KangarooCourt group “Retrospective” @ Kunsthalle Athena, 2012 Athens, Greece. Curated by Marina Fokidis, Eleanna Papathanasiadi, Aggeliki Roussou
Kunsthalle Athena-“Retrospective”
Kunsthalle Athena presents an exhibition of works by the artist Panos Papadopoulos and the artistic group KangarooCourt, as part of the programme of individual presentations of acclaimed and upcoming Greek artists.
Opening: Thursday, October 4, 20:00
Duration: October 4 – November 8, 2012
Visiting hours: Wednesday – Thursday, 18.30 – 22.00
Address: 28, Kerameikou str., Kerameikos – Metaxourgeio, Athens
http://www.kunsthalleathena.org
As part of the programme of solo shows of acclaimed and upcoming artists, Kunsthalle Athena presents two concurrent solo shows opening on Thursday the 4th of October. On the left side of the building, there is the show of visual artist Panos Papadopoulos, Headquarters, and on the right side, the show of the artistic group KangooroCourt, “Retrospective”. The emphasis put on Greek artists who live in Athens during this period, as well as the combination of these specific exhibitions, are not coincidental. On the contrary, they are directly related to the specific regional – but also more general- condition.
Responding to the current time of uncertainty, to the growing bankruptcy of the state, to the general inability to figure out a solid solution, to the political and economical machinations -that take place at the expense of the citizens-, to the general corruption, to a small percentage of dynamic visionary inhabitants -that has collided with an invisible wall-, but also in a flimsy hope, that begins with the “irrational” of the visual language, the curatorial team of Kunsthalle Athena sets a handful of artists to confront each other, as well as the audience, through works that deal with some of the above subjects, in a unique and liberated way, avoiding quotes and guided political utterance. Through abstract compositions, and actions with evident references to the social and political structure of reality, Panos Papadopoulos and KangarooCourt group, make us think harder, in the hope of approaching a clearer solution.
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The group KangarooCourt was founded in the beginning of 2010 in Thessaloniki, Greece, and its name is inspired by the term kangaroo court, that refers to the out-of-law courts, that, for example, teams of prisoners or workers on strike create to solve their differences. The group consists of Dimitris Ameladiotis, Filippos Gountzos, Elena Koukoli, Iordanis Papadopoulos, Nana Sachini, Ioanna Stratoglou and Simos Veis, who come from different artistic backgrounds, but share the same interests regarding artist-audience or power relations. Given a planned future collaboration for a new performance by KangarooCourt group in the building of Kunsthalle Athena in the summer of 2013, we decided to present a historical retrospective of documents-works and archive material of all the group’s performances. Apart from the talk-presentation of KangarooCourt group in the gathering SYSTEMS at CAMP in the summer of 2012, it is the first time that the group is presenting its work as a whole in a solo show.
Choosing to express themselves through a harmonic blend of different forms of art, like visual arts, performance, music, literature, among others, KangarooCourt group’s actions critically comment on “the limits of (re)presentation, the utterant body, the aestheticised speech”, as they unfold in the frames of the art, as well as in the general social realm.
It is up to the spectator to place his / her own focus on the meanings and associations that become imprinted, or even disappear, though the intermingling of different individuals.
The organisation and curation of the exhibition has been a collaboration of Kunsthalle Athena’s curatorial team· Marina Fokidis, Eleanna Papathanasiadi, Angeliki Roussou.
Assistant curators: Maria Passarivaki, Christina Stamou, Viki Stavraka
Kunsthalle Athena, 28, Kerameikou street, Kerameikos – Metaxourgeio, Athens, Greece
http://www.kunsthalleathena.org
Αmeladiotis Dimitris 
