UNBOXING CALLAS exhibition
UNBOXING CALLAS exhibition
UNBOXING CALLAS exhibition: An archival exploration of the Pyromalli collection and the ELLS archive
November 26, 2023 – January 10, 2024
2nd floor EBE and Foyer ELS – SNFCC
The exhibition will open on Sunday 26 November 2023 at 17.00. From 27/11/2023 to 10/1/2024 will operate daily 10.00-21.00.
Artistic curation of Callas Year Program George Koumentakis
Art curated by UNBOXING CALLAS Vassilis Zidianakis / ATOPOS cvc
Free entry with advance reservation
As part of the second phase of the visual program for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas, the National Opera presents the exhibition UNBOXING CALLAS: An archival exploration of the Pyromalli Collection and the archive of the Hellenic Republic, curated by Vassilis Zidianakis, which will take place on the 2nd floor of the National Library of Greece and in the Foyer of the National Opera House, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. The exhibition will open to the public on Sunday, November 26, 2023, at 5:00 p.m., while from November 27 until its end on January 10, 2024, it will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. PPC is the sponsor of the ELS program for the Callas Year. The Kallas Year program is implemented with the support of the donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) [www.SNF.org] for the strengthening of the artistic extroversion of the HEL.
Starting from the donation of Dimitris Pyromalli’s collection to the Archive of the National Opera, Vassilis Zidianakis, artistic director of ATOPOS cvc, invites us to rediscover the mythical divina, through a visual unboxing. Dimitris Pyromalli’s collection – which he recently donated to the archives of the National Opera – includes approximately 4,000 vinyl records, 6,000 CDs, hundreds of books, newspaper clippings, periodicals, thousands of photographs, autographs, autographs, stamps in the form of Calla from various countries, medals dedicated to her, but also her personal items. Dimitris Pyromallis at the age of four met Maria Callas by chance on the island of Zakynthos, an event that influenced him to such an extent that from the age of twenty, he devoted his life to collecting Maria Callas’ art.
Drawing inspiration from unboxing, as it became popular through digital communities, the exhibition proposes a visual and interdisciplinary way of approaching, exploring and reading the archive of the National Opera, but also of the greatest lyric singer of all time, Maria Callas. The exhibition UNBOXING CALLAS of the National Opera is held in collaboration with ATOPOS cvc and the Atopos Unbound program, as well as with the National Library of Greece and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. The exhibition maintains the feeling of an open archive in which the curatorial team invites visual artists, conservators, archivists and researchers to work and open boxes of the archive in order to discover stories, memories, objects, the famous artist herself, but also the ways of whom he still inspires in the modern field of research, study and creation. The creation of an open archive lies precisely in the ability of the public to access evidence, approaches and narratives. In particular, the exhibition brings to the fore archiving, maintenance and documentation practices that have been an important part of the planning and organization of UNBOXING CALLAS.
On the 2nd floor of the National Library of Greece, the entire collection of Dimitris Pyromalli will be exhibited – discography, bibliography, rich photographic material, and objects. In addition, documents will be presented from the Historical Archive of the ELLS, which now also includes the photographic material of Cleisthenis Daskalakos – related to the performances given by Maria Kallas with the ELLS at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, Norma (1960) and Medea (1961)–, documents from the archives of Leonidas Zora and Achillea Mamakis, but also costume material related to performances of Maria Callas in Greece from the Els Dressing Room.
Alongside the archival material, original visual works will be presented, inspired by the collection of Dimitris Pyromallis, contemporary artists and artists Maria Varelas, Panagiotis Evagelidis, Petros Efstathiadis, Eleftherias Kotzakis, Chrysanthis Koumianakis, Aggeliki Bozou, Lykourgos Porphyris, Panos Prophetis and Marios Stamatis. , who were invited to explore, adapt and redefine archival material, in an attempt to offer a freer and more subjective form of knowledge. On November 26, the first day of the exhibition, a performance by the visual artist Aggeliki Bozou will take place at 19:00.
At the same time, an original visual work by Alexis Fidetzis and Malvina Panagiotidis will be presented on the ground floor of the Foyer of the National Opera.
During the morning opening hours of the exhibition from Monday to Thursday, 10.00-13.00, curatorial practices related to the archive will occur in real-time. Specifically:
A. In the Garment Conservation Laboratory, two of Maria Callas’ historical costumes are undergoing invasive conservation work, which includes: cleaning, shaping, fixing and filling losses while respecting their authenticity.
