host the insects and provide food as hosts to guests. After the guests are equipped with all they need, they continue their journey and visit other places to be hosted. Thus they also carry all the necessary supplies of flower repro-duction and reciprocate the hospitality. From this journey of the guests from place to place both parties gain. Vlazaki juxtaposed in vertical arrangement two columns the one on the left contains different forms of flowers (painted almond, traditional embroidery of Skyros, and postcard of cyclamen), and the other one on the right painted insects (Picasso beetle, butterfly from a book of natural history, and eggs of Chrysopa). The combinations of guest and host are varied and open. The work of Vlazaki alludes to the effectiveness of natures method and suggests its imitation as a method of human welfare.

, 2015. , (50x44). Flowers and Insects, 2015. Pencil, watercolour and collage on paper (50x44).

, . 1978Greece, b. 1978

32

Alexander Voutsas

. , - , , . - . , , - . , -, , . , , - . , , - . , . -, . . (1688-1789), - .

Alexander Voutsas chose to appropriate a classic nightstand in the style of Louis XV in order to high-light the elitism of contemporary European hegemony. The characteristic decorative elements of this furniture include the volume of undulating design, the railed border and marquetry that em-phasizes the lines of shelves and drawers, the delicate yet safe feet. The flat extensions on both sides are rather mismatched elements that add humour to the composition with the extreme situations they sup-port. The left one supports a slightly inclined flag of the European Union that, as the highest element of the composition, declares its hegemonic role. The right one offers medicinal pills, referring to the pseudo-therapy of traumas, wounds, and the general problems of European society. The in-between central surface is stiflingly strewn with dolmades, a cozy delicacy offered to guests, whereas the small Greek flag declared the controversial nationality of the dish. Stealthily, from the lower drawer emerges a blue noose hanging like the tongue of a choked cartoon. It indicates the potential fatality of souls that are impossible to endure unemployment, hunger and poverty. With enthusiasm and underlying irony, Voutsas juxtaposes the pain-ful truth with caustic humour. He uses the familiar to describe the oxymoronic situation. Based on a piece of furniture of the era of European Enlightenment (1688-1789), his work apparently remarks on the con-temporary setback with regards to human values and rights.

, 2015. (120x80). Welcome to the Land of Enlightenment, 2015. Digital print on paper (120x80).

, . 1961USA, b. 1961

34

Nikos Giavropoulos

-. , - , . . - . - . . - . , . - , . . , , .

Nikos Giavropoulos created the Ermis video to raise the issue of the abduction and exploitation. In-spired by the fragment of a right sandalled marble foot that is hosted in the British Museum, a splendid marble remnant that supposedly belonged to Hermes and bore wings on his sandal, he staged a modern naked man identifying his right footpad to this sculpture and trapped in situ by this. The video shows the man on one side of the picture attempting to move by trying all possible postures of his body. Indeed, he is presented reflected also on the other side of the picture from the opposite view. Every attempt is aborted because his footpad is firm. It is easy to understand that the Ermis video refers to the human entrapment experienced by immigrants today. The immigrants and refugees come to Greece in or-der to avoid the bad fate in the countries of their origin. While hoping for something better, eventually they are trapped on the margins that immigration policy reserves for them. Their wish is to better their lives, but they are not allowed. The term hospitality for them is an unknown concept. The video in black and white, the body without clothes, and the blank background express the universal dimension of the immi-gration problem.

, 2013. (04:10). Ermis, 2013. Video (04:10).

, . 1971Greece, b. 1971

36

Cris Gianakos

. . , , . , , -. , - , , - . , .

mat printed with the term welcome is frequently used as the first object to greet a stranger at the entrance of somebodys home. The stranger is meant to step on it and wipe his shoes before enter-ing. Cris Gianakos installation consists of a row of 9 welcome mats, laid on the floor of a passage-way successively on the same line, inviting the visitors to this exhibition to walk the red carpet as do all movie stars at their special award evenings. But in this case the visitors will walk over The Grand Entry, so that they may feel a special place as people. This installation evokes the feel of a Carl Andre floor sculpture, which intends on the one hand to offer an inescapable access through it, forcing the works wear, and on the other hand to demystify the role of the artists hand by using prefabricated industrial material. These sim-ple welcome mats originate in Athens, which as a city has demonstrated a questionable way to welcome the large flows of the immigrants she receives.

, 2015. 9 (: 2x40x60). The Grand Entry, 2015. 9 welcome mats (each: 2x40x60).

, . 1934USA, b. 1934

38

Ellie Griva

- . - . , --, , , . - , !, , - - , . - , , , . ! ; . - . , . , , , , . . -. . - , , . - .

