1
The blog http://nikosalexiou-ath.blogspot.com, is the blog of Nikos Alexiou, who exhibits the work The End in 52nd Biennale of Venice, the older and most famous Biennale of the world. This work is inspired by the mosaics of Iviron Monastery placed on Mount Athos peninsula which is the third "leg" of Chalkidi peninsula in Central Macedonia, Greece.
This work embodies everything that Alexiou was working on. The title The End was chosen for two reasons. The first reason is that when Alexiou finished it after working for ten or twelve years for AutoCAD, he saved the file giving it the name “THE END.” This title made him think of some things. There is something that excites your memory and makes you remember again. So, he remembered -and this is the second reason that the work was named “The End” – the title of one of Beckett’s beloved text and another beloved theater play by Dimitris Dimitriadis, which is entitled “New Church of the Blood,” which closes with an image that could have been his own work.
A cosmogony, a black hole that swallows everything or gives birth to everything. A universe that whirls, a paradisiacal garden that appears from the dark onto a black screen, which turns on and off. So the third reason for giving this title to the work is The End’s reference to the cinema, the screen. It is about this over and over again.
2
10 September of 2007 is the start day of the second greek Biennale after the one of Thessaloniki which is the first. This is the Athens Biennale. The last one forms with the Biennale of Lyon and the Biennale of Constantinouple (Istanbul) a triple axis of art during the last semester of 2007. The first action of this culture axis was the joint public presentation during the opening days of the 52nd Venice Biennale in the context of a discussion, entitled "The biennial is dead. Long live the biennial". In Athens Biennale the 1/5 of exhibitors, approximately 70 artists are Greek.
3
The XIII Biennale of Young Artists from Europe and Mediterranean was to be held in Alexandria but it was canceled so the organizers look for a city to host the event. The concept of the 13th BJECM is: "Our Creative Diversity: kairos " (Greek word pronounced keeros, meaning fit time, opportunity, a point in time where change is possible).
Closing up, we can see that this year, 2007, is an art time for Greece and Greek people. Never before was the greek participation, the greek culture and spirit so diffused in so many places. May the result of this liveliness, be good.
Sources:
1, Venice Biennale
2, Nikos Alexiou
3, Greek Culture Portal
4, Athens Bienniale
5, Thessaloniki Biennale
6, Biennale JCEM