B. In the Paper Preservation Workshop, conservators carry out the first rescue operations on historical printed programs from performances of the National Opera in which Maria Callas participated.
C. At the Archiving station, the process of documenting, archiving and organizing the photographic collection that Dimitris Pyromallis recently donated to the National Opera continues.
Parallel program
During the exhibition UNBOXING CALLAS: An archival exploration in the Pyromalli collection and the archive of the Hellenic Republic, a parallel program of guided tours, talks and presentations, as well as educational activities for younger ages will develop. In the actions for adults, both the contributors to the exhibition and the visual artists enter into a dialogue with the public, on the occasion of archival material, contemporary creation, but also Maria Callas herself, while at the same time offering an experiential narrative by sharing stories from their research in the archive.
In the educational activities for children, the Educational & The Social Actions of ELLS organize for the young visitors of the exhibition an original experiential tour with the title Unlocking the Myth: The grey box of colors. Children aged 8-12 will have the opportunity to creatively browse the exhibition, unravel the legend of Maria Callas, familiarize themselves with the practices of sorting, archiving and preserving archival material and through them come into contact with the magic of opera.
Specifically:
On Tuesdays 5, 12, 19 December 2023 and 9 January 2024 at 11.00 there will be guided tours to the public by Stefi Stouris, co-curator of the exhibition, and Dr. Sofia Kompotiati, scientific curator of the exhibition.
On Wednesdays 29 November and 6, 13, and 20 December 2023 at 18.00 there will be guided tours to the public with the presence of the visual artists participating in the exhibition.
On Fridays 1, 8 and 15 December 2023 at 18.00 the following speeches and presentations for adults by important guests will take place:
December 1: “Maria Kallas and Greece”, by Dr. Sofia Kompotiati, Musicologist, ELS
December 8: “Maria Callas through her discography”, by Panagi Pagoulatos, Director of Artistic Coordination & ELS Distribution
15 December: “Stories of Theater Costume Preservation: Preserving the Material, Preserving the Memory”, by Dr Tatiana Kousoulou, Fabric Conservator, Directorate of Preservation of Ancient and Modern Monuments, Ministry of Culture.
All the above actions of the parallel program will take place with free entry, a certain number of participants (25 people) and pre-booking at ticketservices.gr from November 23, 2023.
In educational activities for children, the educational program Unlocking the Myth: The Gray Box of Colors will be implemented to:
– Primary schools, 29 November 2023, 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22 December 2023 and 10 January 2024 (10.00-11.00)
Submission of participation: By phone, Monday to Friday 9.00-14.00 at 2130885742
– Individual visitors, 27 December 2023 and 3 January 2024 (17.00-18.00), 29 December 2023 and 5 January 2024 (10.00-11.00)
Submission of participation: By phone, daily 9.00-21.00 at 2130885700.
Exhibition
UNBOXING CALLAS: An Archival Exploration in the Pyromalli Collection and the ELLS Archive
November 26, 2023 – January 10, 2024
The exhibition will open to the public on November 26, 2023, at 5 p.m
2nd floor of the National Library of Greece & National Opera Fugue – SNFCC
Daily 10.00-21.00
Artistic curation of Callas Year Program Giorgos Koumentakis
Artistic editing UNBOXING CALLAS Vassilis Zidianakis / ATOPOS cvc
Associate editor Stefi Stouris
Councilor Dimitris Pyromallis
Scientific editing Sofia Kompotiati
Scientific editing Sofia Kompotiati
Artists participating: Maria Varela, Panagiotis Evagelidis, Petros Efstathiadis, Eleftheria Kotzakis, Chrysanthi Koumianaki, Angeliki Bozou, Lykourgos Porphyris, Panos Prophetis, Marios Stamatis, Alexis Fidetzis & Malvina Panagiotidis
Free entrance. Pre-booking is required at ticketservices.gr
Pre-booking starts on Thursday 16 November 2023 at 9.00
Information: ELS Funds (2130885700 | daily 9.00-21.00)
Organisation: National Opera, in collaboration with EBE and SNFCC
In collaboration with ATOPOS cvc and the Atopos Unbound program
Equipment courtesy of Samsung
Sponsor
PPC
Great Donor ELS & Callas Year Program Donor
STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION
UNBOXING CALLAS exhibition: An archival exploration of the Pyromalli collection and the ELLS archive
November 26, 2023 – January 10, 2024
2nd floor EBE and Foyer ELS – SNFCC
The exhibition will open on Sunday 26 November 2023 at 17.00. From 27/11/2023 to 10/1/2024 will operate daily 10.00-21.00.
