Contemporary, made-in-greece culture stepping out in Europe

back home is that Atopos’s two biggest productions, “RRRIPP!! Paper Fashion” and “ARRRGH! Monsters in Fashion,” are traveling through Europe in their original form.

“That is not the case,” noted Zidianakis. “Our shows develop following years of research and this work continues in the aftermath of the first presentations, which usually take place at the Benaki Museum in Athens. We are approached by artists, designers and others and, as a result, half of the items going on display in Paris, for instance, are completely new.”

For Fafalios, who undertook the design of the Paris and Waiblingen exhibitions, the organization’s recognition speaks for itself.

“We haven’t spent a single euro when showcasing our exhibitions abroad, instead they pay us. This has been the reward with relation to our ideas, professionalism and hard work,” Fafalios said, reminiscent of Atopos’s initial conception, when he and Zidianakis shared their first thoughts on the project. “We wanted to demonstrate that Greece was capable of presenting itself in any museum around the world through something contemporary, conceived and made in Athens.” So what’s next, after Paris? “We would like to see Atopos’s next major exhibition organized and produced by a global cultural organization abroad,” said Zidianakis. “For someone to believe in our idea and take it to the next level.”