- You chose "Climate Change: Man and Natural Disasters" as the main theme of your exhibition. Why now? What has changed in the years 2022?

I have always been sensitive to the issue of the environment and the effects of our intervention in it. The effect of the phenomenon on our daily lives is now very evident and unfortunately I believe that things will get worse in the future. Govedarou Art Gallery will launch a series of group exhibitions with the central theme of the environment and issues related to it putting its little stone in the effort to awaken the world through art.

- It is impossible for man to dominate the forces of nature. What do you think is his own way of surviving in such a changing time?

It is impossible for man to dominate the forces of nature but he can contribute to reducing the effects of climate change and stabilize the climate in the long term through the help of science and technology. To turn to new forms of energy that are developing rapidly in recent years and to follow the guidelines of science that is on the front line of the war to save our planet.

- What role does art play as an educational tool in the fight to save the environment?

The artist cannot live without nature as his primary goal is to highlight it through his own weapons which are none other than the brush, canvas and paints. In his own way he fights to keep her alive so that he can continue to be inspired by her beauties. I believe that through the artist, nature acquires a voice, expresses emotion and invites us to respond to its calls.

- The exhibition is co-organized with the Mariolopoulio-Kanaginio Foundation for Environmental Sciences. How did this collaboration come about and what is the role of the compared Foundation?

As the owner of the gallery and the artistic curator of this exhibition, I wanted to give an extra weight to the subject that was exhibited. Mariolopoulio-Kanaginio Foundation of Environmental Sciences, with the President of the General Secretary of the Academy of Athens, Professor Christos Zerefos, I believe was the appropriate choice according to the purposes of the foundation.

The aims of the Foundation are summarized as follows:

• The development of Environmental Sciences with an emphasis on enhancing studies related to human interaction with the environment and cultural heritage.

• The awarding of honors in recognition of the contribution of famous scientists dealing with the environmental sciences.

• The award of young scientists active in environmental sciences in a joint program with the World Meteorological Organization of the UN (WMO) (§ 7.2.6, 47 session WMO Executive Council, Geneva, 1996).

• The awarding of awards and distinctions which the Foundation presents and which pertain to the purposes of the Foundation both at home and abroad.

- This exhibition comes to embrace Art with Science in such a topical and serious issue, argues Mr. Christos Zerefos. Is this combination perhaps the solution to our victory against natural disaster?

The solution is not but it is one through highlighting the problem and awakening the public.

- Fifteen different artists participate in the exhibition. How easy is it for them to interact with each other and create a single narrative?

Each artist participating in the exhibition expresses himself in his own way and with his own sensibilities. Coming to the gallery space to see their works you will find a perpetual reconciliation even from the way they are placed in our exhibition space. The choice I made of the artists was made with very strict criteria for this exhibition so that all the works are within the theme to be able to pass the message we were seeking to the public.

- Do you consider nature to be an eminently artistic subject of inspiration from antiquity to today? Her beauty, her wildness, her peace. How do you imagine her future portrayals in such an ominous future scenario?

The nature of the artist is inexhaustible and he will always find ways to express himself and give his own touch in the future as well.

1)You are the owner of Govedarou Art Gallery. What is your relationship with art and when did you establish the Gallery?

GovedarouArtGallery was founded in Thessaloniki in 2014 during difficult times for art after the financial crisis that passed and is passing, I could say our country. Art for me does not only have the commercial part due to the nature of my work. Having graduated with honors in painting and drawing from the Russian Academy in Florence, Italy, which connected me to art and from the artist's point of view, I managed in a very short time to highlight the gallery in the area both in Greece and in abroad, making it competitive by offering the public only quality exhibitions.

2)How does the Gallery work? Apart from the exhibitions, is there any other artistic activity that the public should be aware of?

The international profile of the gallery has placed it dynamically in the field of art. The exchange of ideas, styles and trends through the presentation of visual arts from various countries of the world established the gallery as a great factor of cultural exchange in the city of Thessaloniki. In our space, there are often individual exhibitions, presentations of the artist's technique on display, but also organized workshops where the participants can learn the specific technique that the artist uses and makes his work special.

