The The Hub for the Exchange of Music Innovation is proud to announce the launch of HEMI Incubator, the first music business incubation & acceleration programme in the region!

Do you run your own Music Business?

Are you developing a groundbreaking idea addressing the needs of the Music Industry.
Looking for coaching, networking and business development opportunities? 

Choose one of our programmes, apply (deadline 10/04), join our community, and take your chance to shape the future of the Music Industry, with us! 

FokiaNou Art Space is pleased to present a two-person exhibition with Ioanna Terlidou and Piyi Wong, artists who work in vastly different media but with a common delicate, light-weight approach, evoking ephemerality. Terlidou’s work in fabric, embroidery, crochet and weaving, injects transparency and a play of light, which reveals different aspects of the fabric at different moments; fleeting glimpses of human figures recall shadow theater. Likewise, Wong’s photographic botany portraiture has a direct and immediate quality in capturing fragments of time, expressing the transitory, momentary concept of ephemerality, inspired by Lao Zi’s philosophical concept of Ziran.

Ioanna Terlidou, originally from Thessaloniki, studied tapestry and drawing at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts, on a scholarship from EOMMEX (Hellenic Organization of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises and Handicraft). Upon returning to Greece, she set up her studio in Pilion, where she initially worked with a traditional (seated) floor loom. She later moved to a vertical loom, which helped her develop a more personal artistic style. Terlidou has shown her work at E-Mi Gallery, Volos; Gallery 7, Athens; the Folkloric Museum of Larissa and the Archaelogical Museum, Volos, among others. ioannaterlido@yahoo.gr

Piyi Wong is a multidisciplinary artist/designer from a Chinese/Malaysian background. She earned her degree in Graphics and Media and graduated with Honours from the London College of Printing, part of the collegiate University of the Arts London. She has resided and worked in Greece for the last ten years, attending for 3 years the Athens School of Fine Arts as a visiting artist in the Graphics Lab (letterpress and book making) and the Photography Lab. She also worked as art director at the award winning Leo Burnet Kuala Lumpur and collaborated with the artist/photographer Justin Brice Guariglia. http://www.poieinpiyi.com

FokiaNou Art Space is an artist-run project space in the intimacy of a small apartment in an old building in the center of Athens. The space encourages collaborative creative efforts between Greek and foreign artists, thereby promoting and supporting the local art community. The space hosts exhibitions, workshops and projects under the direction of two artists, Mary Cox and Panagiotis Voulgaris. www.fokianou247.gr

Opening:  Thursday 31 March, 17.00
Duration:   31 March – 16 April, 2022
Hours:  Thursday – Saturday 17.00-20.00
FokiaNou Art Space, Fokianou 24, 7^th Floor, Pagrati  Metro:  Evangelismos

Following last February's galactic event "A Night At The Museum",  the team of the Industrial Gas Museum will be holding two additional events for our little friends to solve the unsolved mysteries of the universe. 

The Industrial Gas Museum welcomes children of ages 5-7  & 8-11 years old on Friday 1st & Saturday 2nd of April to an exciting series of family activities at the Old Gas Factory which gave light and energy to the city of Athens for 130 years. 


For Families With Children 5-7 Years Old

When: Friday, April 1st 2022
Time: 17:30-21: 30
Meeting point: INNOVATHENS Building

For Families With Children 8-11 Years Old

When: Saturday, April 2nd 2022
Time: 17:00 - 22:00
Meeting point: INNOVATHENS Building

Information-reservations: 213-0109325 (Mon-Fri. 11: 00-16.00)
Places are limited. Phone reservation required.

Greece is one of the most friendly countries in Europe, according to a recent report by InterNations.

Thousands of expatriates took a survey for InterNations, a site that offers essential tips to expats around the world, to help determine which countries in Europe and around the world are the most friendly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Greece, a country known for its extroverted people, ranked among the top ten in Europe.

Greece among top ten most friendly countries in Europe

Greece was voted the eighth friendliest European country, while Portugal topped the list. Greece was also ranked twelfth on the list of best countries in Europe for making friends.

Taiwan topped the international list of friendliest countries, and Mexico ranked first for making new friends.

The least friendly country on the survey was Austria, and the countries least conducive to making friends were Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.

Greece’s friendly reputation amongst expats and tourists likely stems from the longstanding Greek value of hospitality, or “philoxenia.” Philoxenia, which literally means “friend of a stranger” in Ancient Greek, is an ancient concept that is still very prominent in modern Greece.

