Phenomenon is a biennial project for contemporary art held in the Aegean island of Anafi, Greece and it includes a weeklong residency, an exhibition and a publication. It is organized by the Association Phenomenon and the Collection Kerenidis Pepe. The first edition has taken place in the summer of 2015: residency week July 6-10th; exhibition July 11-19th (opening reception on Saturday July 11th).
A phenomenon is something that is made appear or brought to light, but that can, as easily, fall back into obscurity or oblivion. On this remote island, suddenly brought out of the darkness by Apollo to provide shelter to the Argonauts, the project explores contemporary art as a lens that reveals the invisible, blurs the apparent, gives access to unimaginable worlds. Confronted with its limits, through the sensorial shock of the bright white light and the infinite sea, the mind is summoned to experiment, trace multiple cartographies, displace its perspective and (re)create memories. Acting from the outskirts of the outskirts, art can propose new experiences and produce knowledge. In offering alternative ways of seeing and investigating the possibilities of the infinitesimal space between visible and discursive, the project is looking to overcome established hierarchies, generate unexpected connections and be a force for change.
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INVITED ARTISTS. Kostas Bassanos, Alejandro Cesarco, Daniel Gustav Cramer, Detanico/Lain, Haris Epaminonda, Nina Papaconstantinou
THE RESIDENCY (JULY 6-10th). During the residency, the artists conceive and produce in situ works that will become part of the exhibition. In addition, the artists and the other invitees will animate a series of lectures, round tables, projections, walks, or other activities related to the project’s concept.
THE EXHIBITION (JULY 11-19th). The exhibition will be hosted in the school, a two-storey neo-classical style building in Chora and in other outdoors places. It will work as an open forum for the artists to propose and produce works in relation to the island and the concept of the project. For the first edition, the exhibition will explore the notions of invisibility and visibility and the moment of passing from one to the other.
THE PUBLICATION. The documentation of the residency events and the exhibition will be the starting point for the creation of a publication, at once catalogue and artistic object, which will extend the project’s existence and connect it to the following edition.