Athens Biennale 2021: ECLIPSE Highlights

ECLIPSE

ECLIPSE was conceived as an idea before COVID-19. However, the pandemic did not allow it to happen. Nevertheless, the concept remained and today ECLIPSE is more relevant than ever. Poka Yio, the artistic director, said in an interview:

“Historically, the eclipse made people worry. To fear of what is coming. Most of the times it was a bad omen. A sign. I believe we are going through a period in which many of the things we conquered the last years, such as freedom, democracy and others, are being suppressed. Therefore, we will start seeing new collective visions coming to the surface. In order to give birth to the new, we need to doubt. When you doubt, you are in a place where you have lost your balance. Art is a good dowser, that searched to find the source of what is coming. To see what will happen.”

More than 80 Greek and foreign artists participate in ECLIPSE. The curators, Omsk Social Club and Larry Ossei-Mensah, tried to orchestrate a discussion on marginalized voices to create a different perspective of art. Black, queer, futuristic, and radical artists use different means of creating art, such as sound and video, light, and performance, to draw attention to social topics such as immigration, politics, and the public space during the pandemic.

The Ghost Buildings of ECLIPSE

There are three main buildings in this year’s Biennale. These are abandoned buildings, two of which formerly housed a department store and a court, and the third is Sina Palace, a building that looks like a haunted madhouse. The main exhibiting area is the former department store, Fokas, which symbolizes Greece’s bankruptcy and a meta-capitalistic era. The courthouse was once Santaroza Court. It is one of the oldest neoclassical buildings in Athens and built upon the establishment of contemporary Greek democracy.

There are also two more buildings, the Schliemann-Mela Palace and Onassis Stegi. The first one is a neo-baroque building, designed by Heinrich Schliemann during the 1880s. It was a means to give a cosmopolitan aesthetic to the city of Athens. The Schliemann Palace has housed many iconic and historical services over the years, but it was too gradually abandoned. Last but not least, the Onassis Stegi is a contemporary cultural center that organizes various artistic events.

Athens Biennale 2021: The Artists

Many artists are exhibiting in ECLIPSE. Many of them are showcasing new artworks, created specifically for the Athens Biennale 2021. Some of these artists are manuel arturo abreu, Ευγενία Βερελή, Sanford Biggers, Billy Bultheel, Judy Chicago,  Zuzanna Czebatul, Simon Denny,  Christoph Draeger, Claude Eigan, Awol Erizku, Doreen Garner, Miles Greenberg, Satch Hoyt, Yinka Ilori, Astrit Ismaili, Tomashi Jackson,  Λητώ Κάττου, Navine G. Khan-Dossos, Nuri Koerfer, Ndayé Kouagou, Αριστείδης Λάππας, Ana Mendieta, Meleko Mokgosi, Zanele Muholi, Αλέξανδρος Ντούρας, Kayode Ojo, Omsk Social Club, Zohra Opoku, Βασίλης Παπαγεωργίου, Νεκτάριος Παππάς, Ebony G. Patterson, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Andrew Roberts, Victoria Santa Cruz, Jacolby Satterwhite, Βαλίνια Σβορώνου, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Juana Subercaseaux, Suzanne Treister, Θεόκλητος Τριανταφυλλίδης, and Wu Tsang.

The vast majority of exhibits are sculptures and installations. The absence of paintings is intentional, as the artistic director and the curators wanted to focus on more vivid artistic creations. Thus, the visitors have direct contact with the artworks, as they feel more contemporary and ground-breaking than paintings. The main exhibition was accompanied by various performance art shows, discussions, and events that were cohesive to the theme of ECLIPSE.