From May 9 to 12, the MBA in Arts & Cultural Management students set off to discover Athens and documenta 14.
For the first time since its creation in 1955, the prestigious contemporary art exhibition held every five years in Kassel (Germany) opened a second site, and it chose the Greek capital.
A choice heavy with meaning (but also with controversy) in the economic context and the tensions between the two countries.
Review of the exhibition
The exhibition’s theme, "Learning from Athens," invites both exploration of the immense city and its chaotic architecture and reflection on the serious issues of today, which take on dramatic importance in Greece: economic crisis, "migrant" crisis, crisis of Europe. The documenta is spread over about forty sites scattered around the city, with four highlights: the brand-new National Museum of Contemporary Art (whose rooftop terrace offers, like that of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, a stunning view of the city and the Acropolis), the Benaki Museum, the Conservatory of Music, and the very lively School of Fine Arts, where the exhibition and artists' studios sit side by side: the students were able to visit some of them and meet the young artists who work there.
Guided by Theophilos (who knows the Athenian art scene perfectly) and two IESA teachers, Christophe Brouard (Old Masters) and Daniel Lesbaches (Contemporary Art), the students were able to explore a large part of this giant exhibition, which often sets the ancient and the contemporary in dialogue, such as the sound installation by the collective Postcommodity in the ruins of Aristotle’s Lyceum. Three half-days were devoted to learning about Athenian heritage, notably by visiting the rich Byzantine and Christian museum, then the magnificent Acropolis Museum, before the group walked the Acropolis itself and admired the Parthenon, as well as the panorama of the city stretching to Piraeus and the sea in the distance.
Another part of the program was devoted to visiting contemporary art galleries in the city, which allowed students to dive into the heart of the Athenian scene and current creation, which is thriving despite the difficulties the country must face. Everywhere, we were warmly welcomed: the group was able to talk with gallery owners, curators, and artists. The students also attended the filming of a movie by the German artist Rainer Oldendorf at the Polytechnic School and a performance by the Greek artist Ariana Alphas, in an extraordinary venue, the Mentis Center for the Preservation of Weaving Techniques.
The students also became familiar with the Athenian way of life, very Mediterranean, and with delicious Greek cuisine.