In fact, Greek god Zeus is also known as “Zeus Xenios” because he was also the protector of strangers and travelers. He thus embodied the ancient Greek religious obligation to be hospitable to travelers.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com

Visiting folk museums that present how houses and other spaces were set up in the past can be a fascinating experience, but during one’s visit, it’s hard to forget one is in a museum.

One of the key charms of the Katakouzenos House Museum (KHM) is that it almost feels still lived in. The 300m sq apartment on Vas. Amalias Ave is filled with impressive and highly elegant furnishings, books, and paintings by the likes of Chagall, who was one of the illustrious and globally famous friends of the owners. It is a cultural gem on the 4th floor looking out to the Parliament Building that still, not enough people know about.

The KHM was once the private residence of acclaimed psychiatrist Angelos Katakouzenos and his intellectually pioneering wife Leto, who belonged to the cultural elite of Europe’s so-called “1930s generation,” and were cultural ambassadors of Greece abroad and arbiters of international tendencies in Greece.

When she was a young woman, the museum’s director Sophia Peloponnisiou, connected with Leto Katakouzenou during the last decades of her life.

They developed a close and loyal friendship during which Peloponissiou made her dedication to her friend’s cultural visions a priority, offering her time and efforts in helping her publish her autobiography, soon published in its fifth version, and helping to organize cultural initiatives. Following Leto Katakouzenos’s death, the young woman discovered that she had been assigned the honor of continuing the pair’s cultural vision by keeping the apartment and its legacy ‘alive’.

Hosting a year-round series of cultural events such as talks, music and theatre performances, readings, and screenings, the KHM contains an extensive collection of over 40 paintings, some drawings, and prints, numerous works of art (decorative objects, sculptures), paintings in various media from the 1930s-1970s and a quality collection of 18th and 19th C. French and Hellenic furniture. The series of paintings includes a set of four large mahogany doors especially painted for the Katakouzenoi by their close friend Nikos Chatzekyriakos-Gkikas and many more paintings by the same artist in various media.

Further works by Spyros Vasileiou, Giannis Tsarouches, Giorgos Gounaropoulos (all prominent artists of the “1930s generation”) are hung all over the house. The watercolor and pastel portrait of Leto by Marc Chagall is perhaps the best work of art by a non-Hellene artist. “What makes the KHM collection of paintings quite unique, apart from their undoubted artistic and monetary value, is the way they were acquisitioned” notes Peloponissiou. “None of the works was purchased; indeed most were given by the artists themselves as gifts, tokens of friendship or gratitude.”

To read this article in full, please visit: greekcitytimes.com

Sea buckthorn berries have been used in traditional medicine throughout Central Asia and Eastern Europe for centuries.

The small orange-yellow berries are described as a superfood. They are full of vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids that have been shown to aid in hair and nail growth, benefit eye health, and even boost the immune system as well as increase concentration.

Ancient Greek figures in pharmacology, medicine, botany, and nutrition have long been known for the healing, beneficial qualities of the sea buckthorn berries.

Alexander the Great ate the superfood

Alexander the Great noticed the beneficial qualities of the sea buckthorn berries superfood during his military campaigns in the then known world which he incorporated into his own diet as well as the diet of his troops to give them strength and vitality.

According to ancient sources, the famed Greek leader noticed that his horses loved the berries, and after eating them, they had more strength, shinier hair, recovered more quickly from injury and illness, and seemed to radiate health.

It’s from Alexander that sea buckthorn berries got their scientific name, Hippophae, which comes from the Ancient Greek words hippos and phaos, meaning “shining horse,” referring to the radiant effect the berries had on his horses.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com

The family-friendly island of Sifnos is a great choice for travelers looking to snap some gorgeous holiday pictures, according to the publication.

The Greek island of Sifnos topped the list with the ten most photogenic destinations of the world, according to the Spanish edition of Condé Nast Traveler, the largest travel magazine worldwide.

The Cycladic island came first with the Church of the Seven Martyrs, the idyllic landscapes, the Castle, the numerous churches, and the picturesque villages that charm all the travelers that visit the island of Apollo every year, the writer of the article Alberto Piernas Medina says.

Second was Morocco followed by Valencia, Portugal, and its lakes, France, the Canary Islands, Mexico, London, and the verdant regions of Italy.

Originally published on: greece-is.com

Main image: @greek_vibes_wd

The first step towards the expansion and renovation of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens was taken on Friday, March 11th, after the Museum Council of Greece approved the technical criteria upon which relevant architectural studies will be drafted.

The revamped museum will have an underground car park, dining areas, a new garden, and entrance, and will harness natural light to highlight exhibits and spaces. The museum’s priority is to showcase the Greek civilization through exhibits spanning the centuries.

