ATHENS
weekly
Weekly supplement by Insider Publications • www.insider-publications.com • No 107 • Friday, July 8, 2016 ORANGE WATER FESTIVAL
The Equilibrists
P. Tetsis – Metamorphosis
With 13 contemporary art exhibitions across Athens, Crete, Santorini, Paros, Korinthos and Patra, Orange Water is a cultural alliance between Greece and The Netherlands. This week sees the launch of an exhibition at the Municipal Art Gallery and at Ag. Athanasios in Paros. Until July 25. facebook.com/orangewaterart
A celebration of Bright Young Greek and Cypriot artists that captures the fragility of our times in The Equilibrists, organized by the New Museum, New York and the DESTE Foundation in collaboration with Benaki Museum for DESTE’s 33rd anniversary, until July 31. Tickets €8, Peiraios 138, Kerameikos, 210.345.3111, benaki.gr
Re-visit 35 celebrated works by the late Panioyotis Tetsis – the Painter of Greek Colour – as part of the SFNCC’s free summer Metamorphosis festival until July 31. The paintings are among Tetsis’ plein air masterpieces, and represent the major periods of his career. Evripidou & Syngrou, Kallithea, Athens Faliron Delta, snf.org
TV THIS WEEK
CITY LIFE
managed a lot. The younger people are more interested in art, and we also try to support the younger Greek artists. It was something that was missing from the Greek art scene. What are your plans for the future? We want to make this an art hub for Glyfada, and so we are also in the process of adding a bar, so that we may also serve drinks and coffee etc, so that people can come and hang out here, and have access to the internet too. We are setting up more tables outside, and a big tent. Then, our plan is to become more international. We are looking towards London in December, to organise a show there with a mix of different Greek artists (some of them live in London), and different art styles. We also want to go to a few art fairs – Budapest, Miami. The only way for Greek art to survive now, is to take Greek artists abroad.
Maybe it’s the artists that manage to show abroad that are still making and more. We decided to open the gallery money. because wanted to create something dif- Well, this is it. It’s a shame for the Greek ferent that would also unite all the people art scene. There are so many great artists we know in the arts. The name Blender preWhat works downtown, doesn’t necessarily fly in glitzy Glyfada. Enter The Blender, existed the gallery, it was a space I had in an evolving “art cocktail” space perfectly conceived for Athens’ Southern Belles, Panormou – an art hub blending many art forms. says Stella Sevastopoulos.
“Good Time” Art in Glyfada Athens’ Southern suburbs, such as Glyfada, have been notoriously non-arty over the years. Some dared to tame these party people culturally - with small galleries opening (and closing), or even the magnificent Pierides Gallery that managed to pull the crowds before it closed too. Yet, the times they are a changin’, thanks to a relatively new kid on the block, that’s causing a stir down South. The Blender Gallery, seems to have the right mix of arts in order to appeal even to Athens’ Southern Belles. That’s because this is no ordinary insular art space. The philosophy here, is that art lies hidden in all facets of human creativity, and The Blender embraces them all. Apart from promoting the work of young Greek artists, the gallery also organizes regular special events, from all walks of art: fashion, music, graphics, photography,
film, even hairstyling. You can also source intriguing gift ideas such as affordable artworks and handcrafted jewellery items (earrings, necklaces with semi-precious stones, cufflinks, rings). This pluralistic art den was the brainchild of Iason Theophanidis and his wife Anastasia Kollakis-Theophanidis (the gallery’s owners/directors). Insider catches up with Iason Theophanidis:
The Blender Gallery, 4 Zisimopoulou St, tel: 213.028.0597. Open Tuesday-Friday 10am7pm, Saturdays noon-4pm. The Gifts of Poseidon runs until July 23.
