Ελιά !Olives !
A summer show in at the Paxos Municipal Gallery of Loggos from 8 to 30 August 2015.
Curated by Chris Boïcos of Chris Boïcos Fine Arts, Paris – Paxos, and Leonidas Yiohalas of Corfu Gallery, Corfu, Greece.
There are an estimated 300,000 olives trees on Paxos today, many of which were first introduced by the Venetians in the sixteenth century, when Corfu and Paxos became the main olive oil producers for the republic of Venice.
The history and tradition of olive cultivation in Paxos and Corfu has inspired the forthcoming summer exhibition. Eighteen contemporary Greek and international artists celebrate the olive and the olive tree, as one of the oldest icons of the Ionian islands, Greece and the Mediterranean world in general.
All artists have been asked to handle the subject of the olive, each in their own style and specific technique (painting, printmaking, photography, ceramic, bronze). The result is a rich, multifaceted show showcasing the olive from every angle in a manner that is serious or light, witty or irreverent.
Artists featured in “Olives !”:
Jean-Christophe Ballot (France)
Jorge Rodriguez de Rivera (Spain)
Gabriel Stauffer (France)
Vivian van Blerk (South Africa)
The building of a modern central school in Paxos in the 1980’s rendered the old schoolhouses redundant. The Loggos and the Lakka schoolhouses have since been used for cultural events, serving as art exhibition spaces and also as venues for the Paxos classical music festival inaugurated in 1985. The first art exhibition held at Loggos, “Landscapes & Myths II” was organized by Chris Boïcos Fine Arts in the summer of 2014. The second exhibition, “Printmaking: Techniques & Styles” was held along with a printmaking workshop by Paris artist Emmanuelle Mellot in July 2015.
The schoolhouse faces the port of Loggos and is the most prominent building on the seafront along with the ruined old soap factory next door. A spacious yard occupies the rear of the building. The lofty and harmonious proportions of the interior, beautifully illuminated by ten tall, narrow windows, make it an ideal venue for the presentation of pictures and sculpture.
The Curators:Chris Boïcos:
Chris Boicos is the founder and director of Chris Boïcos Fine Arts, an art gallery based in Paxos, Greece and in Paris, France. He is the former director of the Paris art gallery, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos (1999‐2013). He is of French and Greek origin. He has curated numerous contemporary art exhibitions since 1994 in art galleries, art fairs and also public venues in France, Great Britain, Greece and the USA. He frequently collaborates with Jennifer Norback.
He is also a professor of the History of Art in the Paris departments of the universities of California, the University of Southern California, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Delaware. Chris is also the principal lecturer at Paris Art Studies in Paris.
Leonidas Yiohalas:
Leonidas Yiohalas is the founder and director of Corfu Gallery.
Corfu Gallery was inaugurated in 2011. It is located under the arcades of Nikiforou Theotoki street, one of the most picturesque streets of the old town of Corfu. Corfu Gallery shows works by established Greek artists, while also providing a platform for young talents. It is by far the most innovative private fine art gallery in Corfu.