The concepts of solidarity and offering are the result of the consciousness that all people are part of a larger whole. Hospitality is something they can offer voluntarily and with love to someone who is a stranger. Based on these thoughts, Ellie Griva created a triptych generally titled Mind the A-gap-I, which aims to demonstrate that the issue of immigrants, as managed by the entire world today, betrays a clear lack of sympathy and love. The left part, When I say orange you enter!, refers to the childrens game, in which according to the suggestion orange or apple of the teammate, the player understands if s/he approaches the goal. The picture refers to the desire, the ideal, the expectation of a better life, an improve-ment. The middle part is entitled Halt! Who goes there? after the military command that requires identi-fication. It concerns the reality as it is. Here, are missing the margins of reverie. The effort involves risks, blood, fear, anxiety. The initial disposition of hospitality is canceled by the hosts. The right part bears as ti-tle a new word - A-xenia. The privative a abolishes the concept of the foreign. The abolition of the con-cept of the foreign may bring warmer, more human, essentially hospitable results. Then the Little Prince becomes familiar.

--, 2015. Mixed media: acrylic and collage on canvas 3x (33x23). Mind the A-gap-I, 2015. : 3x(33x23).

, . 1972Greece, b. 1972

40

Lydia Dambassina

2015, 1770 . , , . - , , . . , -, . -, . , 21 - , . - , . .

Since the beginning of 2015, 1770 refugees lost their lives desiring to pass through the borders of Eu-rope. The Mediterranean, from North Africa to southern Europe, turns into a huge watery grave, as immigration flows are turning increasingly acute. The main cause is the global turmoil, which oblig-es whole populations to immigrate to escape the wars, the persecutions and the hunger. Then follow the circuits that shamefully exploit the misery of those seeking entry and asylum. Finally, Europe is becoming xenophobic and is turning introspective, when she should be open to the world and show solidarity. The fact is that these turbulences are fueled by the exploitation and the interests of developed Western societies, whose public opinion is fed with racist feelings of fear that increasingly lead to the abolition of democracy and fascism. Following her general work, in which she considers that the financial crisis is the basic story of the first decade of the 21st century with the growth of social inequality following a geometric progression, Lydia Dambassina presents the Deadline. She built an aquarium, in whose waters she plunged five sculp-tures representing dismembered bodies of a child doll. Its image expresses in the strongest possible terms the contemporary immigration tragedy.

, 2015. , , , (163x125x26).Deadline, 2015. Aquarium, polyester, water, pump (163x125x26).

, . 1951Greece, b. 1951

42

John Dialinos

- , . - , , , , . - , . , , . . -. , - . . , - - .

John Dialinos work represents the interior space of two rooms with the hallway between them blocked by parallel rows of barbed wire, vague at its extremities. The five wires symbolize the known gateways of immigrants to Greece Greek-Albanian borders, Evros, central Aegean, Dodecanese, and Gavdos. The empty and dark rooms express the internal situation of the country in times of crisis; a situation that im-migrants know is a deterrent for their stay. They passed from here, hurriedly, escaping from the sea and the river currents. Their aim is to infiltrate Europe. A rag of clothing caught in the first wire betrays the passage. A country in crisis on the southern border of Europe, Greece has shown in the course of its history strong contradiction as regards the acceptance of the other. The country of Xenios Zeus often treated as alien and as object of exploitation not only its racially diverse residents but also its fellow refugees. Nevertheless, the everyday practical expressions of social solidarity towards those people prove that the idea of hospitality is alive for a great part of the Greek population.

, 2015. (70x54).They passed from here, 2015. Acrylic on paper (70x54).

, . 1959Greece, b. 1959

44

Mariva Zacharof

. , , - . - , - , , . , . - . , - , . , - , , . - .

Mariva Zacharofs Gaza refers to the passions of Palestine and the chronic conflicts that rage in the area. These signal indelible colours of pain, rage, despair and horror, for a people who are increas-ingly sidelined in their own land. The pictured little girl laments for the events she experiences against a cement-built hut, while her cry of hope turns into her picture a boat that sails the seas and car-ries dreams and hopes for a better land, that of promise, away from the domestic horror. Through her work, the artist attempts to represent the unpretentious and pure world of a child. Contemporary research has shown that children who experience the horrors of war are afraid to paint it. Avoiding to engage with what-ever caused their pain and wounds, they revert to the beautification of life through representing fun shapes filled with joyous colours. Beautifying their internal world, children travel with their imagination, trans-gress and come out unscathed from situations of violence or limitation. They become immigrants to a bet-ter future that will allow their integration into a healthy and non-violent reality.

, 2012. : , , , , (120x120). Gaza, 2012. Mixed media: charcoal, acrylic, dry pastel, fixatif and varnish on canvas (120x120).

, . 1978Greece, b. 1978

46

Antigoni Kavvatha

, - . , F16 , 2011, . - . , , , . , , , , , . , , , - . , , - , , , . , .