The Oracle of Dodona Acropolis Museum presents a new thematic exhibition, devoted to the oracle of Dodona, until January, that Greece’s oldest oracle, its functioning, its role and importance in the ancient world, while examining our eternal human need to predict the future. Dionysiou Festival Areopagitou 15, 210.900.0900. 6th Athens Open Air Film Festival Athens is transformed into an open-air cinema as the city’s biggest film fiesta returns until September. Now a summer institution, see iconic screenings for free - from Aliens to The Tempest – alongside less mainstream movies, in some of the capital’s prettiest parks and squares. For full screening guide and locations, cinema.gr
CITY LIFE
The Secret Garden
Even the Athenians often forget about this oh-so-romantic café tucked away in the three or four months, six plants of each basement of the National Archaeological Museum. of these mini-gardens will be replaced to familiarize visitors with their mythological During the warmer months, this humble All the original trees have been retained significance. New plantations will be decafé migrates to the terrace, bordering in the revamp, and more than 700 veloped by panels explaining their role in the rectangular courtyard, where you can plants (all endemic in Greece) added, ancient myths of Greece. enjoy an atmospheric coffee break while along with a (small) artificial pond filled The Yew tree for example, is dedicated to surrounded by lush greenery and rare with water lilies and aquatic plants. The the Furies, those deities of hell who cut antiquities from the classical and Hellen- garden soil was also modified so that their torches in the woods. A Mythologivisitors can now approach plants without cal Garden. There you have it. istic periods. Launched last week, the garden is now Originally planted after the Second World fear of damaging it. War, the garden was in need of a facelift. The whole renovation of the garden fol- open to the public. Well, thanks to the recent 150th anni- lowed this soulful idea: to use the same Garden of the National Archaeologiversary of the museum, it has now been species mentioned in mythology and lit- cal Museum, Patission 44, Athens, tel. transformed into a “Mythological Gar- erature of antiquity. To this end, the land- 213.214.4891. In summer, open daily den” (don’t worry, we’ll explain!) that’s scape architect divided the space into from 8 am to 20h. Free admission to the sections, each with its own theme. Every cafe. well worth a visit.
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Tyrant 3
An unassuming American family is drawn into the workings of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation in episode 1, airing on Fox, Thursday @ 22.40.
Graceland 3
Briggs is coerced into a high-risk undercover operation within the Armenian Mafia on Fox, Tuesday @ 21.50 on Fox. Watch FOX and FoxLife on NOVA, OTE TV, Vodafone, CYTA
CINEMA THIS WEEK
A Hologram for the King
Tom Hanks is a failed American businessman who looks to recoup his losses by traveling to Saudi Arabia and selling his idea to a wealthy monarch in the deal of a lifetime.
Glyfada, and the South of Athens in general is a difficult market in terms of art. It is, but a gallery was missing from this area. I’ve been involved with art from a young age, I’m an artist myself and a graphic designer. My wife is creative too a jewellery designer. We also have a very And how’s that going? arty circuit of friends from graphic design- It’s going well! We are a relatively new galers, artists, painters, to screenplay writers lery. But in our three years here, we have
Exhibition
Music
What’s on now? The ‘Gifts of Poseidon’: New York-based Philip Tsiaras, whose Murano glass works were made in Venice. They include impeccably crafted anti-gun statements and art vases. More examples of his work in ceramics and bronze, plus his Venice-inspired abstract paintings are also on show. London-Greek Nick Nickolaou’s underwater photography, plus the work of New York-based Dionysis Frangias . His works comprise aluminium cut outs that have been painted with oils and acrylics. Particularly exciting are his pirate-themed works. Fragias spent 15 years working as an apprentice for artist Jeff Koons, at his art-making factory.
That’s what is so innovative too. It’s also a growing trend abroad. Yes, we are very experimental. We have travelled a lot – England, America, Europe, and have seen how other galleries function abroad. We felt that this kind of thing was missing from Greece. There are many galleries in Greece, especially in the centre, who deal with very established artists for example, but we felt that wasn’t suitable for Glyfada. Various events take place here, and we have noticed that they are the ones that attract the visitors of Glyfada. Because the Glyfada crowd wants to have a good time firstly, and slowly, we are trying to ‘educate’ them in terms of art.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Muse @ Ejekt Hear Grammy-winning Brit band Muse in their first Greek appearance (July 23) as they headline at Ejekt 2016, at Plateia Nerou, Faliro, the large open square located between the courts of Tae Kwon Do and Beach Volley. Presale tickets are available at www.viva. gr. Tickets €50 (VIP sold-out). ejekt.gr
in Greece - so many come and see me that I don’t know what to do with them! These artists should at least try and make their first steps here. But we are going to stay in Greece, and battle on, with some group shows mainly.
The Legend of Tarzan
Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment. Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson, and Margot Robbie.
