From Greece with love

Since the antiquity, Greece has a long and strong relationship with Middle East. Trade brought Greeks to this region, a region that piqued their interest in a lot of ways. During historical and economical changes, Greeks set up their own communities and established their lives in the broader area. The interaction of both cultures has resulted in beautiful art, inspired by the images and the spirit of the East. Starting with artworks from the 20th century and concluding with artworks that were created on the spot, an exhibition titled ‘Greek art and orientalism’ — jointly organised by Cultural Village Foundation-Katara, the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic in Doha, and curator Marilena Koutsoukou — is currently on display at building 18.The exhibition, inaugurated in the presence of representatives of diplomatic missions in Doha, showcases the artwork of Greek artists who are being constantly inspired by the tales of the Middle East, and its contemporary culture.“The impressions from the Middle East and its people have been so profound that it can be found even today. Greek artists are being constantly inspired by the tales of the Middle East, but also from its contemporary culture,” says the curator. “Qatar has been a particularly important source of inspiration, a land that combines the history of the desert and nomads and a thriving rising metropolis. It is a country where you can find a traditional souq, next to buildings that are feats of astounding contemporary architecture,” the curator goes on to add. The Greek artists whose artworks are displayed on the exhibition are: Giannis Poulios, Dimitris Tiniakos, Aptin Aptinian, Artin Artinian, Anthonis E.Theodoridis, Nikolaos Magiasis, George Panoutsoulos and Paris Alexander Prekas.These works are complemented with the contemporary works of graffiti art, photography and jewellery design by some of Athen’s rising artists.INO, a prominent Greek graffiti artist, presents his style at the show, painting the walls of the exhibition space with his signature style. INO, born in 1985 in Greece, has been invading the street since 2000. At the beginning he created and tested several kinds of graffiti fonts by reproducing them on a great variety of surfaces. From 2008 onwards, he decided to focus on figurative paintings. In 2010, he started working on a technique consisting of fat-cap spray lines in order to provide a unique texture on his pieces. That influence is evident in his pieces on display at the exhibition here. Marina Vernicos, born in Athens, presents some of her breathtakingly beautiful photographs of Doha at the exhibition. Since 2001, she has showcased a number of solo and group exhibitions in distinguished galleries and museums around the world. She has also published four photography books. This is her first exhibition in the Middle East. She travelled to Doha in January to photograph through her unique lens the beautiful terrain and the exceptional construction sites of Doha besides shooting the desert. Athens-based designer Elena Syraka is also display her work at the showcase. She worked six months researching and designing her jewellery, which is presented on printed canvas with the image of the actual artefact.Syraka commenced her studies in fashion and jewellery design with a degree from the renowned Veloudakis School of Fashion in Athens, Greece, followed by a Diploma in Fashion and Jewellery design from ESMOD in Paris, France. During this time, Elena also won first prize in textiles at the EUROMODE TEXTILIA exhibition in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1991. After that, she went on to study Gemology.In the 15 years that she has been designing jewellery, Elena has come to be known for the uniqueness of the forms she creates and the use of unconventional materials. Due to their often dramatic character, Elena has regularly been called upon to create pieces for the cinema and theatre and has exhibited her work in both solo and group art exhibitions.She has also been invited to design jewellery lines for a number of renowned fashion designer’s collections as well as designs for international brands; collaborations include her “Absolut Love” handbag as well as other projects for prestigious clients such as Clinique, Levi’s, Lacoste and a number of other international brands.Her successful solo exhibitions have been showcased at the Olga Georganea Gallery in Athens (1997), the Zoumpoulaki Gallery in Athens (1999) and the Museum of Cycladic Art in Greece (2007), in which the artefacts exhibited at the Museum were the inspiration for her “Idols” collection.