Οίκαδε|Oikade (At Home)
Curated by: Maria Marangou
Held by: the Pancretan Association
Melina Merkouri Cultural Centre of Athens
13 May - 10 June 2003
Thursday 13 May 2003 marked the successful opening of the exhibition ‘Oikade’: Cretan Artists at Melina Merkouri Cultural Centre of Athens, as part of the (permanent) exhibition of Rethymno Centre for Contemporary Art (today Contemporary Art Museum of Crete) which was transferred to Athens at the initiative of the Pancretan Association. This exhibition was the meeting point for 170 Cretan artists of international, panhellenic or regional reach in the field of arts.
The exhibition was organised and held for the first time in Rethymno by Rethymno Centre for Contemporary Art, and curated by Maria Marangou.
The Pancretan Association -along with Mr. Michalis Angelakis’ substantial contribution-was responsible for the exhibition’s presentation in Athens.
Many Cretans residing in Athens, Cretan government representatives and people who appreciate art visited the exhibition to admire the artworks and creativity of Cretan artists who either live in Crete or in other parts of Greece and abroad. Most of the participating artists were also there.
The opening of “Oikade” exhibition in Athens was marked by the presence of artists who travelled from all over Crete to Athens.
Minister of Culture, Mr. Evangelos Venizelos inaugurated the exhibition and stated that a collaboration between an association with a long tradition of preserving historical values and a centre specialised in contemporary art at international level will be very promising. He also highlighted the fact that the Ministry of Culture pays special attention to Rethymno Centre of Contemporary Art for its dynamic presence in the country’s institutions. The Centre turned out to be a ‘star’ that shone out rapidly both at panhellenic and international level. As for the exhibition itself, Minister of Culture made positive comments on the Centre’s emotional approach and pointed out that the coming together of all these artworks and the listing of Cretan artists is of great significance.
President of the Pancretan Association, Mr. Nikos Prassianakis was the first to speak during the opening of the exhibition. He mainly referred to the importance of this meeting point that gave the chance to Cretans to get together and ‘seal’ this way the existence of a still vivid tradition. He also highlighted all efforts made by the association to actively participate in cultural life of the Cretan people. He also pointed out the fact that “Oikade” exhibition is the first serious attempt to make a list of Cretan artists.
Director of Rethymno Centre of Contemporary Art, Mrs. Maria Marangou thanked the Pancretan Association for its decision to transfer the exhibition to Athens and highlighted the fact that the artworks of Cretan artists are dominated by the presence of many different artistic trends.
The exhibition was accompanied by a bilingual catalogue (GR-EN) which was reprinted on behalf of the Pancretan Association to also include an annex of the 14 artists who participated in the exhibition held in Athens.
