'Greek Gotham' is the first show ever to have happened in Greece comprised solely of New York-based artists.
Conceived and curated by Maria Brito, “Greek Gotham” will open on July 29, 2016 at Dio Horia on the island of Mykonos and will run for four weeks. Dio Horia is a new contemporary art gallery ded- icated to the exploration of the dialogue between contemporary art and culture in Greece and around world. Mykonos receives 1 million visitors between May and October and reaches its peak amount in July and August when the show will be up.
Maria Brito will take over 3,800 square feet comprising the entire building of Dio Horia and presenting more than 45 artworks created by 16 of the most relevant emerging and mid-career New York-based artists.
The exhibition aims to draw parallels between the Ancient and Classical Greek Civilization and New York City as it is today. Greece constituted the cradle of Western Civilization and became the most important center for art, architecture, philosophy, literature, theater, music and many other disciplines whose enormous influence continues to be relevant 2,500 years after its decline. New York, as of to- day, enjoys a rare and privileged position as one of the most influential and culture-centric capitals in the world. From having some of the most enriching artists’ communities to the ethnic diversity of its inhabitants, New York City counts with an extensive and expansive network of galleries, museums, theaters, art platforms and performance venues that finds no parallel anywhere else in the world. Because of its cultural influence, contemporary New York is akin to what Ancient and Classical Greece once were. These are the parallels that “Greek Gotham” wants to expose.
The show is accompanied by a lush, full-color book written and designed by Maria Brito with an intro- duction by Jeffrey Deitch. While making comparisons to Classical and Ancient Greece, the book and artworks presented touch on many important issues facing NYC today – LGBT, drugs, sexuality, police brutality, body image, identity and race, among others. “Greek Gotham” is available on Amazon and at select bookstores in Greece.
The 16 New York-based artists in “Greek Gotham” are: Assume Vivid Astro Focus, Nina Chanel Ab- ney, Greg Bogin, Mira Dancy, Raul De Nieves, Michael Dotson, Sebastian Errazuriz, Nir Hod, Todd James, Misaki Kawai, Kaws, Robert Lazzarini, Austin Lee, Taylor Mckimens, Matthew Palladino, Erik Parker.
