2023-09-03 20:20:00
The summertime spread of art in places of recreation is like the glass of champagne that accompanies a beautiful evening of relaxation on an island – or, after all, in a place where we choose to leave the curtains of winter everyday life.
Many tourists look for theatrical performances or concerts of artists touring outside of Attica during their holidays. It is common to encounter art spaces on islands or continental tourist destinations, and to let the eye wander among their exhibits. Many times we are won over by pop objects, which carry the feeling of art. And all this not necessarily because they fascinate us. The summer mood sets us free and we accept without inhibitions the kindness of the artists, we discern their passion, we “penetrate” their willingness to share. And without filtering the condition with qualitative criteria. It’s summer, and that’s what counts!
For many decades, the organizers of artistic events outside Athens during the tourist season tried to communicate them through the media. The effectiveness of the effort was not small, if we consider that journalists work multiplyingly in the wider public. An art exhibition may attract a few – and certainly more informed than the media – but a theater performance or concert certainly has a better chance of gaining more traction if it does feature popular artists. Of course, the evaluation cannot be only quantitative, since for example the visual arts or dance are arts with a smaller audience, but more aware. In fact, it has happened that summer art events-exhibitions have become established over time and have gained international scope. A typical case is Andros. As Dimitris Athinakis has wonderfully described (in “K”, on 1/8/2018), “on the island you may not be captivated by the beaches and the “dapa dupa”, but you will be seduced by the small doses of history, success, magic and art – and the air. Every summer, the so-called Hydrousa becomes a shining pin on the artistic map, since it has three main advantages: the Archaeological Museum of Andros, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Vassilis and Eliza Goulandris Foundation and the Petros and Marikas Kydoniios Foundation”.
However, as much is done for the… eyes of tourists and seasonal Athenian decentralization, the dynamic of the artistic event is fueled (more or less) by their presence. The locals benefit financially from the stay and consumption of the visitors, but the artistic event alienates them, so elitist and oriented towards big shots and practiced aesthetics, despite declarations and efforts to the contrary.
The Greek province in Greece is on the fringes of artistic events. And this is probably not because the inhabitants do not have the sense to approach them, but because the artists (the exceptions confirm the rule) approach them only with the criterion of profit, whether monetary or popular. Does art follow tourism or the other way around?
#Art #fishing #islands #DAILY