ARTS & EVENTS
The Definitive Athens Art Guide NEON’s Portals at The Public Tobacco Factory WHAT: Portals, one of 2021’s biggest art exhibitions touches on two events that have marked the Greek psyche this year: the bicentennial anniversary of Greece’s independence struggle and the pandemic. As Greece celebrates the bicentenary of its War of Independence from Ottoman rule, Portals will address today’s international political and societal upheavals with new works by 40 influential Greek artists and numerous pieces from global heavy hitters including Michael Rakowitz, Glenn Ligon and Danh Vo. The exhibition that runs until December is co-curated by NEON’s Elina Kountouri and Madeleine Grynsztejn, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, in partnership with the Hellenic Parliament. The choice of the former Public Tobacco Factory to host the exhibition goes beyond the architectural merits of this stunning venue. The landmarked building is a paradigm of interwar industrial architecture – but it also serves as a reminder of Greece’s trading history, and by extension, the course of its socio-political trajectory The bicentennial-inspired show has prompted the transformation of the old Tobacco Factory on Lenorman Street into a new urban hub of contemporary culture.
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WHEN: Until 31 December 2021 WHERE: The Public Tobacco Factory, Lenorman Avenue.
Sonia Gomes
athens insider |8|
