World Report

In a city renowned for its ancient civilisation, the Deste Foundation is showcasing the work of contemporary artists

Deste’s President, Dakis Joannou, with Girlfriend from Hell by Tim Noble and Sue Webster, displayed at the Monument to Now exhibition.

notable aspect of business life in Greece today is the recognition by the private sector of a sense of social responsibility and commitment to Greek culture and values. Leading firms and entrepreneurs are acknowledging the need to put something back into their communities and to promote Greek heritage both at home and abroad. This also has the beneficial effect of heightening Greece’s international profile in an increasingly competitive global market.

An important contribution to the preservation and dissemination of Greek culture is made by privately-funded non-profit organisations such as the Foundation of the Hellenic World, which uses interactive technology to preserve and recreate Hellenic history, and the Maria Tsakos Foundation, dedicated to spreading Hellenic values in Uruguay and other South American countries. A new House of Letters and Arts being built by the Alexandros S. Onassis Foundation is scheduled to open in Athens in 2006.

While Greece boasts a heritage that is second to none, modern cultural needs must also be provided for. Plans have been made for a former Athens brewery to be transformed into a home for the National Museum for Contemporary Art.

Meanwhile, the Deste Foundation for Contemporary Art, a non-profit organisation, has been winning audiences for exhibitions at its Centre for Contemporary Art, a renovated former paper warehouse in the fast-growing commercial area known as Neo Psychico.

Deriving its name from the Greek verb “to see”, the Deste was created in 1983 by international art collector Dakis Joannou. Based in Athens and in Geneva, it promotes the work of both emerging and established artists.

The foundation has no collection of its own but has hosted more than 20 temporary exhibitions and events highlighting the work of both Greek and foreign artists. One of its most impressive shows was the recent Monument to Now exhibition, for which a disused factory in the Nea Ionia district was refurbished to display works from the Dakis Joannou Collection as part of the official cultural programme of the 2004 Olympic Games.

Top: Art Bomb or Helping Dr Bomb (Don’t Try this at Home) by Deste prizewinner Lina Theodorou. Down: Frank Jamie by Maurizio Cattelan, also shown at the Monument to Now exhibition.

Deste’s programme is not limited to exhibitions of visual art. It also extends to curatorial projects and special events that examine the relationship of art to fashion, music, film, architecture, design and pop culture in general.

The foundation has established a Contemporary Artists Archive, which serves as a research tool for local and international curators and helps facilitate Greek artists’ efforts to participate in exhibitions worldwide. The foundation is particularly focused on creating an appetite for contemporary art among young people and organises educational programmes.

“Our aim is to participate in the dialogue about art,” says Mr Joannou, who in addition to being President of Deste is also President of the International Director’s Council of the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation and a board member of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York.

He believes that awareness and appreciation of contemporary art is spreading in Greece. “The change of climate in the last 15 to 20 years has been incredible. There is now a very lively contemporary arts scene, there are some very good contemporary artists and Greek artists are appearing in international shows. There’s a great atmosphere.”

To promote new work, the foundation has established the Deste Prize, awarded biannually to a Greek artist by an international jury. “The prize generates a lot of energy and gives opportunities to young artists to exhibit and promote their work,” says Mr Joannou. “It gives them international exposure.”

Website: www.deste.gr