Field research at Antonopoulou Gallery, Wednesday 12/12/2018

On Wednesday 12/12/2018, the PAD team visited the Antonopoulou Gallery in Psirri. The students were accompanied by Dr. Vassiliki Brinia, Program Director and Ms. Maria Louizou, Fine Arts Fellow.

Aggeliki Antonopoulou, expanding the historic avant-garde gallery in the center of Patras, founded the site of Psyrri at the beginning of the new millennium. Keeping a steady direction towards contemporary art, the gallery focuses on and promotes works by Greek artists, both locally and internationally.

The visit took place in the context of the theme "Art and Education", of the winter semester of the Curriculum of the Teacher Education Program. The exhibition visited by the PAD I student group is entitled 'The Ruralists', a title taken by a group of British artists established in 1975. Their full name is 'The Brotherhood of Ruralists' and consisted of seven members.Their aim was to revitalize the depiction of various figures in idyllic country compositions, with an aesthetic of high realism. This exhibition will feature works by 13 artists living and working outside the major urban centers. But unlike the group mentioned earlier, they are not trying to depict landscapes, nor is it a concerted movement. On the contrary, the artists of the exhibition have little interest in depicting landscapes. Landscapes are taken for granted in order to present photographs and constructions of everyday life, from various materials that are central to the environment. Thus, the artists' horizon escapes the city and the urban environment, at the same time that the exhibition takes place in Athens, a large urban center.

After a tour by Mrs. Antonopoulou, there was a wide discussion with students about art and in this field research, after the 6th Biennale, questions were raised about the criteria by which an exhibit is considered a work of art. The discussion also included some questions about the exhibits. Finally, this visit was linked to the upcoming activities of the Program in the "Art and Education" section.

We would like to thank Angeliki Antonopoulou, owner of the Antonopoulou Gallery, and Maria Louizou, a Fine Arts Fellow for their significant collaboration in the winter semester with Teacher Education Program, which will continue throughout the spring semester of the 2018-2019 academic year.

You can see photo material from the visit here.