The selection of visual artists, Greek and foreign, is always based on their quality and creativity, demonstrating the amazing variety and diversity of various materials, styles and expressions of art. Some of them have won various awards, are sought-after art workshop instructors, or respected for their ability to handle the materials they use with articles published in popular art books and magazines.

The artistic curators with whom we collaborate both from Greece and abroad are yet another part of the organization of our group and individual exhibitions.

Also, other events such as presentations by poets and writers, charity exhibitions, speeches related to art and others are often held in the space. The new trends as well as the old inspirations of every form of art find a display roof at the Govedarou Art Gallery

3) Do you enable young artists to come to Govedarou Art Gallery and exhibit their works?

Young artists are welcome in the gallery for their participation mainly in group exhibitions, as long as they have not finished a School of Fine Arts, having as their "ticket" to our space their quality work. It is also important for an artist to have "built" a good artistic resume with as many participations in individual and group exhibitions as possible and continuous training in the subject.

In our individual exhibitions, visual arts graduates of S.K.T. are shown preferably, but also, exceptionally, visual talents at our discretion. My personal experience and education come to help in this ability to judge the choice. Otherwise, a work can be understood by a gallery owner having studied painting, or by someone who has only a purely "commercial" eye.

4) From October 13 you are hosting an exhibition on climate change and nature. How were you inspired by the concept and what does the exhibition include?

Govedarou Art Gallery in co-organization with the Mariolopoulio-Kanaginio Foundation of Environmental Sciences presents in its space the group art exhibition entitled: "Climate Change: Man and Natural Disasters", curated by me as an artist and owner of the gallery.

Sensitized by the consequences of climate change, both on humans and on nature, I invited visual artists to highlight the seriousness of the problem through art as nature and art are inextricably linked. As I always emphasize: "The artist cannot live without nature as his primary goal is to highlight it through his own weapons which are none other than the brush, the canvas and the colors. In his own way he fights to keep her alive so that he can continue to be inspired by her beauties. I believe that through the artist, nature acquires speech, expresses emotion and invites us to respond to its calls."

The opening of the exhibition takes place on October 13, 2022, which is also the International Day for the Reduction of Natural Disasters, and its importance is also very timely due to the COP 27 conference on climate change.

5) Give us an insight into the future exhibitions you are preparing. What to expect in winter?

Immediately after the exhibition on climate change, we are preparing for the participation of Govedarou Art Gallery in the 6th Art Thessaloniki International Art Fair that will take place November 3-6, 2022 at TIF Thessaloniki. You will find us at booth 10 booth 8.

6 visual artists are participating with us this year:

Nana Winter-Georgiadou, Stelios Zacharoudis, Nina Michailidou, Irini Monommatou, Maria Chalkia and Olga Hatzichristou.

In our program, of course, there are many group and individual exhibitions which the public can be informed about through you and also from our page at facebook https://www.facebook.com/govedarouartgallery/ και στο site μας https://www.govedaroufineartgallery.com

1. A characteristic of your art in the depiction of art is the complete lack of its savagery, why this choice?

I paint my last landscapes and figures with a greater peace of mind and stability than in the past. I am now in the phase of my life where every savagery has calmed down inside me and I am looking for the expression of the mildest emotions that give value to human life.

2. The main material of your works is oil, do you think this brings some limitations to the result or on the contrary releases it?

Art is not limited by materials. Whatever material you have at your disposal and whatever technique you use, you can achieve it as far as you wish and as free as your ideas and your spiritual horizons are.

3. What role does symbolism play for you in your work?

Symbolism is an element that is strongly present in every art form. In my personal work I choose to give the symbolism to a second level and not in an obvious way. The meanings of each painting work subconsciously in me and many times I discover things about myself and my works. That is, it is a process that happens on its own, most of the time.

4. Do you work on your works free from an image that acts as a guide, based solely on your imagination or not?

I get inspiration from something visible, concrete and my imagination creates the forms, the color harmonies. I add and subtract according to what I have in my mind to imprint on the canvas, in order to express the thoughts and feelings at any given time. After all, painting takes you where it wants to go. You start with something you have in mind and the result, often different, surprises you.

