Art Athina 2019 returns for the 24th year in a brand new venue in the heart of Athens. The biggest annual cultural event of Greece will take place between Saturday 14th to Monday 16th of September at Zappeion Mansion.

Art Athina 2019 is organized under the auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mister Prokopios Pavlopoulos, who is set to inaugurate the fair on Friday, 13th September at 19:30.

Art Athina 2019 involves participation from 36 Greek and international galleries. Its new host, Zappeion Mansion, is strongly associated with Culture, Sports and recent Greek History. It constitutes the first building to be erected for the purposes of the modern Olympic Games, while it is also considered a milestone of Greek Neoclassical architecture. One specific section of this year’s fair, VIDEO, will find a home under the Athenian night sky, within the oldest cinema of Athens, Aegli Zappeiou.

One of the oldest art fairs in Europe, Art Athina has been active since its establishment by the Panhellenic Art Galleries Association in 1993 and is organised by the Hellenic Art Gallery Association and produced by Be Best production company.

The program is as follows:

Main: The central section of the exhibition spreads in the main spaces of Zappeion Mansion, where local and international galleries present their booths.

Video: The screening is curated by Art Athina Artistic Director, Stamatia Dimitrakopoulos. It involves video works selected from Daata Editions, a platform that commissions artist videos, sound, poetry and web to a new generation of artists who work with moving image and sound, Deste Foundation as well as independent Greek and international artists. The screening will take place at Aegli open–air cinema on Monday, September 16th at 9pm

Talks: For a second year, independent curator Katerina Nikou, invites significant individuals from the international art community – museum directors, curators, art historians – to join Art Athina 2019’s TALKS program. Central axis of this year’s program is the question “The Future is Now?”.

Live: A performance program by visual artists fueled by the participating galleries of Art Athina 2019 and will take place throughout the duration of the Art Fair in multiple sites at Zappeion Mansion. It is a three-day programming initiative, curated by Sozita Goudouna, that showcases “New Visual Performance” experimentation and liveness and their implications for cultural production. 

Educational Program: The program is addressed to students of the Athens School of Fine Arts, visual artists and theoreticians, and aims to inform, inspire, and prepare their introduction to the art world. Students are invited to meet with the artwork, learning the process from production to exposure. The programme consists of two sections, visits to studios of artists and visits to galleries.

Art Athina Workspace: Art Athina continues for a second year the international two-month artist residency, with the support of the Municipality of Athens and Athens Culture Net. Through Art Athina Workspace two artists, Neil Raitt from the United States and Dale Lewis from Britain were invited to spend four weeks in Athens seeking inspiration in the city and creating the works that were presented at the international program of Art Athina Summer Pop Up.

Art Athina Open Studios: For one Saturday each month, from January to May 2019, Art Athina invites the Young Patrons of the Museum of Cycladic Art to studio visits with artists represented by the participating galleries of the fair. Art Athina Open Studios offers a unique opportunity to the Young Patrons to meet the artists in their working environment and familiarize with their practice.

The galleries participating in the 24th Art Athina:

a. antonopoulou.art (Athens), Agathi Kartalos (Athens), Alibi (Athens), Alma Contemporary Art Gallery (Athens- Trikala), Anna Pappas Gallery (Μελβούρνη), Argo Gallery (Athens), Αrt Appel Gallery (Athens), Arusha Gallery (Scotland), Astrolavos Art Galleries (Athens), Cheapart (Athens), Citronne Gallery (Athens), Crux Gallerie (Athens), Donopoulos International Fine Arts (Thessaloniki), ekfrasi-yianna Grammatopoulou (Athens), Eleftheria Tseliou Gallery (Athens), Eleni Koroneou Gallery (Athens), Epsilon Art Gallery (Loutraki), Evripidis Art Gallery (Athens), Gallery “7” (Athens), Gallery Art Prisma (Pireaus), Gallery d’ Arte (New Jersey) Genesis Gallery (Athens), i-D Projectart (Athens), Ikastikos Kiklos Sianti (Athens), Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Center (Athens), Kalfayan Galleries (Athens-Thessaloniki), kaplanon5 art gallery (Athens), Mihalarias Art (Athens), N, Papatzikou Gallery (Veria), PeriTechnon Karteris (Athens), Renatino Gallery (Cyprus), Skoufa Gallery (Athens), Skoufa Gallery Mykonos (Mykonos), Τechnohoros  Art Gallery (Athens), The Breeder Gallery (Athens), Zina Athanassiadou Gallery (Thessaloniki). 

Tickets are 8€. For unemployed, students and elders it is 5€ and entrance is free for children, people with disabilities, students of the Athens School of Fine Arts.