Seeking to study the patterns of migratory birds, Antigoni Kavvatha found herself in a beach in Crete. There, she felt terror at the sight of F16 that took off from the base of Souda to bombard Libya in 2011. It was a shocking spectacle indelibly drawn within her. The work, resulting from the indigna-tion and anger on this experience, is an unexpected composition that causes surprise. The warplanes, which are insidiously confused, while flying amongst them, with natural birds in a process of migration, are re-sponsible for the damage to the natural and urban environment, and the extermination of its residents. The ruins on the earth is a collage of cities bombed by warplanes in the course of history Berlin, Gaza, Dres-den, and Kombani of Syria. The work refers to the meaningless wars, the victim who becomes victimizer, the history that is repeated, the reckless and criminal destruction of nature, life and art, which is the main cause of mass migration nowadays. It is a small work for a big issue, pending to be resolved.

F16 , 2015. (43x60).F16 and Other Birds, 2015. Acrylic on mylar (43x60).

, . 1955Greece, b. 1955

48

Michalis Kalaitzakis

( 38) , - . (2011/09/05). - . PIGS, - , , -. , . , . - . . , , . . -, . - . , , , . - .

The work of Michalis Kalaitzakis is accompanied by the following note Fr. Elke (38 years old) every June fights alongside us her work stress and enjoys the Cretan hospitality, but the Greek government announced a few days ago research for hydrocarbons here. (2011/09/05). Contemporary Greek hos-pitality displays undeniable aging and wear. Proof is on the one hand the rise of fascism and on the oth-er hand the now outdated derogatory designation PIGS, the initials of which refer to European countries, including Greece, which slowed growth. Since Greece is a sensitive tourist area, this work focuses on two phenomena. First, on the commercialization of the tourism industry. The sacred foreigner is viewed as im-mediate cash. The natural goodness of the average resident of the island turns into feigned friendliness. Whatever product or service is in demand becomes commercialized. The tourist trap and pickup flour-ish. Second, on the changing use of land with the mediation of the state. The foreigner is treated as a pred-ator of natural resources of the country. Publications in the local press about the exploitation of resources, ranging from gold to oil, mainly from foreign companies under the guise of expertise, tend to raise caution especially towards the peoples of the western developed world. With his work Kalaitzakis affects the con-tinuing transition from hospitality to xenophobia.

;, 2010. (60x90).Tourists of Foreigners?, 2010. Lamda print on paper (60x90).

, . 1968Greece, b. 1968

50

Nikos Kryonidis

. , - , , . , , . , , , , . , . - . , - .

Nikos Kryonidis composition presents three little dolls with skirts as decoys of welcoming in Greece. Lined frontally in the background, they hold up in their hands the three signs that are inscribed with the syllables at issue on the left the Chinese girl with WOO, in the middle the Evzone with ELL, and on the right Minnie Mouse with KAM. These little dolls represent the young Greeks, as they are today influenced by globalization with a mix of elements from China, Greece and America. Before them ar-rive all the immigrants amongst them a band musician, a prince from a fairy tale, an orphan girl, foot-ball players, and a train stoker who rather than travel by conventional boats, the artist imagines them to straddle beautiful swans. As migratory birds, swans symbolize global immigration triggered by the search for better food and weather. Kryonidis refers to the immigration issues in a fairytale manner with benevo-lent humour. He embraces multiculturalism, which honors and idolizes everything.

--, 2015. (31x75x20). , . WOO-ELL-KAM, 2015. Acrylic on xylotex and found objects (31x75x20).Courtesy of Zina Athanasiadou Gallery, Thessaloniki.

, . 1963Greece, b. 1963

52

Alexandros Maganiotis

: , ; , . . . , - , DNA . - , , , . . - ; - , 19 . -, .

Alexandros Maganiotis reflection in his work Autochthonous: Welcome, what are you doing? concerns the issue of the native man who claims to have the sole right to reside in his country, evicting oth-ers from around him. An infant is lying in the foreground against the Erechtheion of the Athenian Acropolis. In Greek mythology, Erechtheus was the son of Athena the one who gave her the patronage of Athens and renamed its residents from Kekropides to Athenians. The Erechtheion is the ark of Athenian traditions, the depositary of the Athenian tenure of autochtony, and the cradle of the DNA of the ancient Athenians. The infant happens to be the artists father, born in Athens, while his father came from Andros and his mother from the Geraki, a village in Taygetos of Laconia. Maganiotis reasonably wonders wheth-er this history is reason to doubt his right to the city. This leads to the main question - are the children of immigrants born in Athens Athenians? From the palm of the infant takes off in the sky an airplane, mod-ern symbol of the transition from the 19th century traveler to the contemporary tourist. Certainly it is a medium that made the planet smaller and more accessible, yet perhaps ironically not so available to all.

: , ; 2015. (90x110). Autochthonous: Welcome, what are you doin? 2015. Acrylic and ink on transparency, (90x110).

