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As part of the exhibition Head & Hand / Κaïros, the curator of the exhibition, Sofia Eliza Bouratsis presents a parallel programming from 17 to 19 September 2021:

the people
their place
caring for the common good
& contemporary art

“I am more interested in the role of the observer, the synergies and the participatory process than in that of the creator. The craftsmen define the intermediate space between the artist and the work. This spontaneous work of the craftsman, his aesthetics, his technical approach, aiming at functionality, his own “hands-on” way of thinking, “with his hands”, constitutes a force of deconstruction, which invites us to a new reading of the space around us.”
Kyriaki Costa

The collective project Head and Hand / Kairos by Kyriaki Costa, which started as a residency of the artist and the curator in Tinos (June-July 2021), evolved into a route that starts from the Culture Foundation of Tinos and which, passing through the specially designed paths, reaches as far as the Hani tis Kyra-Xenis, Tripotamos, Ktikados and the medieval trail that used to lead to the castle of Xomburgos; it also encompasses an exhibition that is staged until next Sunday (19/9) in the village of Tripotamos, on the premises of the Association of Tripotamians and Sberadians “O Kavos”.

The flags that indicate the paths of this tour, which is accompanied by a map, have been inspired by Cycladic architecture and have been made with recycled materials used in the tourism industry, such as sheets, towels, tablecloths etc. from various hotels of the island. In addition, the village of Tripotamos was chosen to honour Cornelius Castoriades, who spent many of his summers there, while the rest of the trails came about through meetings the artist and the curator had had with the locals, who indicated the diachronic routes of the area.

At the heart of the project lies the people’ s association with their place and more specifically with public space – the landscape of the island, the architecture and the community areas. Its realization is achieved through “everyday rituals”, such as walking, meetings and storytelling, which are activated by the artist focusing on care practices and the way they infiltrate everyday life.

The exhibition is the result of the visual connection between the artist and the island. Before visiting Tinos, Kyriaki Costa researched weather forecasts for Tinos and the dominant role that wind plays in shaping forms in the everyday life of the island. However, through a mental game, the concept of “Kairos” (meaning weather in Modern Greek) takes the philosophical meaning of “adequate time” or that “unique moment”, a moment that, once it slips away, doesn’t come back. The present time of the place and the temporality in the everyday life of craftsmen, locals and visitors of Tinos, become the active centre of the project.

The results of the action, which is constantly in progress, are co-forged by Kyriaki Costa together with the inhabitants of Tinos, the air, which plays a dominant role on the island and the participant craftsmen and the artisans. Through this partnership, Head and Hand / Kairos raises questions regarding the relationship between functionality and beauty, contemporary art and everyday life, care and appropriation of common elements.

Kyriaki Costa’s Head and Hand / Kairos finishes next weekend (17-19/9/2021) with a programme of events, which includes a public discussion on September 18th at Tripotamos, Tinos.

At 07:00pm Guided tour of the exhibition – At Association “O Kavos” by artist Kyriaki Costa and curator Sofia Eliza Bouratsis

Discussion programme:
Head and Hand / Kairos, an artistic topography of care
Kyriaki Costa, artist
Sofia Eliza Bouratsis, art theorist curator

(Contemporary) art and (its) day-to day (routine): an artificial separation?
Enrico Lunghi, art historian

Tinos, architecture, and narrative
Maria Vidali, architect

Visit – Explore – Observe – Measure – Draw – Visit
Arch – ISLaND / Vasilis Benetos, architect