Presentation of “Mythology” exhibition opening by the National Herald.
The opportunity to get in touch with the particular artistic view of the well-known Greek painter Andreas Kontellis has been attending the special room of the Consulate General of Greece in New York for the next two weeks, where his first exhibition is hosted in the American city. The title of the exhibition is “Mythology” and, as Andreas Kontellis explained in “EC”, it is not at all random, since each painting “touches” mythology myths, having something at the same time more than a touch of real life, reflecting the artist’s own experiences. “This exhibition at the Consulate General of Greece in New York has the title ‘Mythology’, which is a personal reference, a narrative of experiential myths, which are somehow related to those known in Mythology. It is a way of linking my own experience with something more widespread, “Mr. Kontellis points out, giving the example of the feeling of a great love or age maturity. According to the Greek painter, the landscapes are real and come from regions like Lemnos, which is the place of origin, Corfu and elsewhere, and the people themselves are not the cries of his imagination but really. “Every project has its own story. The faces depicted are real. The painter somehow always transforms, does not make an illustration, but there are real faces, narratives, and landscapes. The scenery is Limnos, it is Corfu and not only “, but he also adds. The exhibition will remain open to the public until May 23, in the basement of the Consulate General of Greece in New York.
“Reality after two years”
During the ceremony of the inauguration of the exhibition, which took place Thursday afternoon, the Consul General of Greece in New York, Konstantinos Koutras, stressed that the planning for its launch had begun for two years, but the venture was constantly postponed, due to various problems. But finally, with the insistence of the actors involved, it became a reality. “Andreas Kontellis is a famous painter, a representative of European expressionism, and I think his works will find their way into the demanding New York area,” Koutras stressed in the “EC”, knitting it artist’s praise. Additionally, the Consul General consisted of the Consulate General’s cultural activities, which hosts exhibitions of various artists but also hosts important events, with an active presence in the promotion of Greek culture in New York. “We are trying to make the Consulate General a cultural beacon. To a certain extent, we have succeeded, we have also put a small stump in the effort to bring our Greece to where it deserves, “concluded Mr. Koutras. Immediately after his brief greetings to the public, the Consul General called on Nektarios Antoniou to interpret a quote from Nikos Gatsos’s “Amorgos”, referring to May, as a welcome to the artist’s exhibition. “It is May’s month and it is the period we are particularly pleased because Nikos Gatsos’s archives have been installed at Harvard, available to all researchers. I think it is good to welcome Andreas Kontellis, “said Nektarios Antoniou. Then, after his speech, Andreas Kontellis spoke with the visitors of the exhibition, who had various questions and highlights about his works.
“The Consulate General is the place where the Hellenes Abroad meets, connects, lives important moments and is a special honor for me who I am here, hosts the Consulate and I know important people and every visitor who has warmly approached the exhibition, these inaugurations and has created a warm atmosphere, “Mr. Kontellis commented on” EC “. Among the attendants, the consul Lana Zohiou, the Director of the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs, George Michaelides, the Commercial Attaché, Vasilios Liveris, the editor / director of the “EC” Antonis H. Diamataris with his wife Litsa and their daughter Vanessa, responsible for the English version of “EC”, the press office executive, Dora Trogadis and Nikos Bardis.
