Arte Povera artist Jannis Kounellis

Greek artist Jannis Kounellis (b.1936) is one of the founding figures of the "arte povera" movement which involves using found objects and spaces. Kounellis is one of the major conceptual artists of our times. His works can be found in international galleries worldwide.

I had seen his work over the years but I recently watched a portrait of him on Greek state TV. (That is what state channels should be for: art, culture, anything that makes citizens better people).

Kounellis lives in Rome but the film documented his visit to his native Mani, a place of sun and stone, quite similar to the Southern Italian region known as Magna Grecia, largely populated by Greeks since the antiquity. I have taken notes of some of his quotes.

*Memory makes people who have passed away more beautiful.

*The Parthenon is the idea of Measure that we cannot live without.The future has no meaning without  Measure.

*Traveling.Finding the Other Person. Being a teacher or a pupil. Looking for connectedness. That is what I have kept from Greece.

*The difference between Old and New is a political decision.There isn't a difference. The idea of the human measure is the same to our day.

 Read more about Kounellis from the Guggenheim website here and see his works at the Tate.

Watch out for the evil eye!

Do you know how bad, evil eye can be? Then you are certainly aware of the many evil eye pieces of jewellery that dangle from Greek jewellery shop windows, both upscale and the souvenir kind. If not, take a look:


Certain to infuriate the religious people around you, they often accompany a cross, to have both pagan and Christian sides happy.

This golden ring comes from the very talented Anna-Maria Mazaraki (I promise to write more about her in a future post).

Even the mighty baby style tzar, Aaron Basha succumbed to the temptation.


My current favorite, though? This ring from this Etsy seller. Creepy enough, it will certainly take the evil onlooker by surprise!

Two important art exhibitions in Athens

Two important exhibitions are taking place in Athens.

The first, at The Foundation of the Hellenic World, presents the bracelet collection of Katerina Korre-Zografou, Professor, Department of History and Folklore, University of Athens. It includes more than two hundred bracelets, Greek and foreign, from the 19th and the 20th century, reflecting aspects of everyday life.


Duration: till the end of May 2009. The book accompanying the exhibitions is available. Read more and see photos here.

At the Cycladic Art Museum, visitors are invited to a virtual tour in time and space: the tour starts from the world of the supernatual (gods) and the myth (heroes), goes through the realm of Eros, follows the activities of everyday women and men in their private and public life, explores their religious behavior, and concludes with their attitudes towards death and their beliefs about afterlife and the Underworld.


Duration of the exhibition:permanent.
The exhibition is accompanied by a booklet in Greek and English and a DVD.
You may read more here.