Independent art events are an important reminder of what art can achieve when freed from the constraints of the market and its gatekeepers. Athens is fortunate to be home to one of the world's few independent art fairs, Platforms Project, which returns this year for its twelfth edition in a new venue.
Text by Kiriakos Spirou
‘Independent art’ is one of those powerful cultural terms that has been bruised by the mouths and pens of the art world establishment, and is currently checked into the recovery ward of international art English, alongside other notoriously mistreated patients such as the ‘site-specific’, the ‘immersive’, and the ‘curated’. Indie art is often dismissed with a scoff by respectable gallerists and their patrons, mainstream arts columnists, and even much of the intelligentsia. But we can't really blame them; it's always been the case that the ways in which the dominant culture approves of the encounter and experience of art are determined by institutional stratification, globalisation, and the exploitation of the art market. As a result, whenever the mainstream comes into contact with what artists actually do and create when left to their own devices, it's treated as bizarre at best, or pathetic at worst.
I'm choosing my words carefully here. Because whenever I've invited artists from the 'respectable' gallery circuit to independent art events, their reactions ranged from amusement to disgust. There’s a whole argument to unpack here about cultural hegemony, the power plays of art worlds, and the different value bestowed on so-called high and low culture. But for the sake of brevity, I will leave it at the observation of this fact and avoid further analysis. I'll just add that what we call independent art is often ridiculed and belittled by privileged voices and places of power; that in itself should be treated with curiosity, if not suspicion.
Athens is fortunate to be home to one of the world's few independent art fairs, Platforms Project. Founded some 12 years ago by artists Artemis Potamianou and Michalis Argyrou, the fair has consistently and rigorously created a valuable space for artists to present, discuss, and distribute their work outside the mainstream commercial art market and the big cultural players grafted onto it. Platforms Project exists in the same family of a handful of large-scale independent events like The Independent Art Fair in New York and Supermarket in Stockholm. The fair began as a parallel event to Art Athina, the city's annual commercial art fair, but broke away in 2017 to become truly independent. It has survived the pandemic and many other challenges thanks to the support of the community itself, including cultural institutions such as the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Greek chapter of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA Hellas).
This year, Platforms Project returns to Athens with a new, impressive venue: the Public Tobacco Factory, whose vast industrial spaces often host art exhibitions and other cultural events. Visitors to the fair will have the opportunity to meet 62 artist-run platforms, artist-run galleries, and cultural non-profit organisations from 25 countries. The exhibition programme will be complemented by performances, workshops for children, talks, a one-day conference organised by AICA Hellas, and an open-studio exhibition by the students of the Athens School of Fine Arts. The full programme of events is listed below and on the Platforms Project official website.
In a world where mainstream art is often dictated by commercial and institutional interests, Platforms Project serves as an important reminder of what art can achieve when freed from the constraints of the market and its gatekeepers. Especially in the case of Athens, the fair has fostered an unparalleled international network of artists and other cultural practitioners that share the same independent mindset; it’s also proven itself as an influential artist-run institution in its own right, that encourages experimentation not only with art-making but also with alternative economies and ways of collaboration. By providing a space for artists to engage on their own terms, events like Platforms Project challenge the dominance of the cultural elite (including powerful galleries, collectors, and private institutions) and offer an authentic alternative that values creativity over commodification. The fair's resilience, continued relevance, and growing global reach demonstrate the enduring power and necessity of truly independent art.
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PLATFORMS PROJECT 2024 PARALLEL PROGRAMME
GUIDED TOURS
11, 12, 13 October at 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00. Available in English and Greek.
