Tattoos make their stamp on Athens
A breathing ground for the arts, Technopolis, in Gazi, opened its doors onto an unconventional type of art last weekend: tattooing. The second annual Tattoo Convention set up studio for tattoo artists from Greece and around the world. “Coming to festivals is a good way to learn from other artists and enjoy their work,” said a tattoo artist of twelve years from Thessaloniki.
Contests such as the Best Black, Grey Tattoo and Best Tribal Tattoo fired guests up to cheer in support of their favorite artists and tattoo shops. No limit was set on the number of tattoos each artist could enter into the contests. The judges awarded first and second prize for the Best Color Tattoo to G. Mavridis… Continue reading
Georgian dance group returns to campus
The Merani Artistic Ensemble of the University of Tbilisi performed Georgian national dances in the Pierce College Theater on Friday, September 21.
The Merani Artistic Ensemble is one of the best dance groups Georgia has to offer. They have performed in Greece, both in Athens and Thessaloniki, as well as other countries in the Balkans and the Middle-East. The Merani Ensemble does not charge for its performances and they also take part in fundraising events.
The Merani Ensemble performed this year in order to raise money for the victims of this year’s deadly forest fires.
The show left spectators awed at the sight of the youngsters’ incredible strength and finesse. The Merani Artistic Ensemble, who danced magnificently for hours, was… Continue reading
The music of the outcasts tells a story
Markos Vamvakaris, Vassilis Tsitsanis, and Grigoris Bithikotsis shaped Greek music with the sound of the bouzoukia and baglamades. The sounds of the two instruments accompanied their characteristic voices as they sang about poverty, pain, drug addiction, police oppression, prison, unrequited love, betrayal and hashish.
The bouzouki, a lute-like instrument with a pear-shaped body (skafi) made of staves and baglama are the backbone of the rembetika, a popular genre of Greek music.
From its rise in Pireaus and Asia Minor through the Metaxa era, and from the occupation throught the civil war until today, the rembetika invite Greeks to dance, sing, and drink.
The rembetika tell the story of another era. “This music is all about… Continue reading
Art Exhibition 2005
The Art History Society displayed several selections of student art during the last week of classes. The Art Techniques, Drawing and Painting classes contributed to the collection.
The exhibit was also meant to promote the study of art history. Pamphlets were available to students that informed them of the various art history courses offered by the college and the potential career opportunities associated with the discipline.
“One must have an open mind”
“I adore dance,” said Kalliopi Kopanitsa as she sat behind the desk of her study in Lycabetus. “In fact, I was once recommended for the Royal Ballet School.” Kopanitsa, a costume and set designer, has been hooked on the arts since she was a little girl. “When I was six, I was taken to see Sleeping Beauty,” she said, “and I just fell in love with ballets.”
Born and raised in London, Kopanitsa spent all her summer holidays in Greece. “Both my parents are Greek,” she said.
Kopanitsa’s family has a propensity for the arts. “My mother was an opera singer and my father, although he’s a lawyer, writes stories,” she said. “I also have a younger sister who… Continue reading
Vive Mexicano!
It’s like Mexico in my mouth. The spices from south-of-the-border tingle on my lips. I wash images of sombreros and ponchos down my esophagus with a crisp Corona. I have one thing to say: Me gusta la comida mucho!
Mexican bar and restaurant Amigos Locos has opened in Aghia Paraskevi. It’s everything an American living in Greece didn’t expect it to be: Mexican! Or Mexican-American, more fittingly. Anybody familiar with Mexican cuisine in the United States will definitely appreciate the menu.
There’s a little bit of everything for everyone. It combines the American favorites of TGI Friday’s and Applebee’s, and introduces a Mexican tequila twist to the Greek mélange of multicultural food choices. From onion rings, to loaded potato skins,… Continue reading
Athens in the 20th century; an exhibit
Athens , 1940: A little girl admires her new, shiny, black shoes while gripping her old, tattered ones by the shoe laces. Men go to work, barefoot. An omnipresent army reminds Athenians of war-wrought decade.
The exhibition, Athens in the 20 th century, The Big Changes, assembled by ERT and the Mayor of Athens, brings Athenians closer to the events of the past 100 years. The exhibit is on display in Technopolis, in Gazi, and will run through January 2006.
“To see Athens without skyscrapers and condensed apartment buildings is truly refreshing,” said Eirini Orfanidou, a visitor. Orfanidou, who attended the exhibit with her husband, said that some of the pictures feel familiar.
“My grandparents were very poor during… Continue reading
Photographs and drawings display an oppressed childhood, at the Batagianni Gallery
A series of photographs and drawings of children’s faces that have been blurred and scribbled on hang on the walls of the silent white room. Through them the artist intends to expose the power relations between children and adults.
The “Childhood Abused” exhibition by Christina Kalbari opened October 4 at the Batagianni Gallery in Psirri, in central Athens. The collection of triptych images which combine photography and drawing illustrates what Kalbari says are the negative effects of the guiding roles of social institutions on childhood.
“Through this work I wanted to express myself, foremost,” Kalbari said. “I am at an age where I might soon be engaged in one of these power relations. I wanted to create images that would… Continue reading
Bookcrossing
Ever thought about setting your books free? There are some people who do just that, and they are members of a large online community, called “bookcrossing.” Members let their books free to travel and touch other people’s lives.
Bookcrossing.com started in 2001 and it was the idea of Ron Hornbaker (screen name “Reno”), who co-founded the site. Ever since, it has been growing. “The big bang occurred during the second year because of the media coverage, and since then the growth rate has not decreased,” said Reno in an article for the Greek magazine Epsilon a few weeks ago.
In August 2004, the word bookcrossing has been added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary as: “the practice of leaving a… Continue reading
Film Review: Hotel Rwanda checks on a hero
Hotel Rwanda tells the story of Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), a hotel manager who in the midst of the civil conflict between Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994 saved about a thousand Tutsi refugees. Since his wife (Sophie Okonedo) is a Tutsi, Rusesabagina found himself trying to save his family from the Hutus while trying to protect the Tutsi refugees by housing them in the hotel, like an African Oskar Schindler.
The film is a decent drama that touches on an important moment in African history. The Oscar nominations of Don Cheadle for best actor and Sophie Okonedo for best supporting actress were justified by their performances. Nevertheless, some of the scenes between the couple are overly melodramatic.
Nick… Continue reading