From Athens with Love: art

Friday, February 18, 2011

OCC - the dream of art

The brand new Onassis Cultural Centre (OCC) is Athens' emerging cultural space for theatre, dance, music and art. The OCC covers an entire city block and can be found from Syngrou Avenue. It is located next to the headquarters of the Ethniki Asfalistiki insurance company, and opposite Panteion University.

From the outside the OCC is airy and white huge building with innovative use of white marble bands. Inside it has sixteen levels, nine of which are underground. It includes an 880-seat amphitheatre, a 220-seat auditorium, 5th floor lecture/exhibition space, underground exhibition hall, a number of open spaces and Liquid Sky meeting point.

The ground-floor has a nice bar-café for sipping few drinks. From the top floor one can find the jewel of the OCC. There is a restaurant just waiting for one of those long Greek diners with a good company. During summertime it has a rooftop terrace that offers stunning views of the Acropolis, Lycabettus hill, the Philopappos monument and the Saronic gulf. The only downside is that The OCC is rarely open to the public to just walk in. You usually need a reservation to enter.

There are three easy ways to purchase your tickets to numerous events: online, by phone or from the OCC box office and some other selling points in town. Tickets go on sale three weeks before an each event. Reduced prices are for persons: over the age of 65 or below the age of 18, unemployed, with disabilities (and their companion), and students in educational institutions.

Open Mon-Sun 12.00-21.00. Syngrou Avenue 107-109. Information/Tickets: 0030 210 900 5 800.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Intriguing taf

The Art foundation (taf) is an innovative and experimental concept to art. It wants to encourage people to engage in discussions and debate.

There is an old building in Monastiraki from 1870. From the small Normanou street 5 one can find tiny golden taf-sign on the graffiti painted wall. Right next to sign is an old wooden door just waiting to be opened. One most be well prepared and orientate carefully to find the place.

Concrete stairs leads to a basement which is actually a club in the yard surrounded by an art gallery.

The whole taf concept is rough and industrial-like but there is something in the atmosphere that causes an adrenalin rush when you enter from the well hidden door to the secret garden of temporary art lovers.

Open Mon-Sat 13.00-24.00, Sun 14.00-24.00. Normanou street 5, Monastiraki. Information 0030 210 3238 757.

Currently Lightroom Projects presents there photography exhibition called Ink – The Tattoo Project by Pantelis Zervos and Ilias Anastasiadis, which will run until February 13.

The exhibition explores aspects and meanings of tattoo in correlation with the portrait of their owner. It lets your imagination fly making up stories behind characters on the pictures.

There is almost 200 men and women ready to tell their story through 400 unique tattoos - if you dare to look under their skin.