59th THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL || 1-11/11/2018
Exhibition opening: “Caritas Romana: 15 Acts of Devotion”
The 15 films of the International Competition section of the 59th Thessaloniki International Film Festival became the material of the event’s main exhibition titled "Caritas Romana: 15 Acts of Devotion”, the opening of which took place on Saturday, November 3, 2018, at the Contemporary Art Centre of Thessaloniki (Warehouse B1, Port). The exhibition is organized by TIFF in collaboration with the Contemporary Art Centre of Thessaloniki with the support of NEON Organisation and Plaisio Computers SA.
Caritas Romana/Roman Charity, a classical yet lesser-known art theme, guides the selection of this year’s IC films. On this occasion, the festival invited 15 young Greek artists to watch the films and create 15 original works for each one of them. The participating artists are: Dimitris Ameladiotis, Dimitris Efeoglou, Zoe Giabouldaki, Elias Kafouros, Anastasia Mina, Malvina Panagiotidi, Nefeli Papadimouli, Valia Papastamou, Kostas Pappas, Alexandra Petranaki, Hara Piperidou, Lysimachos Polychronidis, Nana Sachini, Babis Venetopoulos, Ioanna Ximeri. The exhibition is curated by TIFF’s Artistic Director Orestis Andreadakis.
The first one to speak was Syrago Tsiara, Director of the Center for Contemporary Art of Thessaloniki, who noted that this year's exhibition is also a meeting between the arts. She also transmitted the sense of a very creative collaboration with both the exhibition’s curator Mr. Andreadakis and the participating artists. “Through this event, the CACT essentially performs its role, which is none other than the osmosis of the arts. Art knows no limits. Visual arts and cinema meet in this exhibition and today we are all able to enjoy the result”, she underlined.
Consequently, TIFF’s Artistic Director Orestis Andreadakis took the floor, noting that the visitors of the exhibition will see a very old story that begins in 31 AD, told by a rather disregarded historian, Valerius Maximus. “Baroque meets Judith Butler and concludes in TIFF’s Competition section, he said. “Caritas Romana is a story that speaks of compassion, solidarity, political disobedience, woman's position, the decline of patriarchy, and so many other things that the visitor is invited to discover”, he added.
Mr. Andreadakis went on to congratulate all the artists who attended the exhibition opening. He also thanked the State Museum of Contemporary Art for their collaboration in recent years, the Museum’s Director Maria Tsantsanoglou, the Museum’s Board of Directors and its President Andreas Takis, the Centre for Contemporary Art of Thessaloniki and Syrago Tsiara, who is also a member of the International Jury of the 59th TIFF. Mr. Andreadakis also warmly thanked NEON Organisation and Plaisio Computers SA that provided the exhibition panels.
“A small music surprise will follow, performed by an excellent group of the city; the choir workshop of the Department of Music Studies of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, directed by Erifili Damianou”, Mr. Andreadakis said. The classical melodies performed by the choir underscored the main idea of the exhibition and created a special atmosphere at the Centre for Contemporary Art of Thessaloniki.
The exhibition "Caritas Romana: 15 Acts of Devotion” (production & general coordination: Thanos Stavropoulos), will be open until Sunday, November 11, 2018 with free entrance (opening hours: 10:00-22:00). From Tuesday, November 13, 2018 the exhibition will be open Tuesday-Wednesday, Friday-Sunday: 10.00-18:00 and Thursday (10:00-22:00), tickets: 4€, 2€ (reduced).
