Thessaloniki ART Shots: Dimitria Art Night
After their first collaborative project (Locals Like), EnjoyThessaloniki.com and ACT join forces again this season. Two permanent blogs from students of ACT will be hosted in EnjoyThessaloniki.com. Let’s start with the first Thessaloniki ART Shots…
Dimitria Art Night
The Dimitria Festival in Thessaloniki is one of many they have in the city. This is one of the longest running and traditional festivals in Thessaloniki. This one, of many, is in celebration of Saint Dimitrios, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It lasts from the 26th of September to the 26th of October this year, 2013. It ranges from music, dance, theater performances, and visual art exhibitions at local galleries and museums all over the city. There are 50 different events that support the arts in every form and we got the chance to experience the Night Art portion of this huge arts festival. This night is when all of the galleries and museums in the city open their doors to the public and people get to explore all of the different types of visual arts.
Out of the many galleries opened at the Art Night we saw a few interesting exhibitions, some of which had very interesting meanings behind them. One of the galleries we visited, the Kalos & Klio Showroom [www.kalosklio.com, Facebook page: Kalos&Klios showroom], had an exhibition of art by Schizophrenic patients. Generally, these people, out of the goodwill of their hearts and without incentive, display the artworks of amateur, up-and-coming artists. Last night they were displaying the art of extremely talented Schizophrenic patients. The doctor of these patients has known them for up to 20 years and does not give them instruction he just tells them, “Do it, and don’t give up.” These artists are self-taught and do what they want to do, as any artist should do. One of the artists, Dimitrios Xanos, uses markers on top of acrylic to “control his mind and art.”
By being privileged to have seen the work, meeting the people, the least we can do in return is write about and publicize it. The art is on sale and ask someone about the stories behind it- each artwork has a different reason and everything I heard was remarkable.
Another one of the galleries we visited was the TINT gallery, which is one of the most important art spaces in the city. This gallery shows the work of young, up and coming artist. Machi runs this gallery, she is the patron that supports the young artists of the city. This gallery had work ranging from paintings, photos, to drawings and much more.
The ACT team:
Bhargava Rhea,
Mitchell Olivia and
Tismaneanu Adam