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“Join Life / Like a Virgin” is a collaborative exhibition showing a one-by-one juxtaposition of the small-format collages of Leto Moustakaki and the photography of Nikos Stamatopoulos, long time family friends. After years of being separated, they were reintroduced to each other’s perspective through their art and discovered many common themes throughout their respective collections, despite the different mediums. Leto feels her work is a commentary on Nikos’ and Nikos feels his work is a commentary on Leto’s, so it is left to the viewer to decide the parallels and messages in each pair. Join us on Tuesday, 10th September at the FokiaNou Art Space for the opening “Join Life / Like a Virgin”, with cocktails served on FokiaNou’s rooftop terrace. The exhibition will run through Wednesday, 25th September.

Leto Moustakaki was born in Athens where she lives and works. She grew up in Sparta, where she was involved with photography and mosaics. She studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts, graduating in 2014. She also attended stained glass lessons of Tiffany's method, drawing lessons for a year and sculpting for four years at the Art Workshops of Agia Paraskevi. Sound is now part of her artistic research.

Born in Sparta in 1986, Nikos moved to Athens at the age of 18 to study acting. In 2012, when he left Athens, his artistic focus moved away from acting while still utilising his body and his ability to challenge ideals as he started taking photos. His style evolved as he moved between London, Santorini, Singapore, Bali, and now Malta, with a central theme of pushing boundaries, pulling inspiration from vintage porn. Nikos has gained a large following in the queer community for his provocative snapshots that play on color, spontaneity, and often erotic content in cheeky context. Nikos' art has been published by a number of queer art magazines and has shown at Queer Art Festival: Civil Disobedience 2016- 2018 in Athens, Greece and at He 2017: Questioning and Queering "Masculinity" in Los Angeles, California.

Opening: Tuesday 10 September 2019, 19.00
Duration: 10-25 September Hours: Wednesday to Saturday 17.00-20.00

Good news for the Greek academic community as the National Technical University of Athens (Metsovio Polytechnic) is listed as one of the top universities worldwide, according to the Shanghai Rankings 2019.

Anastasia Gerolymatou doesn't only believe that 'Age is just a number'; she has become living proof of that saying. At 81 years of age, the Greek will have her name in the Guinness Book of Records after windsurfing from Kefalonia to Kyllini in the Peloponnese, last week.

 

The octogenarian athlete has 3 grandchildren, who are her main source of inspiration. 'I did it so my grandchildren can remember me for what I accomplished,' she says with pride.

 

Gerolymatou plans to keep windsurfing for as long as she is strong enough to do so. She watches what she eats and keeps herself busy by doing the things that she loves.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter

The greatest air show of Greece, Athens Flying Week (AFW) Tanagra International Air Show 2019, with more than 410,000 loyal fans from around the world, returns for the 8th year in a row, and takes off for the fourth time from the Tanagra Air Base, on 21 and 22 September 2019!

Are you ready to take off with us?!

At the Tanagra airport, you will be able to live an exciting and unique experience, having the opportunity to:

- Enjoy easy and quick access to the main area of the show from the FREE parking located INSIDE the airport, RIGHT NEXT TO the spectators’ area.

- Experience take-offs and landings by the most popular jet and turboprop aircraft, just a stone’s throw away.

- Enjoy a spectacular Air Show

- Take a picture of yourself next to the planes, with the fighter jet pilots as well as the world-famous aerobatic pilots, at the largest static aircraft display in recent years.

- Browse and make your purchases at the trade fair, but also learn about every type of aviation training from the competent air schools, Αero clubs, and the Hellenic Aeronautical and Air Sports Federation (ELAO).

- Our young friends can spend carefree moments at the exceptionally safe playground

- Take a short break & dine in the fully-equipped restaurants with shaded areas

- Enjoy full visual access to giant screens which will be installed in various parts of the airport

- Enjoy aeromodelling demonstrations

- Participate and have fun at the numerous unique happenings and events

British comedy icon and legendary Monty Python member John Cleese is coming to Athens on 20 September 2019 to perform at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus for the first time.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is hosting – for the first time in Greece – one of the leading and most internationally acclaimed comedians of recent decades. World renowned John Cleese will perform at one of the most imposing theatres worldwide as part of his tour Last Time to See Me Before I Die. Through a montage of popular clips and live comedy sketches, Cleese will share highlights from his career with a Greek audience for the first – and possibly ‘last’ – time.

A British institution with a distinctive style and a career spanning over 50 years, Cleese is considered to be one of the top and most influential comedians in recent times.

The performance is taking place on the occasion of the British Council’s 80th-anniversary celebrations in Greece.

About John Cleese

John Cleese is a legendary comedy actor and performer, a New York Times best-selling author, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a very, very tall person. Born in a sleepy English town called Weston-Super-Mare in 1939, Cleese began writing as well as performing comedy sketches at Clifton College in Bristol and was a member of the Footlights Dramatic Club while a law student at the University of Cambridge.

