The exhibition and publication project The Other designs, adopts a critical viewpoint shared by many contemporary academics that highlights how the institutionalization of antiquity as “national heritage” has shaped an ideological framework for experiencing and performing a national identity. This viewpoint kick starts an approach to the idea that nations such as Greece are in some way a multifaceted constellation of projections. The Other designs, aims to contribute to the current re-examination of historical authenticity by reflecting upon the status of national identity as a kind of “artistic” setup.
The publication contextualizing the exhibition consists of texts by Sofia Bempeza (Artist, Art Theorist, Assistant Professor for Art & Media at Zürich University of the Arts), Robin Klimecki (Lecturer, University of Bristol), Elpida Rikou (Anthropologist and Artist), Eleana Yalouri (Assistant Professor, Dept of Social Anthropology, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences) as well as of the curators of the exhibition Heiko Schmid (Assistant Professor for Art- and Cultural Theorie, Zurich University of Arts) and Kostis Stafylakis (Art Theorist, Teaching Fellow in “Research-based Art” at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Unit of the Athens School of Fine Arts). The publication includes artistic inputs contributed by Greek artists Natasa Biza, Vassilis Vlastaras and Zafos Xagoraris and Swiss artist Romy Rüegger. The publication was developed by the Swiss-German artist Roland Regner as a contribution to the exhibition.
The exhibition takes place at Beton7 Center for the Arts. More information can be found here.