International Contemporary Art Fair of Athens - ART-ATHINA at the Faliro Pavilion

Greece's leading international art fair for contemporary art, ART-ATHINA, will take place at the Athens shorefront in the Faliro Pavilion. The Faliro Pavilion is an ideal place to re-connect with contemporary art, while enjoying one of the most beautiful seaside areas close to the centre of the ancient capital city. ART-ATHINA - International Contemporary Art Fair of Athens - was established by the Hellenic Art Galleries Association in 1993 and over the years has become one of Europe's most prominent art fairs.

As of 2009, ART-ATHINA is directed by Alexandros J. Stanas and run by the non-profit cultural organisation D.ART, whose main aim is to develop a strong contemporary art scene in Greece.
The new venue offers a variety of both indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces, and boasts amenities such as free parking and easy access by public transport. The wide range of prestigious galleries exhibiting at ART-ATHINA will provide the fair's international audience with an overview of emerging trends within the arts, and enable visitors to see and buy works from leading international artists. ART-ATHINA will welcome 60 galleries from 12 countries, presenting more than 300 artists. It will also host an expansive programme of parallel events, talks, exhibitions and art projects taking place both within the fair and throughout the city, creating a platform for experimentation, discussion and debate within the contemporary arts.

The exhibition 10 Aspects of Hellenic Photography - Contemporary Creation will be a major Parallel Exhibition within ART-ATHINA. The exhibition will be presented for the first time in Greece and includes 100 works from 10 young Greek photographers.

Parallel Event
The performance festival OPA 0.2 (On Performance Art) is a seven-day festival featuring an intensive programme of performances, films, screenings, lectures, talks and open discussions. Under the title RE-THINK / RE-USE / RE-MAKE: Propositions and Possibilities on Contemporary Performance Art, this year's key area of investigation is the critical approach developed by the French curator and art critic Nicolas Bourriaud in his book Post-production. ART-ATHINA will host a number of festival performances as well as panel discussions with distinguished speakers. Further information on OPA is available at www.bios.gr

Collateral Event
The exhibition In Praise of Shadows, curated by Paolo Colombo and presented at the Benaki Museum (22 May-26 July 2009), is a Collateral Event of ART-ATHINA 2009. The exhibition explores the parallels between the traditions of shadow theatre and the new narrative spirit in contemporary art bringing together works and films by Haluk Akakçe (Turkey), Nathalie Djurberg (Sweden), William Kentridge (South Africa), Katariina Lillqvist (Finland), Jockum Nordström (Sweden), Lotte Reiniger (Germany), Christiana Soulou (Greece), Ladislas Starewitch (Poland), Andrew Vickery (Great Britain) and Kara Walker (USA).