Cleese’s first professional writing venture was with The Dick Emery Show and later on with the satirical television show The Frost Report (1966) featuring David Frost. His success on the Frost shows led to a small role in Interlude (1968), his first film appearance. Along with writing partners and co-stars Graham Chapter, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle and Michael Palin, he co-founded the legendary Monty Python troupe, who created the surreal sketch comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Subsequently, Monty Python became a global phenomenon. Cleese starred in four Monty Python films that include Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), which is still widely regarded as one of comedy’s most influential films. His next television endeavour was the all-time classic comedy series Faulty Towers (1975–79), which was hugely popular and received the 1980 BAFTA Award for Best Entertainment Performance. Cleese went on to crack the USA with A Fish Called Wanda in 1988, earning an Oscar nomination for his script and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

In 2014, Cleese’s memoir So, Anyway … was released by Crown Publishing and debuted at #9 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. He also has a keen interest in psychotherapy and has written two best-selling books with analyst Robin Skynner: Families and How to Survive Them (1983) and Life and How to Survive It (1993). In addition, Cleese became affiliated with Cornell University in New York in 1999, serving as A.D. White Professor-at-Large and later as Provost’s Visiting Professor. His public talks at the university covered a wide range of topics and formed the basis of the book Professor at Large: The Cornell Years (2018). The British comedian has also launched his own YouTube channel, where he hosts ‘seen, unseen, and should never be seen

The Bank of China, one of the world's largest credit institutions in the world, will be opening a branch office in Greece by the end of the year. This movement is considered an affirmative nod toward more Chinese strategic investments in Greece.

 

According to reports, Zhou Li Hong-the bank's chief for Europe-expressed an interest in financing significant investments, while at the same time supporting Chinese groups and businesses which are already active in Greece.

 

To read this article in full, please visit: Naftemporiki

September is almost here, and most families are shifting from holiday mode into back-to-school mode. A variety of stressful parameters, like earlier bedtimes, demanding homework, and tighter schedules are about to impact children and parents alike.

 

Read on to find a few actionable tips on keeping back-to-school stress at bay.

 

Stress can be expressed in a variety of ways, but because it's often internalized, it can be hard to identify in children. Look for warning signals, such as difficulty in sleeping, head and stomach aches, and changes in behavior like irritability and temper tantrums.

 

Michele Kambolis, a Vancouver-based child and family therapist, recommends having your kids externalize their stress. Kambolis uses an activity called a "worry wall," where kids write down their worrisome thoughts on sticky notes and paste them up on a wall. This simple action aids children to gain perspective and compartmentalize their stressors.

 

 

To be able to recognize school-related anxiety in your child, you need to open your ears and pay close attention to their particular grievances. If your child is complaining about not wanting to go to school or having difficulty doing their work, try to figure out the cause of the problem.

Is it a teacher issue? A bully? Are they over-scheduled? You will probably be able to address most of these problems either at home or by contacting school administrators.

 

 

Children need much more sleep than most people realize. Children in kindergarten up to third grade may require up to 12 hours of sleep per night, and high schoolers need a solid 8 to 10 hours. Address factors that may result in sleep loss, such as demanding schedules, anxiety, or using technology and social media platforms late at night.

 

 

'PDF' stands for (unstructured) playtime, downtime, and family time. While technology can occasionally be a part of PDF, the idea is that these are moments when the family is not plugged in. It's these face-to-face moments that will help kids decompress and reconnect with themselves, their family, and friends.

To read this article in full, please visit: Real Simple

A Greek NGO helping migrant and refugee children in Greece has won the world's biggest annual humanitarian award.

METAdrasi uses translators who are fluent in more than 43 languages and dialects to navigate complicated policies and procedures.

METAdrasi's founder, Lora Pappa, said of the award: "It will enable us to strengthen our advocacy and help us be heard. This is an ongoing crisis. We are so grateful to receive the prize at a time when urgent needs regarding the refugee situation continue to emerge."

To read this article in full, please visit: The Guardian

 

Image by skeeze from Pixabay 

 

METAdrasi was founded in December 2009 with the mission to facilitate the reception and integration of refugees and migrants in Greece. Believing that migration leads to development, METAdrasi is determined to uphold and protect the fundamental human rights of all those displaced and persecuted through innovative interventions. The name of ΜΕΤΑdrasi was coined by the synthesis of the Greek words “meta”+“drasi” (meaning: and then? + action) and encapsulates our purpose and philosophy.

Guided by the principles of consistency, efficiency, transparency and flexibility to adjust to needs as they emerge, METAdrasi is active in the following key areas:

•The provision of quality interpretation, enabling vital communication with refugees and migrants through the deployment of over 350 interpreters, trained and certified by METAdrasi in 43 languages and dialects – an activity that lies at the heart of any effective provision of humanitarian support;

• The protection of unaccompanied and separated children, through a comprehensive safety net of activities including accommodation facilities, escorting from precarious conditions to safe spaces and the pioneering activities of guardianship, foster families and supported independent living;

• The protection and support of other vulnerable groups through the provision of legal aid to asylum seekers, certification of victims of torture and deployment of humanitarian aid wherever needed;

• The education and integration of refugees and migrants through educational programmes, Greek language lessons, multilingual support guides and remedial education for children that enables access to the right to education, as well as soft-skills training, traineeship opportunities and work placements.