An exhibition curated by Evita Tsokanta

Exhibition Opening

When: Friday, March 3, 18:00–22:00

Where: ACG Art Gallery

Duration: March 3 – April 10 2017

Opening hours: Mon-Fri: 14:00 – 18:00, Sat: 12:00 – 16:00

Organized by the Frances Rich School of Fine and Performing Arts at Deree – The American College of Greece as part of the Arts Festival 2017

Supported by the Art History, Graphic Design, and Visual Arts Programs

Free Admission

For more information, contact Niki Kladakis at: 210 600 9800 ext. 1456 or [email protected]

The American College of Greece is pleased to present the exhibition “Keep on Keeping on. A visual meta-collection,” curated by Evita Tsokanta, invited independent curator. The exhibition is part of this year’s Arts Festival, an annual event organized by the Frances Rich School of Fine and Performing Arts at Deree. The opening of the exhibition will take place on Friday, March 3, 18:00–22:00, at the ACG Art Gallery.

A group exhibition featuring works by

Alexis Akrithakis, Minos Argyrakis, Joseph Beuys, Charles Bukowski, Giannis Gaitis, Konstantinos Dagritzikos, Ceal Floyer, Theodoros, Alexia Karavela, Victoria Karvouni, Yannis Kottis, Nikos Koundouros, , Marijn van Kreij, Jannis Maillis, Frosso Michalea, Yiannis Mouravas, Constantin Xenakis, Vasilis Papageorgiou Vassilis Papageorgiou, Nektarios Pappas, Dimosthenis Patridis, Aliki Sapountzi, Jeanne Spiteris-Veropoulou, Alekos Fasianos, Vasilis Fotopoulos

“Keep on Keeping” on consists of a selection of historical works and artefacts of the ACG collection alongside recent works by young Greek and international artists, including new commissions and finally the outcome of collaborations with senior students of the Frances Rich School of Fine and Performing Arts.

The multifaceted ACG collection has been created through time by a series of donations and acquisitions, under the aegis of different people of possibly opposing agendas, marked by various aesthetics. By juxtaposing selected works of the collection with a number of contemporary artworks, through curatorial gestures that gently balance the absurd and the poetic, “Keep on Keeping on” reveals hidden connections as seen through the prism of today’s knowledge, and demonstrates the obscure unity of a contemporary art collection: the ecumenical anthropocentric element.

The exhibition attempts to expand preconceived perceptions of visual language, both in terms of the artwork as well as the framework of the contemporary art exhibition itself. By exhibiting seemingly random objects together, the sense of the unexpected is provoked. The viewer’s gaze is forced into a state of willing suspension of disbelief, and urged to deconstruct anew the purpose, meaning, and symbolic value of each exhibit.

“Keep on Keeping on” acts as an encouragement to reassess the authority that determines artistic value. By demonstrating the many sources and numerous vocabularies by which art can and is produced, it becomes the object of universal assertion. Ultimately, it argues for a reclaiming of one’s power to speak about oneself, while embracing the possibility of the proverbial failure as an essential element of self-definition. This ode to the self-referential hopes to motivate and enable the subject to actively participate not only in the appreciation, but even in the development of artistic content.

It’s an exhibition about making an exhibition, about producing and consuming art, about acceptance of organic human evolution and, ultimately, about recognizing the universal drive of creativity in every aspect of life. As Henry Miller stated, “To make living itself an art, that is the goal.”