Page 40 - MYCONIAN COLLECTION MAG 2019

the edit
Visual
Storytelling
A typically Cycladic home in
Mykonos Town is wonderfully
atypical in its pursuit of
providing a home for both
emerging art and promising
artists from the periphery.
038 MYCONIAN COLLECTION
Overall, this is an open-hearted space youthful clarity and wise straightforwardness Juxtapoz and several other publications.
that gracefully captures the attention and alike. This exhibition promises to spark Having exhibited over 40 times and featured
imagination of people from all walks of life discussions and incite thought, and runs in the los Angeles Times, Sweden-born
with its extroverted, inclusive attitude. from June 28 to July 24. Joakim Ojanen will showcase works he
Within this framework, Dio Horia has defined The Greek entry on the programme is Spyros created during his Dio Horia residency in
its curatorial theme for summer 2019 as Aggelopoulos, who lets the audience in on 2018 from July 25 to August 23. creator of
“Storytellers” in recognition of the inherently his personal exploration of his place in the a deeply personal universe of characters that
human need to connect, interpret the world world and his country’s legacy – inspiring are disarmingly sincere, Ojanen speaks to the
and build common history. Storytelling can us to consider similar questions in the heart of the viewer and invites them to be
take diverse forms, as Dio Horia remind process. He has studied traditional shadow- playful and open. Although his main medium
us, tasking gifted artists with exploring its puppet theatre forms and merged them with is painting, he also brings his characters to
boundaries. contemporary Western pop culture. The life through clay sculptures.
The season kicked off with Brooklyn-based result speaks volumes to Greeks and visitors The final residency of the Storytelling season
painter Caroline Larsen, whose exhibition alike by appearing both familiar and exotic, for Dio Horia is Amir Fallah’s first solo
is on until June 25. Her signature technique in endless juxtaposition of the individual exhibition in Greece. The Iranian-American
involves applying thick layers of paint on parts that make up the whole. Going beyond has shown widely in the US, Europe and
the canvas by squeezing a plastic bag, with motionless depiction, the puppets themselves the Middle East, while the Microsoft Art
the results vibrant, textured, almost three- are also used to tell stories. collection, The Smart Museum of Art,
dimensional on the canvas. Her work for New york-based Sam Friedman visits Dio chicago, the Salsali Private Museum, Dubai
Dio Horia comments on cultural clich�s, Horia from July 25 to August 23 to present and more collections feature his artwork.
psychedelic imagery and kitsch. his first solo exhibition in Greece and create Working with painting, sculpture and
Next up is Javier Calleja, a Spanish artist who new work in Mykonos. Meditating on nature installations, this talented creator utilises
has shown across the globe, from Hong Kong and life through a unique impressionism personal history as an entry point to pose
to Germany. His fresh-faced cartoon-style expressed via graphic design forms and pop questions on representation, identity, loss
characters with their penetrating eyes open colours, he has been featured in Architectural and memory. Visually, his works are vibrant,
up the path to deeper questions posed with Digest, Artsy, Hypebeast, High Snobriety, kaleidoscopic explorations of portraiture.
exploring myriad expressions of the process, product
and consumption of art, Dio horia is a beacon
of contemporary creativity.
FOUr yEArS SINcE its foundation by curator Marina Vranopoulou Caroline Larsen,
Mykonos Hotel, 2019.
and dozens of write-ups in the international and domestic press
Oil on canvas. From the
later, this Mykonos cultural platform and gallery has already earned Brooklyn-based painter’s
its stripes as a pioneering art space. located on Panachra Square,
solo exhibition at Dio
Horia, running from May
Mykonos Town, Dio Horia has been described as “a brilliant project”
by The Huffington Post and “the freshest gallery on the island” by 24 to June 25.
The Evening Standard. Despite the dualism in its name, which
stands for “two villages” or “two spaces”, the forces that drive this
platform are inclusivity, community and collaboration – put to use to
explore, support and celebrate contemporary art and culture through
residencies, exhibitions, events and even publications. Embracing the
idea of coming together, the organisation considers the general public
as much a part of its audience as art collectors, with its two main
identities – gallery and cultural platform – enriched by a bar and a
shop. At the heart of this ethos sits one of Dio Horia’s key aims – to
represent and support young emerging artists from the periphery of
dio HoriA resident Artists for 2019.
the international art world. Encompassing a wide range of activities, From left: Amir Fallah, The Light Within, 2017. Acrylic on panel. Sam Friedman, Untitled, 2018. Acrylic on canvas.
collaborative projects attest to the same. Javier Calleja, No more and more, 2017. Charcoal on paper.
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