Phenomenon

a biennial project for contemporary art / Anafi, Cyclades, Greece

Phenomenon is a biennial project for contemporary art held in the Aegean is land of Anafi, Greece and it includes a week long residency/event series, an exhibition and a publication. It is organized by the Association Phenomenon and the Collection Kerenidis Pepe, Paris. The first edition will take place in July 2015.

A phenomenon is something that is made appear or brought to light, but that can, as easily, fall back into obscurity or oblivion. On this remote island, suddenly brought out of the darkness by Apollo to provide shelter to the Argonauts, the project explores contemporary art as a lens that reveals the invisible, blurs the apparent, gives access to unimaginable worlds. Confronted with its limits, through the sensorial shock of the bright white light and the infinite sea, the mind is summoned to experiment, trace multiple cartographies, displace its perspective and (re)create memories. Acting from the outskirts of the outskirts, art can propose new experiences and produce knowledge. In offering alternative ways of seeing and investigating the possibilities of the infinitesimal space between visible and discursive, the project is looking to overcome established hierarchies, generate unexpected connections and be a force for change.

THE RESIDENCY (JULY 6-10th)

During the residency, the artists will conceive and produce in situ works that will become part of the exhibition. In addition,the artists and the other invitees will animate a series of lectures, round tables, projections, walks, or other activities related to the project’s concept.

THE EXHIBITION (JULY 11-19th)

The exhibition opening will take place on July 11th. The exhibition will be hosted in the island school, a two-storey neo-classical style building in Chora and in other outdoors places. It will work as an open forum for the artists to propose and produce works inrelation to the island and the concept of the project. For the first edition, the exhibition will explore the notions of invisibility and visibility and the moment of passing from one to the other.

THE PUBLICATION

The documentation of the residency event sand the exhibition will be the starting point for the creation of a publication, at once catalogue and artistic object, which will extend the project’s existence and connect it to the following edition.

INVITED ARTISTS

Kostas Bassanos

Alejandro Cesarco

Daniel Gustav Cramer

Angela Detanico/Rafael Lain

Haris Epaminonda

Nina Papaconstantinou

INVITED SCHOLARS

Theodora Domenech (philosopher)

Kostas Ioannidis (art historian)

Wendy Tronrud (writer)

THE PLACE

According to Apollonius Rhodius’“Argonautica”, the island was named Anafi because Apollo made it appear to the Argonauts as a shelter in a dark night, using his bow to shed light upon it (i.e. theisland name Aνάφη is derived from ανέφηνεν, "he made appear”, the same root as phenomenon). The ruins of an Apollo temple are still discernable, serving as the foundation for an old monastery. A marble statue of Apollo found in Anafi is currently visible at the British Museum.

The Chora village, with its quintessentially Cycladic white-box houses, completes an environment of arid rock, lilac thyme flowers and sandy beaches. The Kalamos peninsula at the eastern end of the island is dominated by the second largest monolithic peak in the Mediterranean.

Perched a top this massif is the Kalamiotissa church, a place of breath taking views reachable after a one-and-ahalf hour harrowing hike from the Apollo temple, a remote spot where clouds systematically form and vanish.

Anafi is a remote island that can be reached by a 90-minute boat from Santorini.

Santorini has an international airport that is connected to several European cities.

Anafi can also be reached by overnight boat or a 4-hour speed boat from the Athens area.

More information: Phenomenon official website

tags: exhibitions