Artistic curation of Callas Year Program George Koumentakis
Art curated by UNBOXING CALLAS Vassilis Zidianakis / ATOPOS cvc
Free entry with advance reservation
As part of the second phase of the visual program for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas, the National Opera presents the exhibition UNBOXING CALLAS: An archival exploration of the Pyromalli Collection and the archive of the Hellenic Republic, curated by Vassilis Zidianakis, which will take place on the 2nd floor of the National Library of Greece and in the Foyer of the National Opera House, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. The exhibition will open to the public on Sunday, November 26, 2023, at 5:00 p.m., while from November 27 until its end on January 10, 2024, it will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. PPC is the sponsor of the ELS program for the Callas Year. The Kallas Year program is implemented with the support of the donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) [www.SNF.org] for the strengthening of the artistic extroversion of the HEL.
Starting from the donation of Dimitris Pyromalli’s collection to the Archive of the National Opera, Vassilis Zidianakis, artistic director of ATOPOS cvc, invites us to rediscover the mythical divina, through a visual unboxing. Dimitris Pyromalli’s collection – which he recently donated to the archives of the National Opera – includes approximately 4,000 vinyl records, 6,000 CDs, hundreds of books, newspaper clippings, periodicals, thousands of photographs, autographs, autographs, stamps in the form of Calla from various countries, medals dedicated to her, but also her personal items. Dimitris Pyromallis at the age of four met Maria Callas by chance on the island of Zakynthos, an event that influenced him to such an extent that from the age of twenty, he devoted his life to collecting Maria Callas’ art.
Drawing inspiration from unboxing, as it became popular through digital communities, the exhibition proposes a visual and interdisciplinary way of approaching, exploring and reading the archive of the National Opera, but also of the greatest lyric singer of all time, Maria Callas. The exhibition UNBOXING CALLAS of the National Opera is held in collaboration with ATOPOS cvc and the Atopos Unbound program, as well as with the National Library of Greece and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. The exhibition maintains the feeling of an open archive in which the curatorial team invites visual artists, conservators, archivists and researchers to work and open boxes of the archive in order to discover stories, memories, objects, the famous artist herself, but also the ways of whom he still inspires in the modern field of research, study and creation. The creation of an open archive lies precisely in the ability of the public to access evidence, approaches and narratives. In particular, the exhibition brings to the fore archiving, maintenance and documentation practices that have been an important part of the planning and organization of UNBOXING CALLAS.
On the 2nd floor of the National Library of Greece, the entire collection of Dimitris Pyromalli will be exhibited – discography, bibliography, rich photographic material, and objects. In addition, documents will be presented from the Historical Archive of the ELLS, which now also includes the photographic material of Cleisthenis Daskalakos – related to the performances given by Maria Kallas with the ELLS at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, Norma (1960) and Medea (1961)–, documents from the archives of Leonidas Zora and Achillea Mamakis, but also costume material related to performances of Maria Callas in Greece from the Els Dressing Room.
Alongside the archival material, original visual works will be presented, inspired by the collection of Dimitris Pyromallis, contemporary artists and artists Maria Varelas, Panagiotis Evagelidis, Petros Efstathiadis, Eleftherias Kotzakis, Chrysanthis Koumianakis, Aggeliki Bozou, Lykourgos Porphyris, Panos Prophetis and Marios Stamatis. , who were invited to explore, adapt and redefine archival material, in an attempt to offer a freer and more subjective form of knowledge. On November 26, the first day of the exhibition, a performance by the visual artist Aggeliki Bozou will take place at 19:00.
At the same time, an original visual work by Alexis Fidetzis and Malvina Panagiotidis will be presented on the ground floor of the Foyer of the National Opera.
During the morning opening hours of the exhibition from Monday to Thursday, 10.00-13.00, curatorial practices related to the archive will occur in real-time. Specifically:
A. In the Garment Conservation Laboratory, two of Maria Callas’ historical costumes are undergoing invasive conservation work, which includes: cleaning, shaping, fixing and filling losses while respecting their authenticity.