, . 1972Greece, b. 1972

54

. Yannis P. Markantonakis

11 58 - . - , 99 . 11 . , , , , . 11 , . , 11 29 - 29 - , , , . , , , (, , 50). , , - .

Yannis P. Markantonakis work 11 two-aisled buildings and 58 colours in To-Face is an interactive in-stallation, encoded by his previous work Chania 99 scaled biopoints. A key part of the iron sheet that has been decoupaged into 11 hollow stylized facets of an abstracted two-aisled public building. The interior space, which is based in terms of height on the golden section, serves as a template for stencil onto a surface with a double, horizontal this time, development of the building. From the matrix the artist pro-duced in 11 transparecies, each one with a pair of colored facades of two-aisled buildings. Subsequently, he visited 11 public elementary schools in the city of Chania where 29 immigrant children wrote the word thank you next to their name, and 29 Greek children respectively wrote next to their name welcome, honoring the archetypal hospitality, an idea that is aimed at equitable coexistence. Through the prism of art as symbolic interaction, which should be the core and the lustre of Greek culture, the work diachroni-cally confirms Isocrates quote, it is those who share in our education who are called Hellenes (Isocrates, Panegyricus, 50). Cradle not only geographical of Europe, Greece defines itself through deeds as a spiritual concept perpetually throughout time.

11 58 -, 2015. : , , , , 11 & 59 (183x99x33), . 11 two-aisled buildings and 58 colours in To-Face, 2015.Mixed media: iron, wood, glass, stone, leather, 11 slides & 59 pencils (183x99x33), detail.

, . 1952Greece, b. 1952

56

Dimitris Merantzas

. , , . , , . - , , . , . , -. . -... , ; - - .

Consistent with the conceptual dimension of the visual arts Dimitris Merantzas created the Chance. He staged a story without precedent, having a family of birds build a nest inside a military helmet that was separated from its holder and was found in nature, under unknown circumstances. This is the Chance a coincidence of life and death, of peace and war, of good and evil. The work from the ground inspires the viewer to take the chance to change his home, his country, and his whole life. And as is always the case, chances involve risks with unpredictable outcome. The best and the worst is a dance for two, says the artist. Seeking all that was lost or all that we never experienced. Going towards the unknown by coercion... yet if we cease to see the Chance symbolically and face its image as real, how safe a choice is for a bird to nest on the ground? Merantzas Chance is a metaphor for the challenge humanity is facing now-adays, to seek alternative ways of cohabitation.

, 2015. : (33x16x28). Chance, 2015. Found objects: military helmet and bird nest (33x16x28).

, . 1967Greece, b. 1967

58

Alkistis Michaelidou

, , ( .37-61). - . , - / , , . , , - , , . - , - -, .

For her work, Alkistis Michaelidou chose the gospel of hospitality, the wonderful exceprt of the Odyssey in which Homer describes how Menelaus and Helen welcome at the palace of Sparta Telemachus and Peisistratus before they even learn who they are (Odyssey IV.37-61). She used the writing according to the ancient style of capital letters and words without dividing gap between them. Moreover, she compli-cated each line of text with the passing over it of one line of barbed wire in a manner reminiscent as much of writing / erasing, as of water waves, a picture that refers to the restrictive measures of guarding the bor-ders of the river Evros. The escalating unreadability of the Homeric text, which summarizes the principles of hospitality of the ancient Greek civilization, reflects the current view of the shipwrecks of shame, and re-veals the humiliation of the values, the principles and the rights of people. The work, entitled The Europe-an Hospitality and its Texts is ironically signed with the twelve stars of the European Union flag, which is considered a number-symbol of completeness, perfection and unity.

, 2015. (70x100). The European Hospitality and its Texts, 2015. Digital print on canvas (70x100).

, . 1959Greece, b. 1959

60

Maria Michelogianni

- . , . . - , - . , , , - , . - , . , . , , , . - .

The work Blood Me is from a series of photographs by Maria Michelogianni for which she uses the word Me in the title. This photograph brings to mind the image of the beginning of life, yet at the same time also fortells its end. The red element of the photograph refers to the amniotic fluid that the mother produces as an environment for her fetus during pregnancy. In fact it is the syrup of spoon sweet, which in the Greek tradition the host offers to the guest who visits his household. At the same time, how-ever, this same watery element brings to mind of the artist other human creatures that moved in watery grave, in the vast graveyard of the Mediterranean, during their failed attempt to taste the sweetness of a better life. We are all immigrants, hence the title of the work. Me, birth and death at once. Besides, what-ever begins is heading towards death, not always pessimistically. What is of importance is for man to taste the sweetness of the journey through life and eventually reach the destination that he himself sets.

, 2014. (30x40).Blood Me, 2014. Digital print on paper (30x40)

, . 1979Greece, b. 1979

62

Nicholas Moore

1817 , . , , , , , . , . - , . , - , . , . , . , . , - . . -, . , 12 . , . , . , - , .

