ARTISTS:
Adelita Husni-Bey, Fokus grupa, Idensitat, Hana Miletić, Theo Prodromidis
CURATORS:
State of Concept in collaboration with Idensitat and Ana Dević & Ana Kovačić
State of Concept, Tousa Botsari 19, Athens
Opening:
Wednesday, 10/07/2024
19:00 – 22:30
Presentation of the CARE ECOLOGIES project
by the G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation
Wednesday, 10/07/2024
21:00 – 22:00
Opening Hours:
by appointment;
please contact info@stateofconcept.org 24h in advance
State of Concept opened the group exhibition Care Ecologies, on Wednesday the 10th of July at 19:00, part of the ongoing project CARE ECOLOGIES, a collaboration among the G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation, What, How & for Whom / WHW, Idensitat, State of Concept, and the Centre of New Media and Feminist Public Practices / CNMFPP.
The exhibition explores how care manifests in contemporary society, prompting a collective re-examination of cultural practices as acts of care. Featuring works by Adelita Husni-Bey, Fokus grupa, Idensitat, Hana Miletić, and Theo Prodromidis, it examines the notion of reclaiming care as a crucial strategy which could potentially be applicable in wider social contexts – care as solidarity and sustainability, care as a building capacity for wellbeing, care and labour, the sharing of resources and knowledge, care as a mending mechanism for fragile social structures.
Hana Miletić’s series Materials highlights the subtle yet significant acts of care within urban environments. Her textile installations reflect the city’s physical and social spaces. Miletić’s hand-woven textile works capture the transient repairs and modifications in public spaces, advocating for a slower, more mindful approach to the relentless pace of modern life.
Fokus grupa’s ongoing project, Vedutas from the Palace of the Privileged Company of Trieste and Rijeka, delves into historical care, examining the hidden labour of slaves in Rijeka’s industrial past. Through their critical exploration of these “idealised” landscapes, Fokus grupa brings attention to the often-overlooked contributions and exploitation that underpin historical and contemporary economic systems.
Adelita Husni-Bey’s On Necessary Work addresses the concept of care in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Developed in collaboration with unionised nurses, this project documents workshops where participants reflect on the designation of ‘necessary work’ and its implications. The resulting video captures personal narratives and critical reflections on the healthcare systems’ response to the crisis, highlighting the essential yet undervalued labour of healthcare workers.
Work 30yrs1d by Theo Prodromidis explores performativity, participation and citizenship in collaboration with young cultural workers from Zagreb, Croatia. 30yrs1d started as an exploration of the processes for the production of citizenship in the last 30 years and the methods, successes and failures on how we collectively decide who acquires it and how we can support someone to claim it.
IDENSITAT’s (Un)Open Archive is a curatorial and artistic project that collects and presents diverse perspectives on care. Featuring contributions from various cultural and political activists, this project expands the notion of care to include themes such as social justice, accessibility, and collective work. By creating a platform for dialogue and reflection, (Un)Open Archive challenges traditional archival practices and fosters a deeper understanding of care in contemporary society.
Presentation of the CARE ECOLOGIES project by the G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation
21:00 – 22:00
The exhibition opening was flagged by a presentation of the CARE ECOLOGIES project led by the G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation. Aiming to further explore and expand on the themes of the exhibition, offering deeper insights into the ongoing dialogue surrounding care in contemporary society, the presentation will highlight the project’s past and future activities, including the residency programmes, the Open Archive and the upcoming book launch for the publication edited by the Centre of New Media and Feminist Public Practices / CNMFPP.
This will be followed by presentations from the fellows of the G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation Residency, which took place in October 2023 in Agios Nikolaos, Crete.
CARE ECOLOGIES is a network based, multifaceted project between partners from Greece, Croatia, and Spain active in the fields of production of art works, promotion of contemporary art among domestic and international art audiences, fostering a robust relationship between contemporary artistic practices and social space, through research and education.
The methodology that was opted for the project “Care Ecologies” targets at establishing a close cooperation in Europe’s south, between artists, curators, thinkers, researchers, and other cultural actors through transdisciplinary programmes. The proposed project is committed to integrating with the national social and cultural life, while also maintaining a strong international focus.Τhe project focuses on the need to collectively re-draw the rules and processes of cultural making as a collective radical act of care. For more information visit the web.
The exhibition is curated by State of Concept in collaboration with Idensitat and Ana Dević & Ana Kovačić. In dialogue with the exhibition On necessary work curated by Ana Dević and Ana Kovačić, May 2024, Zagreb.
Organised by State of Concept Athens as part of the two-year project CARE ECOLOGIES in collaboration with the G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation (Greece), What, How & for Whom / WHW (Croatia), Idensitat (Spain), and the Centre of New Media and Feminist Public Practices / CNMFPP (Greece), co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.