B. In the Paper Preservation Workshop, conservators carry out the first rescue operations on historical printed programs from performances of the National Opera in which Maria Callas participated.
C. At the Archiving station, the process of documenting, archiving and organizing the photographic collection that Dimitris Pyromallis recently donated to the National Opera continues.
Parallel program
During the exhibition UNBOXING CALLAS: An archival exploration in the Pyromalli collection and the archive of the Hellenic Republic, a parallel program of guided tours, talks and presentations, as well as educational activities for younger ages will develop. In the actions for adults, both the contributors to the exhibition and the visual artists enter into a dialogue with the public, on the occasion of archival material, contemporary creation, but also Maria Callas herself, while at the same time offering an experiential narrative by sharing stories from their research in the archive.
In the educational activities for children, the Educational & The Social Actions of ELLS organize for the young visitors of the exhibition an original experiential tour with the title Unlocking the Myth: The grey box of colors. Children aged 8-12 will have the opportunity to creatively browse the exhibition, unravel the legend of Maria Callas, familiarize themselves with the practices of sorting, archiving and preserving archival material and through them come into contact with the magic of opera.
Specifically:
On Tuesdays 5, 12, 19 December 2023 and 9 January 2024 at 11.00 there will be guided tours to the public by Stefi Stouris, co-curator of the exhibition, and Dr. Sofia Kompotiati, scientific curator of the exhibition.
On Wednesdays 29 November and 6, 13, and 20 December 2023 at 18.00 there will be guided tours to the public with the presence of the visual artists participating in the exhibition.
On Fridays 1, 8 and 15 December 2023 at 18.00 the following speeches and presentations for adults by important guests will take place:
December 1: “Maria Kallas and Greece”, by Dr. Sofia Kompotiati, Musicologist, ELS
December 8: “Maria Callas through her discography”, by Panagi Pagoulatos, Director of Artistic Coordination & ELS Distribution
15 December: “Stories of Theater Costume Preservation: Preserving the Material, Preserving the Memory”, by Dr Tatiana Kousoulou, Fabric Conservator, Directorate of Preservation of Ancient and Modern Monuments, Ministry of Culture.
All the above actions of the parallel program will take place with free entry, a certain number of participants (25 people) and pre-booking at ticketservices.gr from November 23, 2023.
In educational activities for children, the educational program Unlocking the Myth: The Gray Box of Colors will be implemented to:
– Primary schools, 29 November 2023, 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22 December 2023 and 10 January 2024 (10.00-11.00)
Submission of participation: By phone, Monday to Friday 9.00-14.00 at 2130885742
– Individual visitors, 27 December 2023 and 3 January 2024 (17.00-18.00), 29 December 2023 and 5 January 2024 (10.00-11.00)
Submission of participation: By phone, daily 9.00-21.00 at 2130885700.
Exhibition
UNBOXING CALLAS: An Archival Exploration in the Pyromalli Collection and the ELLS Archive
November 26, 2023 – January 10, 2024
The exhibition will open to the public on November 26, 2023, at 5 p.m
2nd floor of the National Library of Greece & National Opera Fugue – SNFCC
Daily 10.00-21.00
Artistic curation of Callas Year Program Giorgos Koumentakis
Artistic editing UNBOXING CALLAS Vassilis Zidianakis / ATOPOS cvc
Associate editor Stefi Stouris
Councilor Dimitris Pyromallis
Scientific editing Sofia Kompotiati
Scientific editing Sofia Kompotiati
Artists participating: Maria Varela, Panagiotis Evagelidis, Petros Efstathiadis, Eleftheria Kotzakis, Chrysanthi Koumianaki, Angeliki Bozou, Lykourgos Porphyris, Panos Prophetis, Marios Stamatis, Alexis Fidetzis & Malvina Panagiotidis
Free entrance. Pre-booking is required at ticketservices.gr
Pre-booking starts on Thursday 16 November 2023 at 9.00
Information: ELS Funds (2130885700 | daily 9.00-21.00)
Organisation: National Opera, in collaboration with EBE and SNFCC
In collaboration with ATOPOS cvc and the Atopos Unbound program
Equipment courtesy of Samsung
Sponsor
PPC
Great Donor ELS & Callas Year Program Donor
STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION
