Intimacies
October 16th – November 22nd, 1998
From Sweden to Italy and Cyprus, artists from 15 European Contemporary Art Centres convened in Rethymno at the invitation of the Rethymnon Centre of Contemporary Art - "L. Kanakakis" Municipal Gallery (now the Contemporary Art Museum of Crete).
Simultaneously, European Directors of Contemporary Art Centres and cultural representatives from the Council of Europe gathered in Rethymno from October 15 to 18 for the Second Meeting of Regional European Contemporary Art Centres.
The first official meeting of the Network of European Contemporary Art Centres took place the previous year in Strasbourg, under the auspices of the Council of Europe. The Rethymnon Centre, invited to participate at that time, became a member of the Network after presenting a detailed dossier and providing extensive information about its philosophy, objectives, and activities. Maria Marangou, the Director of the Centre, highlighted the consistency of its exhibition program and the robust support it receives, the integration of the city’s visual arts initiatives with the international art community, and the dialogue it fosters between Greek and European artistic production—factors that left a particularly strong impression.
Following Strasbourg, Rethymnon was among the European cities that expressed interest in hosting the second meeting. The proposal submitted by the Director, along with the kind invitation of the then Mayor of Rethymnon, Mr. Dimitris Archontakis, and the Municipal Council, was met with a positive response, granting Rethymnon the honor of hosting the second edition.
The Rethymnon Centre of Contemporary Art guided its European guests through the "L. Kanakakis" Municipal Gallery and the exhibition "Made in Berlin," as well as the Frantzeskakis Collection area, where the annual exhibition of the Centre's Art Workshops was presented. Guests were also introduced to various parts of the old town of Rethymnon.
The entire event was supported by the cultural programs of the Council of Europe, which covered the travel expenses of the European guests and facilitated the transport and insurance of the artworks by European artists. These works, created under the theme "Intimacies," predominantly utilized photography as the main medium, while also incorporating other forms of artistic expression.
The theme of the exhibition, along with the emphasis on photography as a primary medium and the relative youth of the participating artists (all under the age of 35), was set by the Rethymnon Centre of Contemporary Art. The exhibition took place in the Exhibition Hall of the Station of the School of Fine Arts in Rethymno, which was kindly provided to the Centre by the Rector's office. Its concept revolved around the artist's relationship with themselves, the society in which they live, the people around them, and the environment.
The artists participating in the exhibition were Anita Gratzer (O.K. Centrum Für Gegenwartskunst - Austria), Sibylle Von Halem (Monagri Foundation - Cyprus), Stratos Kalafatis (Photography Center of Skopelos - Greece), Lila Kampani (Rethymnon Centre of Contemporary Art - Greece), Robo Kočan (Galéria Petra M. Boȟǔna - Slovakia), Sabrina Nola ( Centro Friulano Arti Plastiche - Italy), Markéta Othová (Moravska Galerie - Czech Republic), Pavel Pecha (Galéria Jàna Koniarkav Trnave - Slovakia), Mila Preslová (X-Centrum - Czech Rebublic), Enrico Ravera (Fondazione Katinca Prini - Italy), Aurora Reinhard & Salla Tykkä (Baltic Art Center - Sweden), Anne Testut (Crac Alcace - France), Roger Wagner (Casino De Luxembourg - Luxembourg), Savvas Christodoulides (Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre - Cyprus).
The exhibition opened on Friday, October 16, at 7 p.m. and ran until November 22, 1998.
The Meeting of the European Regional Centres of Contemporary Art was held on Thursday, October 15, in the hall of the Artemis Hotel.
For the meeting and the exhibition "Intimacies," the then Minister of Culture, Mr. Evangelos Venizelos, sent a letter of greeting addressed to the Rethymno Regional Artists' Association.
The meeting was organized with the support of the Council of Europe, while the exhibition was generously sponsored by Zacharias Portalakis.