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PERFORMANCES
Thursday
18:00-18:45 Athanasia Tsopanargia (adARTes )
18:45-19:15 The Beautiful Formula Collective, live painting performance (Rhythm Section)
18:50-19:00 Nia Pushkarova (Jointventura Association IME & Æther Sofia)
19:00-19:15 Thierry Watrinet (Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon & Les Apaches de Patission)
19:30-20:00 Haris Gioulis & Joëlle Montech (Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon & Les Apaches de Patission)
19:30-20:00 Alexandros Monokandylos, Loucas Messinezis, Georgia Kalogeropoulou (Avarts)
19:30-20:30 Grigoria Vryttia (POW WOW)
19:30-21:30 Anna Anousaki (ΦArt)
20:00-20:10 Nassia Zei (Ignorable)
20:00-20:20 Zefi Tiftiktsoglou (Avarts)
20:00-20:30 Lamprini Boviatsou & Ismini Bonatsou (Gi-Nekyia)
20:00-21:30 Athina Kanela (Events Horizon)
20:30-22:30 Fani Arapis (Avarts)
Friday
13:00-13:30 Joelle Montech (Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon & Les Apaches de Patission)
14:00-16:00 Laurent Stanich & Nadia Leriche (Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon & Les Apaches de Patission)
18:00-19:00 Dimitra Vini & Eva Kolliopandou (Events Horizon)
18:00-20:00 MASH and the kids (Poemaka)
18:05-18:20 Alexander Voutsas, Maria Zygomala, Despina Pantazi, Konstans Paraskevopoulou, Dimosthenis Gallis & Giorgos Boulasidis (META-FRASTES)
18:30-18:45 Cultivation Cultivation
18:45-19:15 The Beautiful Formula Collective (Rhythm Section)
19:00-20:00 Liza & the theatre students of the Lycée Franco-hellénique Eugène Delacroix (Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon & Les Apaches de Patission)
19:15-19:45 Alexandros Monokandylos, Loucas Messinezis & Georgia Kalogeropoulou (Avarts)
19:30-21:00 Anna Anousaki (ΦArt)
20:00-20:10 Nassia Zei (Ignorable)
20:00-20:30 Lamprini Boviatsou& Ismini Bonatsou (Gi-Nekyia)
20:15-20:30 Sofia Andronikos (ArtCode)
Saturday
14:00-14:30 Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon & the theatre students of the Lycée Franco-hellénique Eugène Delacroix (Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon et Les Apaches de Patission)
15:00-15:30 Sylvain Linder, Dominique Angelopoulos, Maria Zempila & the theatre students of the Lycée Franco-hellénique Eugène Delacroix (Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon & Les Apaches de Patission)
15:30-15:50 Yomna Landoulsi (Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon & Les Apaches de Patission)
16:00-16:20 Marina Tziara, Phillip Reeves (Kairos kai Chronos)
17:00-17:50 Georgios Anamateros (adARTes)
17:30-18:00 The Beautiful Formula Collective (Rhythm Section)
17:30-18:30 Ingmar Riswick (Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon & Les Apaches de Patission)
18:00-18:45 Hari Marini & Geo Kalogeropoulou (Avarts)
18:00-18:55 Spyros Aggelopoulos (adARTes)
18:30-19:30 Liza & the theatre students of the Lycée Franco-hellénique Eugène Delacroix (Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon & Les Apaches de Patission)
18:45-19:15 The Beautiful Formula Collective (Rhythm Section)
19:15-19:45 Alexandros Monokandylos, Loucas Messinezis & Georgia Kalogeropoulou (Avarts)
19:30-21:00 Athina Kanela (Events Horizon)
19:30-21:00 Anna Anousaki, Vassilis Kavouridis & Dimitra Kalantzi (ΦArt)
20:00-20:10 Nassia Zei (Ignorable)
20:00-20:30 Lamprini Boviatsou & Ismini Bonatsou (Gi-Nekyia)
20:00-21:00 Christos Kapenis & Katerina Anastasiou (adARTes)
20:15-20:30 Sofia Andronikos (ArtCode)
Sunday
13:00-13:30 Joëlle Montech (Théâtre Dionysos et Apollon & Les Apaches de Patission)
13:00-13:30 Alexandros Monokandylos, Loucas Messinezis & Georgia Kalogeropoulou (Avarts)
14:00-16:00 Benjamin Moshe (Ignorable)
16:00-16:40 Marina Tziara (Kairos kai Chronos)
17:00-17:30 Giyora Bergel, Orna Dgani, Nuli Omer, Meir Sidi, Rakefet Viner Omer (Nulobaz Cooperative Art Space)
17:05-17:20 Alexander Voutsas, Maria Zygomala, Despina Pantazi, Konstans Paraskevopoulou & Dimosthenis Gallis (META-FRASTES)
18:00-18:45 Hari Marini & Geo Kalogeropoulou (Avarts)
18:15-18:45 Voin de Voin (Jointventura Association IME & Æther Sofia)
19:00-19:30 Lamprini Boviatsou & Ismini Bonatsou (Gi-Nekyia)
19:00-21:00 Anna Anousaki (ΦArt)
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TALKS
Friday
AICA Hellas Conference: 75 years of AICA Hellas. Looking to history and the future of the Greek Section of the International Association of Art Critics. (In Greek)
12:00-12:15 Introduction: Artemis Potamianou
12:30-15:30 First panel. Operational characteristics of art criticism in Greece, then and now. Rapporteurs: Effi Andreadi, Eleni Varopoulou, Dora Rogan, Maria Maragou, Faye Tzanetoulakou, Constantinos Proimos, Anna Hatzigiannaki, Eva Kekou, Mairy Michaelidou, Denys Zacharopoulos. Coordination: Emmanuel Mavrommatis
16:00-17:00 Second panel. Research and critical discourse: thoughts and opinions based on the issues of the journal Kritiki+Techni [Criticism+Art] published by AICA Hellas. Rapporteurs: Areti Adamopoulou, Louisa Avgita, Irene Gerogianni, Christoforos Marinos. Coordination: Charis Kanellopoulou.
17:30-19:00 Third panel. Organization and curation of exhibitions: Thoughts and opinions on the occasion of exhibitions: “Athens by Art” (Efi Strouza), “Theorimata: (Emmanuel Mavrommatis) and other curatorial activities. Rapporteurs: Costas Varotsos, Emmanuel Mavrommatis, Bia Papadopoulou, Elli Leventaki, Athena Schina, Dr Dionysia Giakoumi. Coordination: Efi Michalarou.
The President of AICA Hellas, Emmanuel Mavrommatis summarizes the central ideas and conclusions of the Conference.
Saturday
15:00-15:45 Language, art and identities. (In Greek) Rapporteur: Dr Maria Kamilaki
16:00-16:20 Kairos and Chronos. (In English) Rapporteurs: Marina Tziara, Phillip Reeves
16:30-17:30 The dynamics of Design. (In Greek) Rapporteurs: Louisa Karapidaki, Ilias Papailiakis, Aris Petrou, Zoe Keramea. A discussion with the audience will follow.
19:00-20:00 Lofos art project. Where art meets life. (In Greek) Rapporteurs: Zoe Alafouzou, Dimitris Sarafianos, Faye Tzanetoulakou
20:00-20:30 The Deus Ex machina and the Scapegoat have died. (In Greek) Rapporteur: Alexander Voutsas
Sunday
16:00-16:40 Heroines thriving in Kairos & surviving Chronos. (In Greek) Rapporteur: Marina Tziara
17:00-17:30 yes colors/ no colors/ good colors/ bad colors. (In English) Rapporteurs: Giyora Bergel, Orna Dgani, Nuli Omer, Meir Sidi, Rakefet Viner Omer
18:00-19:00, Walking and Local Communities (WALC),an example of art practice and empowerment of communities (In Greek) Rapporteurs: Yannis Ziogas, Geert Vermeire
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OPEN STUDIOS
During Platforms Project and in collaboration with the Athens School of Fine Arts, students will be presenting their work at the Tobacco Factory.
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PARALLEL EXHIBITIONS
In conjunction with Platforms Project, ENIA Gallery will be presenting four solo exhibitions by artists participating in the fair: Jackie Berridge, Bella Easton, Guillaume Krick, Alison Whitmore.
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ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN
For children and teenagers 4-16 years old: Saturday & Sunday at 13:00, 14:00 & 16:00
For children 9+: Saturday 17:00-18:00