5. Landscapes of nature and places of the soul. How is this connection between nature and soul made?

I used to paint only figures because I believed that only with human figures could I give a part of my soul. Later I experienced an emotional connection with nature and each element of it separately and I realized how many thoughts and feelings can be born through this communication. After all, man is an element of nature and interacts with everything around him. Many times the elements of nature depicted in my paintings, such as the sea or a tree, have for me energy and soulful properties.

6. At first glance, your works gave me the impression of the momentary and immovable. Is this something you want to flow from your projects and if so why?

I want my paintings to be an imaginary occasion that either depicts a landscape or an emotion, in which the viewer can stay or feel it for a moment, or have it in his soul and body forever. I want time to be lost through my paintings, which is a social construction anyway and the moment to last as long as the viewer wants each time.

7. If you did not have the choice to depict nature in your works, what else would you choose as a point of expression?

As I mentioned above, I often use human forms as a means of expressing my painting. Beyond that, expression can come from anything. Like people, landscapes, still life. The issue is what will inspire you at every moment, what needs you have to express and how, either more subtly or more obviously, you choose the corresponding theme for your painting.

https://thessculture.gr/synenteyxeis/theano-skarlatoy-thelo-mesa-apo-toys-pi/?fbclid=IwAR0BgyZeSAJCAx_X29s64dhqWRSzN2TGuJDbwXyioVBN7UgyFR8bsV2UBfQ

NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS: “ASCETIC”

Group exhibition at GOVEDAROU ART GALLERY

The inspiration of the curator of the exhibition Nikolena Kalaitzaki behind her choice for the title.

Nikolena KalaitzakiArt Critic, Exhibition Curator, MA Journalist & MSc Educator writes the following for the exhibition at Govedarou Art Gallery:

Nikos Kazantzakis' "Ascetic" is for me one of the most inspiring, spiritual creations that have existed over time. It is a majestic philosophical work, contemplative, with theological and political implications, which seeks to interpret and decode the meaning of human existence, which through constant and painful struggle, through battles, victories, defeats, joys, pain and sorrows, through the realization or frustration of his dreams, he succeeds with stubbornness and invulnerable inner fist to rise to the highest of the "superman" who can calmly, with heart, declare to the end: "I hope for nothing, I am not afraid of anything, [ ...], I am free ».

The works of the exhibition draw their inspiration from the book "Ascetic", with each artist quoting his personal visual narrative, which emerges through his spiritual interaction with this work. Thus, the works presented in the exhibition thematically deal with the eternal enigma of life and death, the joy and sorrow that accompany the moments of earthly, perishable and indestructible tour, and generally embrace the concept of freedom, attempt to give shape to soul, to travel us to the dark embrace of the abyss, to the vastness of heaven or to show us even God.

Nikos Kazantzakis "Ascetic"(work completed between 1922-1923) is a magnificent and timeless intellectual creation that manages to belong to every era. And this is because, his main distillate teaching, as I personally at least perceive it, is that man if he has faith in himself and mental endurance has the power to achieve everything against all obstacles, predictions and adversities of the path • is the very creator of reality who wants, from the heart, to live. There is, indeed, so much optimism behind it! "Ascetic" I feel that it shakes us from the misery of our comfort and tells us: "Get up now and Live! Reach your dreams! " And we often need that voice ...

The purpose of Art is to live through us and those who love it.Even if we ephemerals leave ... Art will breathe because it is immortal; at least the next generations will rejoice in Art (!). I chose Govedarou Art Gallery in Thessaloniki because I always work according to my heart, mind, intuition and instinct, both personally and professionally. And this gallery includes all of the above.

Kazantzakis always characterized his book “Ascetic” as a theological work. This can be seen in the participant artworks. I believe that the reader of an intellectual creation, a book in this case, as well as the viewer of a work of art has the freedom to interpret its content in the way they perceive it. Each of us sees, what one can see and respectively feels what one can feel. In case one can see or feel something further, this is good for his evolution. The adored Kazantzakis indeed characterized his work "Ascetic" purely theological and I certainly would not dare to go against it (!), But for me, for example, "Ascetic" is something beyond that, "a hymn of life", an excellent "self-improvement manual" that provides food for thought and action.

What is photography for you? a form of personal expression? A need for creation, communication, or something else?

AD: Photography is indeed a form of personal expression, a true passion. It gets me out into nature, into landscapes where I feel completely by myself and where I have the chance to experience magic moments or special encounters with animals in their habitat.

