Projects - Exhibitions
July 8 - 31, 2023.
Σαλπάραμε - Ζarpamos, co-curated by Cycladic Arts based on Paros and artist collective Artiatx based in Bilbao, Spain and in Collaboration with Paros Festival.
Participating artists: Javier Arbizu (Spain), Marta Lorenzana (Spain), Dimitra Skandali (Greece), Erato Tagaridi (Greece) and Elli Velliou (Greece)
Spanish artists are sponsored by ETXEPARE EUSKAL INSTITUTUA.
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 8, 19:30.
Duration of the exhibition: July 8 - 31, 2023.
Opening hours: Daily except Tuesday, 19:30-22:00.
We set sail - Ζarpamos
text by Kostas Prapoglou
Cycladic Arts based in Alyki, Paros has the pleasure of collaborating with the art collective Artiatx from Bilbao, Spain for the co-curation of the group exhibition We set sail - Zarpamos of five artists of the contemporary art scene. Installations and sculptures occupy the entire gallery space as well as the outdoor area of the building.
Embarking from the long history of the Greek traditional fishing boat (caique) found in the waters of the Aegean Sea, the visual vocabulary of Javier Arbizu (Spain), Marta Lorenzana (Spain), Dimitra Skandali (Greece), Erato Tagaridi (Greece) and Elli Velliou (Greece) traverses across ideas of cultural uniqueness, tradition decline as well as loss and reclaim of memory.
During the last few decades, European Union regulations aiming at preventing overfishing, prompted thousands of Greek fishermen to hand in their licenses and agree to destroy their boats in exchange for subsidies. This resulted to the destruction of thousands of caiques and the subsequent diminishing of related professions such as sail makers, riggers and other craftsmen.
The works presented by the five participating artists react to the visual textures of cross-cultural identities, human mobility, social connections, simultaneously sparking dialogue about issues involving nostalgia and survival.
The diversity of mediums and materials utilised by the artists such as plaster, sand, plastic, wood, as well as an array of found objects from the area of Paros Island and the Gulf of Amvrakikos, will allow viewers to access a deeper realm beyond the physical and better understand the turbulent disorder of our current reality.
Embedding common cultural references and humanscapes between the participating Greek and the Spanish artists, all works on view capture the ephemeral quality of our memory and stand as vigorous testimonies to our invaluable heritage and question the shaping up of our future and our responsibility towards the next generations.