In the case of Nikos Synodis, at least, this is what happened. He passed from life to death and back to life again. And he started over from scratch. Several of his life files, including that of speech, were corrupted and had to be reconstructed from the beginning. But others, such as painting and his passion for the theatre, remained intact and good to go, though in a different form.
The “anti” art gallery first opened its doors in the summer of 2012, in a Lilliputian 6x3x3m space right by the entrance to the Castle hosting painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewellery, photography, graphic design and video art exhibitions until the autumn of 2022, when it closed. For more than ten years, it gave us a host of memorable moments. Both the gallery and the Antiparos International Photo Festival marked the island’s cultural life for as long as they lasted. In the following interview, Mary Chatzaki, the gallery’s founder, talks to us about these ten high-impact years.
Angelika Vaxevanidou is based in Lefkes keeping her studio in the centre of the village. She is a painter and sculptor endowed with the full range of gifts that art bestows upon its disciples – talent, anguish, concern, constant questioning, constant seeking…
Paulien Lethen is a visual artist from Holland and a citizen of the world. As the true artist that she is, she turns every space she lives in, into an art space; the Azari house in Parikia, her summer house in Kounados as well as her winter main house in Newburgh, New York. In this interview we follow her life across Paros, Japan, Paros again and finally New York in her own words.
As I’m writing this text, with Lefkes lying at my feet and the windmills around the village crowning my head, I’m wondering how to fit 40 years into an article.
So, Kostas stands for “steadfast”. Such was Costas Fifas, who left us two days before his name day, last May.
A graphic designer, a potter, and president of the Cultural Association of Archilochos on Paros. I interrogated Stelios Ghikas on his three commitments one morning of May, when I went uphill from Kostos to his observatory, following a sign that read: Yria Ceramics. I found myself in front of a minimal and elegant complex: the Shop, a pottery show and sales room, the enclosed Herbarium and the pottery studio. My attention was drawn to the red slide entitled “Indecision” and crafted by Dimitra Chanioti, which I had only seen in photographs, as well as Ingbert Brunk’s marble sculptures.
Summer of 2020. Unprecedented conditions for a Cycladic summer. The pandemic, the few visitors to the island, the excursions and guided tours that did not take place, changed the usual summer look of the island. So, I found myself being on holiday rather than running to museums, archaeological sites and historic settlements with groups of tourists, who are so happy with such activities. Aegean holidays, first time so long, full of sunny beaches and blue sea.
Respect for life with no exceptions, efficiency and organization, a quiet presence on the island, and a love for nature. On the occasion of the 26th anniversary of Alkyoni Wildlife Care & Protection Association’s establishment in Paros, we asked its president, Marios Fournaris, to answer our questions.
Fifty years prior to the outbreak of the Greek revolution, Paros wrote a very important page in the history of its relations with the Russian superpower. In 2021, we commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution, but we also celebrate the Year of Greek-Russian History, which brings forth the historical encounters between the two peoples over the course of time.
