On Friday, March 4, The American College of Greece proudly held the opening night of the Overseas exhibition, part of the 2016 Arts Festival, organized by the Frances Rich School of Fine and Performing Arts.
The Story
The exhibition coincides with the College’s celebration of the 140th anniversary of its founding as a school for girls in the Armenian quarter of Smyrna in 1875. After the destruction of the city in 1922, the College established itself in Athens, moving from Palaio Faliro, to Elliniko, and finally to its current location in Aghia Paraskevi.
Overseas, alludes to the College’s connections across the Atlantic, and to its move from one coast of the Aegean to the other, along with more than a million refugees, in the beginning of the 20th century. Overseas also draws a strong parallel to the current humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands of refugees crossing the Mediterranean in search of asylum in Europe.
The Background
The exhibition reflects upon present conditions and contemporary history through different moments of ACG’s story. It examines displacement, both in a literal sense, as a move from one place to another, as well as in a metaphorical sense, as part of the educational process which often involves moving through doubt and the questioning of one’s certainties. The show also explores the diverse and shifting nature of identity, formed by gender, origin, labor, and education, and it investigates the role images play in shaping representations. Finally, Overseas approaches predetermined limits and borders as points of negotiation, in a search for means of resistance to oppressive conditions.
The Works
Overseas brings together works from the ACG Collection covering a span of more than 100 years, with works by contemporary artists. Through various media, the show explores different ways of being, knowing, communicating, and acting. A study room is placed in the center of the exhibition, containing books from the libraries of Deree and Pierce, amplifying the issues raised by the show through the many voices offered by books.
Alongside the art, the books act as transmitters of knowledge and testimonies to the human experience, creating a mechanism of dislocation. Books of different disciplines selected by the College’s professors, artists’ books and editions, and a wide range of other media, intertwine and compose a landscape begging to be explored.
The Arts Festival
The exhibition launched the 2016 Arts Festival, a week-long celebration of the arts on campus, with cultural and educational events. This year’s program covered a range of fields including Art History, Theater Arts, Visual Arts, Music, Dance, and Graphic Design, through exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and performances, as well as masterclasses and workshops offered by Deree faculty members and invited artists and lecturers.
When & Where
The Overseas Exhibition is held at the ACG Art Gallery, in the John S. Bailey Library, and is curated by ACG’s Art Registrar Galini Notti. It is open to alumni and the public, and will run from Friday, March 4 until Saturday, April 2, 2016.
Opening Hours
Monday – Friday: 14:00 – 18:00
Saturday: 12:00 – 16:00
