Since the beginning of the European idea, Athens has been an exoticized utopia. Recently, as a result of the 2009 worldwide financial crisis, Athens has become the exotic scene of a global drama that has attracted many, including the curators of the recent documenta14.
The exhibition HOMEMADE EXOTICA, at FREIRAUM in der Box in Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg organized by AthenSYN presents 16 contemporary Greek artists. What can "learning from Athens" mean in a time of upheaval for Europe, in which all values rooted in European soil that underpin our cultural heritage are questioned? What is left after the demystification of a country, which has been subject to stereotyping since 18th-century philhellenism, labeled a tourist paradise, and imprinted with the stigma of the crisis? Why are these questions essential for our coexistence in an ethically corroded system?
Some artworks tend to surround every day, mundane and almost invisible with mystique, fantasy, and grace. This exotic re-enchantment of our world is often done by paying particular attention to the small details of private interiors or personal mementos. Other works apply the visual rhetoric of the past, that being the techniques of Renaissance-like, chiaroscuro painting, the detailed observation of society, or even the dismantling of abstract painting in the painterly installations. Hidden facets of Athenian life are uncovered as well as unveils aspects of characters shaping the intellectual life of the city. Cultural stereotypes and biased points of view are discussed; as well as cultural cross-overs and entanglements.
The artworks of the exhibition Homemade Exotica induce an almost experiential immersion and invite viewers to become participant in the artworks’ area of research, the Athenian life and its fragile poetics - while at the same time inviting the viewer to dismantle narratives around a mythical place of ancient and contemporary times. Athens acts as a prime example of stereotyping images and utopias of "the other" which tend to get in the way of essential communication and exchange, no matter which whom or what.