Nicholas Moores narrative work in six sections was inspired by the verse Nothing beside remain from Shellys 1817 sonnet Ozymandias, about the transience of man. In the passing of time, after all that warring, loving, and hoarding, nothing of us remains, but our atoms. So, maybe a little kind-ness to strangers would not be such a big leap of faith. The pieces of card that start each section are lefto-vers of a self assembled paper Christmas tree, remains of a tree of life linking the vast expanse of time and space represented in the work. From left to right, the series starts with reference to ancient tribes of man and the Tower of Babel, the point when friends became strangers. The middle section concerns modern times, the spread of cultures through football and bigoted people accepting players from foreign lands. The myth of Zeus and Hermes visiting mankind, only to find them unfriendly to strangers, is referenced. The hospitable elderly couple Baucis and Philemon alone were saved from drowning, in a parallel story to that of Lot. Remember to always extend hospitality, as you never know when the gods may come a calling. Here they are represented by trading cards of Arsenal Football Club. Finally, there are references to the far-flung future. The federation of planets from Star Trek and the original 12 tribes of Battlestar Galactica. The small folding book on the extreme right concerns travel to a new star, where man hopes to meet new hospitable races. Throughout the work are settlements made from chocolate box containers, increasingly more regi-mented. There are also scattered pieces of text about co-existence, quotes from songs and poems in multi-coloured alphabet beads, whilst the artists are found in black.

, , 2014-2015. : , , , 6x(30x40x3).Nothing Of Us Remains But Our Atoms, 2014-2015.Mixed media: acrylic and ink on paper, sequins, beads, PVC and found toys 6x(30x40x3).

, . 1958England, b. 1958

64

Hariton Bekiaris

. - . , , , -. - -, , , . . . . , . , - . , . - . - . , . - .

Hariton Bekiaris approached the subject of hospitality from a family perspective. His work refers to the people who passed on the principles of hospitality to him, and serves as reminder that he too has a duty to do the same, in turn, for future generations. In his work is depicted his great-grandfa-ther, Perrothodoris, from Vouta of Chania, a village south of Dromonero. The photograph on which he based it shows him wearing the typical attire of the period - boots, pants, shirt, vest and bicorn hat worn askew. He was a man whom he knew only through stories. He always said, even if thy enemy comes to your house thou shall treat him hospitably. He, himself, put this principle into effect during the German occupation. To appreciate this, it is worth citing briefly the following story. While being a partisan, he and men of his family identified a German battalion heading for their home. Then at the risk of being imprisoned, he sent his son to tell the women that were in the house to treat them with meze and raki as it was unthinkable to him not to respect his principles, even in this case. This story is offered in the form of a letter to that view-er who may wish to read it. It is located in front of bread in dish accompanied with raki and is protected by three sparrows. This is the Treat, which refers to the Byzantine iconography of the Hospitality of Abraham. The composition began with the subjects face and spread until it included its copestone.

, 2015. (140x100). , . Treat, 2015. Ink and acrylic on paper mounted on canvas (140x100).Courtesy of Genesis Gallery, Athens.

, . 1980Greece, b. 1980

66

Lamprini Boviatsou

. - . . . , - . . - . - .

Lamprini Boviatsou created the personification of hospitality as a woman naked like the truth. In the position of the head she has fixed a grant doorknocker that attracts affluent tourists and her body continues as a carpet to welcome strangers selectively. In her left hand she holds a cage enclosing a paper boat with wings. In her right hand she holds a magnifying glass that proposes a closer view of the truth and a more skeptical check on reality. The reflection on the smooth surface of the knocker betrays accurately the expression of every visitor who is frightened at the sight of the selective hospitality that exploits tourism while being indifferent to the human plight. The naked body of hospitality is also rem-iniscent of the phenomenon of trafficking of the foreign woman, whom the trafficker forces to become a prostitute to repay him. Reality should actually be reviewed in order to restore the archetypal essence of hospitality. Let the carpet of welcome be filled by boats with wings made by children.

, 2015. : , (200x70x200).Selective Hospitality, 2015.Mixed media: pencil and coloured pencils on wood, tulle, and oil on found doorknocker (200x70x200).

, . 1975Greece, b. 1975

68

Eleni Mylonas

- . - , , -. . 2013. , , , , . , . -. . .

Eleni Mylonas Displaced is a continuation of her series of paintings inspired by news photos from the developments in the Middle East. Mylonas background in journalism and her interest in current af-fairs allow her to identify with both the photographer in the field and the subject, placing her square-ly within the picture, the nexus of many realities. While working with each image, she inhabits it and gives it a new dimension and meaning. The photograph that inspired the present work shows the women and children of a family from Syria during the Syrian crisis, in 2013. Huddled together in the middle of no-where, with few possessions, these women and children are cut off from men, thrown out of their home, suspended in the unknown. In the stark background of the image Mylonas draws the outline of a map of Europe, which appears to be the only hope for their salvation. Displaced expresses concern and compassion for the increasing populations that are forced to flee their homes in order to survive. With this work My-lonas offers a face to the multitude of refugees searching for a new home. Spending time with each image is her way of getting to know these people and sharing their plight.