How would you characterize yourself as a photographer?

AD: I believe I am a patient and persistent photographer. If I spot a scenery or a particular animal I may come back and try to get an even better photo in case I’m not satisfied with my first results. Also I like to explore landscapes and habitats in depth, sometimes for years to get a comprehensive collections of photos that express the richness of that particular area.

What is the source of your inspiration?

The beauty of nature – in all aspects, to experience magic moments and my respect for wild animals in their habitats

With which personality of Art world would you like to come into a dialogue and on what subject?

I’d like to come into a dialogue with Art Wolfe and Frans Lanting on their projects and with Sebastiao Salgado on black and white photography

Would you consider to express yourself with any other form of art besides photography?

If I had a talent for it, I would like to draw – just with pencils on paper

If you chose a different era to live and create what would it be and how do you think you would express yourself artistically?

Although the life of an artist at the beginning of the 20^th century was certainly tough, I would have liked to be a painter before the 1^st World War (without being affected by it of course)

What is the relation of the creator to his work?

The work is the way a creator expresses him – or herself. I like to express my fascination of the beauty and the variety of nature

What are your future plans?

Explore the natural treasures of Greece – especially in the north of the country further across the different seasons and further on to explore the wider Balkan and it’s wild nature.

I’d like to show these treasures in further exhibitions and publications like articles and books with the particular emphasis on showing the beauty of nature to children.

I’m convinced that we will only protect what we have learned to love.

Read here the interview at Polis Magazino >>

Watch the interview here in Greek >>

REINER LANGER, a visual artist

Reiner Langer is a multitalented, remarkable and worldwide renowned German artist who, with his presence, honors Thessaloniki, the capital city of Northern Greece. I met him during his exhibition at Govedarou Art Gallery on April 17^th 2018. The subject of his solo show was: “Freedom and Angels”. Reiner Langer being famous but not arrogant at all, with his deep philosophical thought, unfolded the integrity of his work in front of our eyes. In this exhibition, his rather small scale artworks immediately attract the attention of the viewer. The viewer feeling like to be lost in the detail of the image, very ingeniously enters into the vision of a reality that captures the infinite circle of life and this vision is sealed effortlessly and naturally by the skillful hand of Reiner Langer. His symbols are coming out of a mental process and like heroes are taking their place in a fantastic reality that narrates the human existence and the cultures that he has created. As he explained to me, he has experienced the greatest ancient civilizations of the world, such as Roman, Greek, indigenous American, Egypt, Persian, Japanese, Celts, Vikings and others. All these cultures were lost through the lapse of time, but they were the reason and motivation for the modern man to follow their traces and continue his journey into the modern reality.

In his works fish symbolizes that life on earth began in sea. His birds with flapping wings are always ready to fly towards freedom and mark with their presence the infinite circle of life, meaning that when something dies it gives new life to another existence. His artworks are the concoction of a surprising, deeply moving technique that refines the detail with multiple and dynamic sensitivity and his realistic brush-stokes lead to an unexpectedly modern and unusual result.

The tensions as reflections of correlation of writing, brush-strokes, color, and individual drawing create a subject that it is easily perceived by the viewer. The mixed media he uses in his artworks are coming from the accumulated experience, knowledge, and spiritual development of a sage man who has tasted and came into contact with the diversity of the modern way of life. That’s exactly what he narrates and predisposes us through his images; for the future destination of art which meets the past and steps towards the future.

Reiner Langer's awards in the global art market are multiple and remarkable. The number of solo and group exhibitions, workshops and installation projects he has participated is vast. Collectors and Museums around the world preserve his art-works as modern art’s portfolios of value. I want to express my gratitude and honor to meet him and write about his valuable, individual and wonderful work in a brief and concise introduction that can’t express the range of art he serves.

Magda Mystikou Karagianniotou

Art Writer

Journalist EDSTE ( Representative of the Association of Greek Writers and Journalists of Tourism Greece)

>>go here for the article

An interview of the owner of Govedarou Art Gallery and painter Natasa Govedarou was given to the journalist mrs Magda Mystikou during the solo photography exhibition of Alexandros Stefanatos.

watch video here >>