A student of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki has been awarded the Arte Laguna Prize at the OPEN International Contemporary Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy. Yiorgos Gerontidis will now participate in the upcoming Venice Exhibition in October, where artists from all over the world will take part.
The Aristotle University team offered its own artistic answer to the country’s debt crisis, impressing both attendants and the judge, who chose the Greek team’s project among many international challengers.
The joint project, Rethinking Crisis, was created through the collaboration of the university’s creative departments. the Schools of Architecture, Visual and Applied Arts, Drama, Music Studies, Cinema Studies and the Postgraduate Program of Museology, with the support of the University Rectorate.
Gerontidis’ work is a large daisy constructed from paper and recycled materials. The OPEN International Contemporary Art Exhibition takes place annually in central locations around the islands Lido and San Servolo in Venice. It coincides with city’s internationally acclaimed events, the Biennale and Mostra film festival. The exhibition was established in 1998 by Paolo de Grandis (Arte Communications) and was endorsed by Pierre Restany. Since then, OPEN has collaborated with more than 500 artists and 160 curators, coming from 70 countries.