The Restoration of Optimism

Painting by Eva Mela entitled "Promise". Behind barbed wire, a young man raises his palms to the height of his face. He holds the index and middle fingers of each hand outstretched, and the remaining fingers gathered. On his right hand, the index and middle fingers are pulled apart, forming the victory sign. On the left, the fingers stay together up high. On the right, a woman's head projects.
Mela Eva, Promise, 2020

liminal collaborates again with the Athens Municipal Art Gallery, offering accessibility services for the visitors with visual or auditory disabilities from the 8th of October in the new exhibition entitled “The Restoration of Optimism” curated by Victoria Zygourou, Kostas Nikakis and Stacey Ventouras.

The exhibition is part of the anniversary events of the Municipality of Athens “1974 and 1944: Athens celebrates its Freedom”, which also commemorates two important anniversaries for Athens, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the city from German occupation and the 50th anniversary of the restoration of democracy.

“The Restoration of Optimism” includes works from the permanent collections of the Gallery and is implemented by the Organization for Culture, Sports and Youth of the Municipality of Athens (OPANDA).

Painting by Rika Pana from the unit "Erosion of culture". The work is flooded by an intense blue colour. From one edge to the other, rows of ancient columns, some short and some taller in height, paint the canvas in ochre and black rough brushstrokes. Their perforated bases try to support the weight of columns which are leaning in various directions.
Rika Pana, from the unit “Erosion of culture”, 1970/71

A few words about the exhibition “The Restoration of Optimism”

The concept of the exhibition is inspired by the binary of democracy/dialogue and proposes a postmodern view by posing questions, evoking strong emotions and recalling experiences. With works from the permanent collections as their main core, the curators incorporate artists with contemporary artistic proposals in an attempt to give the exhibition a a different sensation to its theme. Works of painting, printmaking, sculpture, drawings and constructions reflect contemporary history and bring to light concepts that have shaped it.

Artists from permanent collections:

Andreiadou Julia / Anoussi- Ilia Rena/ Argyrakis Minos/ Vakirtzis Georgios/ Vlachopoulos Vrasidas /Voyatzis Georgios/ Gavrilos Harris/ Gizeli Clio/ Gizeli Georgios/ Gounaropoulos Georgios/ Daniel (Panagopoulos)/ Dimitrakis Yannis/ Drizos George/ Zepos Emmanuel/ Theofilis Christos/ Theofilos Christos/ Theofylaktopoulos Makis/ Kanthos Telemachos/ Kanistra Mahi/ Kapralos Christos/ Karapanou Eva/ Katraki Vaso/ Kydini Anna/ Komianou Aria/ Korovesi – Kalantidi Angelica/ Kopsidis Rallis/ Lazaridis Anatolis/ Lambrou George/ Lytras Spyros/ Malamos Konstantinos/ Markidis Christos/ Mela Eva/ Moisidou – Exarchopoulou Mariora/ Megalidis Dimitris/ Orphanos Lambros/ Pana Rika/ Papadogianni – Psarou Eleni/ Papadopoulou Theodosia/ Papaspyrou Rena/ Paralis Nikos/ Sarakatsianos Christos/ Sarafianos Panos/ Siaterli Dimitra/ Skoulikidi Aliki/ Stergios Stamos/ Tassos (Alevisos Anastasios)/ Triantafyllou Kostis/ Tsoulouchopoulou Efi/ Fasianos Alekos/ Charos Vasilis/ Christianou Aglaia.

Participating artists:

Georgiou Alexandros/ Dimitropoulou Martha/ Savvopoulou Katina (B612)/ Sduku Iphigenia/ Kanoglou Nikos/ Koumantaki Dimitra/ Koutava Efi/ Balos Georgios/ Papadopoulou Theodosia/ Papakonstantinou Nina/ Petros Petros and Stella Hadjipanagiotou (BODARCH)/ Pontikakis Manos/ Pyromallis Nikolas/ Sklavenitis Nikos/ Stavropoulou Matina/ Tsounis Solon/ Chandrinou Theodora.

The exhibition will be accompanied by an original musical composition written by the musician Markella Skourti.

Accessibility Services in the exhibition

https://youtu.be/AejtDMC0QEU

From Tuesday October 8th, 2024, in the context of creating art exhibitions that are equally addressed to all members of the public, the Municipality of Athens, in collaboration with the cultural organization liminal, will offer accessibility services for people with sensory disabilities. Specifically,

from October the 8th 2024 will be available at the Gallery:

  • Tactile floor plan of the exhibition space for easier navigation in the area
  • The programme of the exhibition in braille for people with visual disability
  • QR codes linking to audio descriptions of some of the works in the exhibition.

while accessible guided tours are also provided:

on 11 and 30 October 2024 at 17:30: accessible tours for visually impaired audiences enriched with audio description elements.

and on 9 and 23 October 2024 at 17:30: accessible tours for the hearing impaired with simultaneous interpretation in Greek sign language.

Useful information

Vaso Katraki, Untitled, 1970

Exhibition duration: 26/09 – 3/11/2024 Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday 11:00 – 19:00, Sunday 10:00 – 16:00 Monday closed Accessible tours for deaf and hard of hearing people: 9 and 23 October at 17:30 Accessible tours for visually impaired people: 11 and 30 October at 17:30 Free admission for the public. Athens Municipal Art Gallery, Building B’, Avdi Square, Metaxourgeio Information: 210 5202420 | www.opanda.gr

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