Deutsches Historisches Museum - Verf�hrung Freiheit. Kunst in Europa seit 1945 - Blog

Greece is one of the European countries hit the hardest by the ongoing economic crisis. With co-curator Maro Psyrra we talked about the consequences of the crisis for the exhibition, the staff and the museum. On a lighter note we also chatted about her PhD, her favorite artists and one of her favorite pieces: an installation by Leda Papaconstantinou called ‘Genet’s Toaster’.  

Has it always been your dream to become a curator?

‘No, actually I wanted to work as an art historian at the museum doing research and documentation and work with the museum’s permanent collection. I particularly like the Alexander Iolas Collection. Because of this collection the MMCA was founded. The story behind it goes as follows: In the 1980s Alexander Iolas found himself in a very difficult position. There were many rumors related to his private life which the media used to damage his reputation. When he died in New York in 1987, his collection was ransacked (but we don’t know by whom) and his famous villa abandoned. Iolas was friends though with Maro Lagia, founding member of the MMCA, and so he donated 44 works from his collection. These works were the basis for the first museum of contemporary art in Greece: the MMCA!’

What was your first exhibition?

‘The first exhibition where I helped was a Theodoros exhibition called ‘A-logos, A-topos, A-chronos’ curated by Denys. Theodoros Papadimitriou is a very important Greek sculptor, one of the first contemporary artists and today 83 years old! Theodoros fled to San Francisco in the seventies during the Greek military regime and then on to France. His work is very political and focused on public space. Doing this great exhibition was a perfect first experience!'

How did Denys, Alexios and you come up with the idea for this exhibition?

‘Denys had the idea. So we discussed the project, then it was still called ‘Critique and Crisis’ and me and Alexios were joking: ‘Crisis? Yes, of course! Crisis here in Greece… that is the best title for a new project!’ Finally, we came up with the idea to present the post-war history of humans and not the history of art movements, as Denys Zacharopoulos says. We started to organize the exhibition which includes more than 250 artworks. Even though it is ‘just’ a satellite exhibition it is a really big one.’

Did you dive in right away into finding the art works?

‘Yes, but it was difficult. As Denys told you, the financial crisis also hit the Greek art market hard and cultural projects in general. Important collectors sold their art works to foreign countries. Lucky for us Denys has good relations with collectors and artists and so we were able to include major art works in our exhibition. We also collaborated with other museums and institutions, such as the National Gallery, the State Museum of Contemporary Art, the Teloglion and the Deste Foundation etc. The participation of our friends was also moving. For example Fofi Akrithaki “reconstructed” her ESTIATORION for this exhibition.’

This is an exhibition especially about the movements of the artists from Greece to Paris, Berlin, Rome, and Moscow. Do you have a station that you prefer because your favorite artist worked or lived there?

‘You know, my PhD is on the history of video art in Greece. I don’t really have a favorite station because Greek artists were everywhere since the 1960s. But if I had to choose I would say Berlin and Athens. Berlin because of the presence of Wolf Vostell, a video art pioneer who is one of my favorite artists. Athens because of the city’s exciting art history during the sixties. In that period many artists were abroad, experimenting with new art forms: for example Leda Papaconstantinou in England, Nikos Kessanlis in Paris, Jannis Kounellis in Rome etc. At the same time, the art scene in Athens was heavily censored by the military regime and innovative artistic expressions were prohibited. In those years many contemporary artists like Vlassis Caniaris, Dimitris Alithinos and Maria Karavela exhibited political works demanding freedom.’

Which Greek video artists should we have a look at?

‘Until the 1990s we can’t really use the term “video artists” for Greece. We had artists who loved experimenting with performance, installations and video art. All those new categories. I propose to you to see Leda Papaconstantinou who is a performer, a video artist, an installation artist, she is everything and she is great. At the moment we have a work of hers downstairs, an installation, ‘Genet’s Toaster’. It is a bed with two TVs in the middle of the room. One of the TV sets shows a video performance by the artist herself and the other one is a movie by Genet. The bed is glowing with pieces of toasted bread on top and a mosquito net.’

Leda Papaconstantinou - Installation at MMCA of Genet's Toaster from mmca europeana on Vimeo.

What is the context of the piece?

The work refers back to Papaconstantinou's first tribute to French novelist and political activist Jean Genet 27 years earlier, but in this new approach she focuses on tenderness, the codes of love and desire, and feelings. The artwork was first presented in Cyprus in 1997, when the law against 'homosexual conduct' was repealed despite the public reactions.'

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Every Wednesday there are free tours of the exhibition in Greek but if you let them know in advance, English tours are not a problem!