, 2013-2015. (145x200). Displaced, 2013-2015. Digital print on canvas (145x200).

, . 1946Greece, b. 1946

70

Barbara Knight

, , , . ! - , , . , - , . -! , - . , , . , . . , - .

Welcome is an all-inclusive phrase that should be addressed to every stranger regardless of their race, creed, colour or gender. Barbara Knights Welcome! installation revolves around the basic feel of an abundant feast, which is one of the memorable ways she experienced the gen-erous Greek hospitality as a foreigner visiting Greece over many years. Even in the present times, with the fact of an over-influx of immigrants and in light of Greeces own economic challenges, the Greeks continue to offer it. Welcome! assembles a rich assortment of beautiful artificial fruit and food on a table, represent-ing a Greek feast. Therefore, her installation symbolizes generosity, good health and sweetness. Despite be-ing undeniably beautiful, this feast is only to the eyes. It makes the visitors imagine what it might be like to have the real thing. Blending with all the goods is also a lobster, whose menacing claws alude to the me-mento mori in the compositions of the Dutch Masters.

!, 2015. (50x100x100). Welcome!, 2015. Found objects (50x100x100).

, , . 1941Wales, Great Britain, b. 1941

72

Lena Dimova

. - . , . , , . - . , , .

Lena Dimovas The Key of Hospitality is a digital collage. The work rests on an old brick wall gradual-ly destroyed and symbolizing the obstacles to the free communication of people. The compositions eastern side preserves traces of the original plaster, forming the map of Greece. On its other side a hole has been created by demolition, which has raised a stifling cloud of dust that symbolizes the ruin of the world. From the depths of the cloud appear human hands in panick, desperately trying to get out of their impasse. The dove, symbol of peace, holds the key to tolerance, understanding and friendship towards the desperate ones.

, 2015. (110x140). The Key of Hospitality, 2015. Digital print on canvas (110x140).

, . 1959USSR, b. 1959

74

Petros Xenakis

, , - . , . , . - . - , , . . . - , , . , , .

The parable of the Old Testament about the holy and righteous Joseph, son of Jacob, is timely as an ex-ample of charity. Out of jealousy and hatred for him, his brothers sold Joseph to Egyptian merchants. Developing special qualities, Joseph helped the Pharaoh to unravel his dreams and fill his granaries with food. In return the Pharaoh appointed him lord of Egypt. When famine obliged his brothers to travel to Egypt in order to buy grain, Joseph recognized them with tears in his eyes, accepted them and became their host. Joseph showed magnanimity initiated by spontaneous and transcendal love. Petros Xenakis paint-ed the motivation of hospitality as a spiritual condition with an inner meaning. Transcending the Christian iconographic tradition, he used a model of colour to indicate indiscriminate true sympathy and effective ac-ceptance, to all people. His choice to set him upright with his hands gently crossed before his breast against a grove of pommegrantes is consistent with the spirit of our time, which calls for Christianity to represent all races, colors and genders.

, 2011. (130x100). Joseph, 2011. Oil on canvas (130x100).

, . 1957Greece, b. 1957

76

Antonia Papatzanaki

-. , , , , , . - 1999. - . , 2015. - - , .

A great part of immigrants are refugees deriving from countries where wars are raging. The refugees arriving in Europe carry with them the memories and experiences of war, fear, despair, and poverty, that European citzens often avoid to realize, thus renouncing their share of responsibility. Such im-pedimenta Antonia Papatzanaki codified in War Messages of 1999. She designed the work on thermo-sen-sitive fax paper using devices that produce heat. Since the image would fade over time, the artist archived it by means of scanning and she digitally printed it in 2015. The War Messages capture traces of scattered clothing as a sign of stampede and a trace of boot as the spectrum of the invasion, while the fragments of nets that appear throughout the works height indicate the continuous obstacles and the exclusion expe-rienced by immigrants in their search for a better life. The concept of hospitality seems to them as irony...

, 1999/2015. (267x21). War Messages, 1999/2015. Digital print on archival paper (267x21).

, . 1960Greece, b. 1960

78

. . K. N. Patsios

.. . , - , - . , . -. (1620-1688), , . , , o - , .