GASTRONOMY
Culinary Corfu: A User’s Guide With Corfu firmly in the spotlight right now (thanks to the popular tele series based on Gerard Durrell’s Corfu trilogy), Insider has teamed up with Greek Gastronomy Guide to bring you this definitive guide to the island’s outstanding cuisine. How History shaped Corfu’s Tastebuds Corfu spent seven centuries under Western domination, a fact that has had a decisive effect on Corfu’s gastronomic culture and cuisine. Under the Byzantines, the local cuisine took a typically Mediterranean form, based on olive oil, wheat, wine, wild greens, and fish. The poorer classes ate very little meat and then only on feast days. Of the island’s foreign rulers, the British Protectorate 1815-1864 left a modest legacy of ginger beer and English puddings. The Venetians, on the other hand, overlords for some 400 years, brought immense changes with them. During the Renaissance, Venice was at the centre of the spice and sugar trade, supplying Europe with luxury and wealth. Venetian domination of Corfu extended to the kitchen and the Corfiot diet. They introduced new foods from the Americas and Indies and taught the locals how to prepare them. Corn, tomatoes, beans, peppers, coffee and chocolate were among the many items introduced by the Venetians, which were soon embraced by the Corfiots into dishes which have come down to us in nearly unaltered form. It is no coincidence that many favourite foods have Italian names and Venetian origins (bianco, bourdeto, noumboulo, salado, panada, papalina, polenta, porpetes, savoro, sofrito, etc.) while evolving over the years into uniquely local specialities. However, this Venetian influence was confined to the cooking of the upper classes
because of the vast inequality between the landowning aristocracy and the poor farmers. This led to the development of two distinct cuisines on the island: one elaborate and one folk. The former used plenty of meat, fish, and game in conjunction with expensive spices and long preparation times, involving special techniques and intricate combinations. The high-point of this cuisine was Pastitsio Dolce, an extremely complicated Venetian recipe that has its origins in ancient Rome. All this was missing from the cooking of the villages and farms which relied instead on inventiveness and imagination to enhance its humble ingredients. Salt cod was the staple protein in the cuisine of the lower classes, prepared in a wide variety of ways: with leeks and paprika on Sundays, with potatoes and rice for Carnival, roasted with tomatoes and potatoes for the Christmas holidays. When roads were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries linking the hinterland with the coastal cities, social inequality decreased and the two cuisines merged into the unified Corfiot cuisine of today. Corfu’s high humidity and heavy rainfall required the consumption of plenty of calories and warming foods. The Corfiots found what they were looking for in pasta, hot pepper, garlic, and wine, and thus pastitsada became their most representative dish. Many of the traditional recipes are still served in the island’s restaurants, making it easy for visitors to get acquainted with Corfu’s gastronomic wealth.
Top 3 signature Corfiot dishes Bourdeto. A Corfiot recipe for fish cooked with sauteed onion, a light tomato sauce and a powerful pinch of hot red pepper quenched with lemon juice. Especially recommended for scorpion fish, cod, skate, grouper, and smaller, firm fleshed fish. Pastitsada. One of the island’s signature dishes, it’s made with cockerel or veal, and is often served on holidays or at official dinners. The meat or poultry is browned with spices, onions and garlic, deglazed with red wine, and then simmered with cinnamon, bay leaf, nutmeg, chopped fresh tomato, tomato paste and sugar, in which thick macaroni is cooked at the end. Eaten sprinkled with grated kefalotyri. Sofrito. Another of Corfu’s most famous dishes, along with pastitsada, this consists of thin slices of veal which have been dipped in flour and fried lightly, and then layered with plentyed of finely chopped parsley and garlic, and simmered with oil and white wine vinegar. Served with fava or mashed potato.
Recipe for Nerantzosalata (Orange Salad) In Italian, ‘naranza’ means orange – as opposed to the Greek ‘nerantzi’, which means bitter or Seville orange. Thus when the Corfiots speak of ‘nerantzosalata’, they mean orange salad. A dish which seems to have been widespread in Corfu, the recipe appears in Ninetta Laskari’s marvelous book, Corfu, A Glance through Time, 1204-1864, in the Corfiot dialect: Sliced oranges with oil, coarse salt and red pepper. A very simple, cool and aromatic salad, sweet and hot at the same time. Just dip your bread in the oil and... ecco il paradiso! Unfortunately, owing to its simplicity, you’ll rarely come across it in Corfu, with the exception of Ognistra in Palaia Peritheia. www.greekgastronomyguide.gr