Opening: Tuesday 7 June 2022
Exhibition duration: 7 – 29 June 2022
Location: Neoclassical building (Veniami ‘s family), 24, Perikleous Str., Piraeus, Greece
Curator: Marilena Koutsoukou
Host: Eirini Veniami
Organization: ICC Women Hellas – Clusters of Shipping and Culture
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Shipping, Municipality of Piraeus, Chamber of Shipping
Participating artists: Kalliopi Lemos, Chloe Akrithaki, Nikomachi Karakostanoglou, Peggy Kliafa, Anna Fafaliou, Efi Haliori
Peggy Kliafa participates in the exhibition with an installation comprising of the artworks:
Chandelier II – Placebo Series, 2016, 170 x 90 cm, Gelatine transparent capsules (pills), fishline, bronze, cables, light bulbs
Armour or Migraine Killer Dress – Homage to Andy Warhol, 2021, 176 x 69 x 2,5 cm, Migraine empty pills’ blisters & painkiller pills, aluminum sheet, plexiglass, screws
As part of Posidonia 2022, the ICC Women Hellas presents NEOMAI, travel/return, an exhibition inspired by the notions of sea and journey. The exhibition’s curator, Marilena Koutsoukou, chose a group of Greek women artists who present their artworks in the heart of Greece’s biggest port that is closely connected to the history of Greek shipping. The NEOMAI exhibition, with an undeniable feminine touch, takes place at the magnificent neoclassical building of 24 Perikleous Str. in Piraeus that belongs to the Veniami family. The unexpected combination of shipping and art is definitely eye-catching.
At the opening of the exhibition on June 7th, the ICC Women Hellas together with the Clusters of Shipping and Culture, under the leadership of Eirini Veniamis and Marilena Koutsoukou, organize an event about Women in Shipping, in particular women’s journey to success. Speakers include many renowned women from the shipping sector joined by the prominent historian Maria Efthymiou. The exhibition illustrates the imaginary, abstract, realistic journey, whatever way one may want to consider it, as well as the deeply human need to return home.
The exhibition features artists whose work is connected with sea, Piraeus, shipping and traveling in a more abstract way. As a result, the viewer feels free to imagine and travel through the artworks.
In an interview with The Art Newspaper Greece on June 6, 2022, the exhibition’s curator, Marilena Koutsoukou, guide us around the exhibition in her own words:
“Kalliopi Lemos’ Boats full of Secrets made of tulip wood and vertically placed lead the viewer to an existential journey. Chloe Akrithaki captures fragments of everyday life in a series of photographs under the title I Know I Dream, showcasing the continuous journey through time. Nikomachi Karakostanoglou’s diptych called Intimately Close makes us feel like we are floating in the dreamy shades of blue reminiscent of water as well as light. Through her neon work entitled I AM, Anna Fafaliou explores the journey within the self, creating a dialogue between object, memory and identity. Efi Haliori’s photograph of Piraeus is dreamlike, foggy, faint and free of disturbing noises.
After all, Piraeus is the main theme of the exhibition. The artworks are presented in the heart of the city, in the neighbourhood of captains, at Ernst Ziller’s listed building, looking back at Greek maritime history, while breathing new, artistic life into the mansion. As an epilogue, Peggy Kliafa’s works, a dress/armour made of pills’ blisters and a chandelier made of gelatine capsules, create a homelike atmosphere, while bringing together the notions of shipping, travel, home and return”.