K.N. Patsios The Opus Dei represents with a dose irony the conflict between good and evil. The title refers more broadly to the work of God, leaving to the viewer queries about the namesake parare-ligious organization, and raises questions about the hegemonic nature of man but also the nature of the universe. The circle for Patsios refers to the divine universe that is welcoming, while the dark back-ground reflects the opposite forces. In the circle of the universe appears the face of man. His lips support enigmatically with reverence the icon of the crowned Frederick William (1620-1688), Great Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, who was a staunch pillar of the Calvinist faith and benefited his people. The work describes with irony, sarcasm and muffled concern a monarchist and erotic universe of interstate and interpersonal relations, while posing the question of how welcoming the world really is, and especial-ly the nature of man.

, 2014. (60x60).The Opus Dei, 2014. Mixed media on paper (60x60).

, . 1977Greece, b. 1977

80

Eleni Pavlopoulou

1939 , / - / / , , / / , / / ( , , 1924-1946. : , 1950). , . - . , . , , , , .

Eleni Pavlopoulous present work identifies with the last verses of the 1939 poem The angels are white of George Seferis, The angels are white flaming white and the eye / that would confront them shriv-els / and theres no other way youve got to become like stone if you want their company / and when you look for the miracle youve got to scatter your / blood to the eight points of the wind / because the mir-acle is nowhere but circulating in the veins of man (Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard, tr. George Seferis: Collected Poems, 1924-1955. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1967, p. 259). Pavlopoulou presents two immigrant children in a utopian heavenly environment, where there is evidence to suggest the univer-sal cosmic energy and the magnetic fields. Their faces look at the viewer straight in the eyes with an angel-ic invincible power. Their bodies float weightlessly with wings on their backs, but they hold in their hands the heavy burden of the collective memory of mankind. They are framed by a receptor-shaped calyx, cra-dle, hourglass of time, a multiple symbol of welcoming serenity that reflects a difficult to interpret spiritual goal, a humanist request.

, 2008. (150x115). The angels are white, 2008. Acrylic and collage on canvas (150x115).

, . 1969Greece, b. 1969

82

Natassa Poulantza

, - / . . - , . .

Natassa Poulantzas work OPEN comprises found objects - a mousetrap of two entrances includ-ing surfaces lined with fake pearls and rhinestones as bait, and an illuminated sign inscribed with WELCOME / OPEN. Ironically the doors of the trap that seem open are waiting to entrap victims who will be duped by the phony calls. The positions of the West in relation to the human rights and the prosperity often attract people of the third world that have serious shortfalls of freedom and problems of survival and come in it in the hope of a better, higher quality and a more dignified life. The OPEN is a com-ment upon the way in which the West often turns into a trap that is inhospitable towards them.

, 2015. : , , (75x56x22). OPEN, 2015. Found objects: mousetrap, fake jewelry, and LED sign (75x56x22).

, . 1965Germany, b. 1965

84

Marina Provatidou

, , - , . , . , 2011, . - -. . , , , , . , . , . , . - .

Marina Provatidous engraving installation, entitled Write your Dreams, belongs to a series of works on the theme of the hopes, aspirations and visions of immigrants. Her idea began when she was living in the region of the river Evros, which separates Greece from Turkey. Living there for two years, since 2011, she would meet immigrants on the street by chance. Tracing the lives of immigrants she noted the different feeling of agony that that these people experience at the borders and in the mainland. At the borders lies the point where the lived experience of immigration is escalating. There, by the river, the artist waited patiently to meet the specific immigrant from Bangladesh, soiled and tired form the trav-el, whom she asked to write on paper his dreams. Respecting the raw script, the artist transferred its image onto a piece of wall as graffiti. Thus monumentalizing the letter, she crowned it with bread that symboliz-es the basic essence of things that immigrants are seeking in their destined country. The bread is split into two parts, but joined with red yarn. With this work Provatidou expresses the hope the written dreams of the immigrants to become legible by all people.

, 2015. : , (15x31x25).Write your Dreams, 2015.Mixed media: silkscreen print on Alpha Block, bread and thread (15x31x25).

, . 1978Greece, b. 1978

86

Miranda Skylouraki

H - . - . - . , . - , - , , , , . , - . - .

The occasion and stimulus for the creation of Miranda Skylourakis sculptural installation The Hos-pitality - Welcome are the frequent and often unrecorded drowning of countless refugees in succes-sive shipwrecks in the Mediterranean. The work consists of a naked male figure of natural size laid on the cloth of a shroud. It symbolizes the victims of immigration who lose their lives trying to enter the al-leged land of promise. In juxtaposition to this macabre sight, the cloth is inscribed with the welcome wish in block lettering. The irony lies in the fact that Europe, despite its ancient tradition of hospitality and the impression that it represents the civilized world, not only ignores the weak asylum seekers, but also, with her efforts to halt the influx of immigrants in her territories, contributes to the increasing number of their deaths. She pretends not to see that corpses are washed up on her shores, and that the welcoming and the reception of the immigrant is a shroud. The attitude of Europe with regard to the immigration issue is al-ready a black page in her history.