However, it will not be limited only to ancient Greek art, as it will also seek to open new paths into contemporary art. The plan stipulates that the main exhibition space will increase to 11,000 square meters from 7,800, while spaces intended for temporary exhibitions will be expanded to 1,430 sq.m. from 400 sq.m.

To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini.com

What city springs to mind when you think of neoclassical architecture? Rome? Paris, maybe? Well, you would be surprised to know that Athens, as the capital of Greece and the classical world, except for its legendary historical monuments dating back to the Classical Era, has also a charming neoclassical side.

A walk through the historic center reveals some of the city's most stunning neoclassical structures, carrying so much history and splendid grandeur within its walls.

Zappeion Hall


@landscape.shots.sat

The Zappeion Hall is located within the National Gardens of Athens and is considered one of Greece's most impressive neoclassical structures. It was the first building in the world constructed specifically for the Greek Olympic Games. Its construction was funded by national benefactor Evangelos Zappas, who assigned the work to Danish architect Theophil Hansen. The building now frequently hosts art exhibitions and other events.

Academy of Athens


@photozulu

The neoclassical building of the Academy between Panepistimiou and Akadimias Street was designed" in 1859 by the Danish architect Theophil Hansen, as part of an architectural "trilogy along with the University and the National Library. Highly influenced by the Acropolis and the overall architecture of the Golden Age of Athens, many believe it to be Hansen's most important architectural achievement and one of the most astonishing neoclassical structures worldwide.

Iliou Melathron


@theodorosgalanis

On the same street as the Academy of Athens, you will find this majestic three-story building. Built between 1878 and 1880 for Heinrich Schliemannby renowned architect Ernst Ziller, it was considered the most glorious residence of Athens. Its elaborate design is inspired by Neoclassicism and the Renaissance Revival movement. The marble columns and the replicas of the triglyph and metope of the temple of Athena in Troy are the most distinctive features of this iconic building. Today it hosts the Monetary Museum of Athens.

Stathatos Mansion


@dimitris.tsioulis

The Stathatos Mansion is a neoclassical villa on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue. It was built in 1895 by the Saxon-Greek architect Ernst Ziller and, until 1937, served as the residence of Othon and Athina Stathatos. In 1982, it was purchased by the Greek government with the intention of housing visiting royals and state officials, although this never happened. Today it is part of the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art.

Presidential Mansion


@stefkont

On Irodou Attikou Street lies this spectacular mansion that now serves as the official residence of the President of the Hellenic Republic. Formerly known as Royal Palace, its construction began in 1891 by architect Ernst Ziller, intending to present Crown Prince Constantine with a private dwelling. Despite its otherworldly glamor, the building is also known for its magnificent gardens, constituting a green haven in the heart of Athens.

Kalamata olives are only found on the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece and have played a part in the human diet for thousands of years. Growing under the amazing Greek sun, the olive trees here have much larger leaves than other types of olive trees around the nation and the world and absorb more sunshine.

This dark cherry-sized fruit — yes, the olive is a fruit — that has been used by Greeks for thousands of years not only tastes great, but it also serves up a host of nutritional benefits.

It’s no secret that doctors and dieticians call it one of the healthiest foods on earth and that’s because they are high in sodium, rich in healthy fats, and contain a natural antioxidant.

Kalamata olives contain a range of health-promoting vitamins and minerals and are particularly high in iron and vitamin A. It is said that regular consumption may help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and various cancers.

History of Kalamata olives

The earliest cultivation of olive trees was probably over five thousand years ago, since Ancient Greek times. Despite being known as ‘Greek black olives,’ they are in fact deep purple in color and compared to green and black olives, they are bigger in size and have plumper, oblong shape.

Growers pick these Kalamata olives by hand to avoid bruising the fruit. Following the harvesting of the olives, workers either process them into olive oil or prepare them to be table olives.

Kalamata olives contain a stone in the middle, and generally, they are not pitted before being sold. However, when fresh the olives are incredibly bitter, and so they enter a process of ‘debittering.’

General Nutrition of Kalamata Olives

Kalamata olives are a good source of fiber, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin K. They also provide some magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium per serving as well as B vitamins.

While Kalamata olives are high in fat considering their serving size, the majority of their fat is monounsaturated, also known as a “healthy” fat. It is said a 4-tablespoon serving of Kalamata olives has 2.7 grams of monounsaturated fats and 0.3 grams of polyunsaturated fats.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekcitytimes.com