ONASSIS CULTURAL CENTER NEW YORK PRESENTS NEW COMMISSIONS BY THREE INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ARTISTS IN NYC  

Compelling new work by Alexandra Kehayoglou, Maria Papadimitriou, and Stefanos Tsivopoulos use Antigone’s story to reveal vital issues confronting humankind today 

On view through December 15, 2016

WHAT

Highlights of the Onassis Cultural Center New York’s fall programming include three new artists’ commissions by Alexandra Kehayoglou, Maria Papadimitriou, and Stefanos Tsivopoulos. Each take the story of Antigone—a teenager who sets out to do what she believes in morally right—and creates provocative installations that serve as platforms for reflection and discussion. Kehayoglou considers the balance between natural and civic law in an intricate topographical tapestry. Papadimitriou's multi-part installation examines human mortality and Greek culture, incorporating audio of Sophocles’ character and visitor participation. The deeply poignant story of a young man—gay, black, and homeless—struggling to chart his course as an artist unfolds in a striking video work by Tsivopoulos.

The installations are on display in the Gallery and Atrium of Onassis Cultural Center New York’s U.S. headquarters in Olympic Tower, 645 Fifth Avenue, New York. The installations debuted at the second annual Onassis Festival of Arts and Ideas, Antigone Now, presented on October 13‒16. A new performance-based work by Carrie Mae Weems, Past Tense, also commissioned for the Festival, premiered on October 13. Through song, spoken word, and projection, Past Tense considered today’s political environment that propagates racial tension and violence.

WHEN

Laboratory Antigone and We, Antigone on view through December 15, 2016, in the Onassis Cultural Center Gallery: Thursday through Saturday 10 am–6pm.

Repoussoir for A New Perspective on view through mid-January 2017, in the Olympic Tower Atrium: daily 8 am–10 pm.

WHERE

Onassis Cultural Center New York

Olympic Tower

645 Fifth Avenue (at East 51st Street)

New York, New York

ALEXANDRA KEHAYOGLOU

Repoussoir for A New Perspective, Kehayoglou’s installation on the Art Wall in the Olympic Tower Atrium is a multi-part hand-woven sculptural tapestry, 23 x 8’. Executed in earth tones using tufted wool—discarded thread from her family’s carpet factory in Buenos Aires—the sculptural form represents the cave formations and volcanic activity that produces intricate outcroppings and patterns in the landscape on the Greek island of Milos. The minerals being extracted from this fragile ecosystem for industrial use are currently in danger of vanishing. The work reveals the ways in which the artist weaves tragedy into her practice as she explores the nexus of natural (moral) and human-made law like Antigone’s story does. Kehayoglou’s work has been shown at Frieze 15 London and The Armory Show in NYC.

MARIA PAPADIMITRIOU

Laboratory Antigone is an immersive installation occupying most of the Gallery. It comprises elements inspired by the artist’s reflections on the history of ancient Thebes, the personae of Antigone and Oedipus, and impressions while traveling between Athens and Volos. She uses an old tannery in the town of Volos as a point of reference. Suspended animal hides reference six pivotal characters in the myth. A large-scale photomontage of the tannery and videos of spinning tannery barrels (“Rotobolo”) and archival material (“Mechanization of Death”) provide an architectural environment and, with the hides, evoke themes of mortality. A recorded monologue from Antigone read by Greek actress Amalia Moutoussi in Greek and English accompanies the installation. Visitors are welcome to contribute to a chalkboard wall. Papadimitriou represented Greece at the 2015 Venice Biennale.

STEPHANOS TSIVOPOULOS

In We, Antigone, Tsivopoulos produces a narrative based on the life of the film’s subject. Rakeem Edwards is a young, gay, black man born in Georgia and raised in Alaska. He lived in group and foster homes before moving to Portland to pursue an acting career. While Rakeem works several part-time jobs to survive, his main creative output is to perform as a drag queen at parties where he is paid to cry. Through Edwards’ experience, the film questions how issues like race, sexual orientation, income inequality, and social mobility play a major role in defining and expressing oneself. The artist reveals that, like Antigone, Edwards feels like a stranger in his own land. Edwards’ performances also reveal the power of vulnerability and the acceptance of sadness and crying as necessary for catharsis. We, Antigone is screened in the Gallery. The artist represented Greece at the 2013 Venice Biennale. Click here to view a short video clip from the film.

ONASSIS CULTURAL CENTER NEW YORK

The Onassis Cultural Center New York explores Greek culture from antiquity to today through a diverse program of exhibitions, events, and online engagement for audiences of all ages and interests. All programs and exhibitions—from scholarly to those designed for families, novices, and experts—are presented free of charge to make the experience accessible to all.

ONASSIS FOUNDATION USA

The Onassis Foundation USA, an affiliate to the parent Foundation in Greece, is committed to the promotion of Greek culture. By cooperating with educational and cultural institutions in Greece and throughout the Americas, the Onassis Foundation USA promotes cultural relations. The mission of the Onassis Foundation USA is realized through two major initiatives, one cultural and educational for the general public through its Onassis Cultural Center New York, and one academic, the University Seminar Program, that places eminent scholars from all over the world in universities in North and Latin America for seminars and courses on topics related to Hellenic civilization. To learn more about the Foundation and the Onassis Cultural Center New York, please visit: www.onassisusa.org.

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