- , 2015. , , (19x75x170). The Hospitality - Welcome, 2015. Plaster, fabric, and pencil (19x75x170).

, . 1978Greece, b. 1978

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Rena Stollenwerk

, . . - , . , , - . , . , - . , - . , , . - , .

Everyone exists together in the world, each as partner of the shared environment. Rena Stollenwerks The Bride approaches this subject from the viewpoint of personal responsibility and duty. Man is born with the innocent glance of a child, with outstretched wings as a bird in flight. However, through the struggle of life, fear and pain cause man to hide his heart and respond to life with ignorance and arrogance. Wounded by the blows of life, man takes shelter in his self-built prison. It is high time to escape from this prison, so that his wings may spread again open and wide. With her Bride, Stollenwerk seeks to liberate peo-ple from a preconceived way of thinking and to inspire them to follow a spiritual route. She is a symbol of integration, looking at everybody with sympathy, and letting the stones of hatred fall from her hands. The Bride welcomes everybody to a world community that is reborn beautiful, great and true.

, 2015. : , (180x100x3). The Bride, 2015. Mixed media: charcoal, acrylic and burlap on canvas (180x100x3).

, . 1952Germany, b. 1952

90

Giorgos Tserionis

. , -. , - . , , . - . . -. , , , . , , - .

The pressent construction of Giorgos Tserionis had as its starting point photographs of human hands on the barbed wire fence of the hosting camp of immigrants in Amygadeleza, Attica. These formed an abstract composition of greyscale shadows of human limbs and dividing lines that express anxie-ty and tension, and symbolize a lifetime without second chance. Further yellow vertical and horizontal el-ements of woods and strips deconstruct the composition, and express the escape from a life organized as a grid. Resembling signals of the international maritime code, they refer to imaginary routes through the sea, which is the prime passage of immigrants. The composition contrasts the feeling of wear with the imper-ishable hope. The overall picture is crowned by a crumpled steel sheet inscribed with the Welcome greet-ing. This is a clear reference to the infamous inscription Arbeit macht frei (Work liberates) that introduced victims to the Nazi concentration camps. In a highly ironic manner it is also reminiscent of a handle of an attractive commercial bag that, in the knowledge of the subject, refers to the commercialization of contem-porary human tragedy. With his work, Tserionis immortalizes Amygdaleza, which already todays society has ceased to connect with the immigration disaster.

, 2015. : , , (115x106x5). Depo Darm, . Amygdaleza, 2015.Mixed media: acrylic and xerography on canvas and wood, oil on iron, and spray (115x106x5). Courtesy of Depo Darm, Athens.

, . 1967Greece, b. 1967

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Konstantin Fischer

; -. 3419 - - , - 2014. 3419 2014. - , - . - .

Konstantin Fischers work What is wrong with us? is an interactive installation and performance. The artist sat at a desk numbering and signing 3419 postcards whose obverse was featured with the works title and the painted prints of two bare feet, while the reverse yielded information on the ba-sic facts of the humanitarian tragedy in the Mediterranean in 2014. The background of the work displayed simplified portraits of passport photo size representing the 3419 refugees and immigrants who lost their lives trying to enter the European Union through the Mediterranean Sea in 2014. A list of officials from the European Community with their addresses was made available on the desk inviting the spectators to ac-tually send these cards to people who could make a difference. In this particular work, Fischer was inter-ested in experiencing and exploring the actual magnitude and gravity of the problem and sensitizing his fellow citizens to it.

;, 2015. : , , 3419 - (15x10), (200x450). What is wrong with us?, 2015.Interactive installation and performance: desk, chair, 3419 postcards (15x10), and backgrpound (200x450).

, . 1967Germany, b. 1967

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Dionisios Fragias

. - , , , . - . - . . -, . , . . .

Dionisios Fragias The Newcomers is inspired by the plight of all the people who try to cross borders for a better life. The work is typical of Fragias constructions, consisting of a drawing, cut in alumini-um, on this occasion powder-coated in a brilliant shimmering magenta. n etched drawing of waves on the works surface makes the colour shimmer as the viewers walk before it. The Newcomers represent the silhouette of a small ship overburdened with humanity trying to make it to a promised shore alive. The bright colour represents their dreams and hopes for a brighter future in the current face of blight and dan-ger. This is a universal desire for all the people, not just the ones in third world countries. When Fragias was younger, he would hear stories of many Greek merchant sailors jumping ship in the New York harbour with little more than the clothes on their backs and a few dollars in their pockets. They would start as illegal al-iens and would begin their life from scratch in the new land. It would be good if Europe did did as America did thengive to newcomers the opportunity to materialize their dream.

, 2015. (29x46x5). RARE Gallery, . The Newcomers, 2015. Oil on cut aluminium (29x46x5).Courtesy of RARE Gallery, New York.

, . 1971Greece, b. 1971

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