ART begins at the end of your comfort ZONE
Paraphrasing the well-known quote “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” and making a pun with the name of the hosting gallery , 33 Greek contemporary artists wholeheartedly submit painting, sculpture, photography and artistic jewellery works and try to artistically evince the creative transcendence they are called upon to achieve in their involvement with Art.
Because making Art, does not only entail constant personal pratice and technical evolution or innovatory vision and inspiration – and consequently an uninterrupted creative, spiritual battle with your own self, but at the same time a daily battle, human, with an impact often on psychological, social, financial, political, moral, livelihood level. This constant struggle against the realistic extentions of life requires sacrifices, requires from the artist to outface difficulties and obstacles in practice and dare, against everyone and everything, in order to illustrate his worries and dreams.
A persistent conflict with external forces, with the adversities created by the sterile daily routine, often with political status quos and deeply rooted perceptions that go against everything innovative and groundbreaking art can counter, social stereotypes and conservatism, people’s scepticism on everything that includes modernism and avant garde.
But, is it a duty of only the artist to get away with it and break the safeguards of a conventional life, in order to create and submit a personal view through his work? Clearly not. But in times lacking healthy standards and ideals, it is certainly his duty as well -among others’- to raise his carriage through his personal impression, to surpass himself and express “artistic word”, perceptive and incompatible. Moreover, according to Erich Fromm’s apposite remark, “The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers”.
Curation : Domna Chanoumidou
Theoretician – Art critic
Artzone42 Gallery – Athens – July 2017
