For the third time, Art-Thessaloniki International Contemporary Art Fair and the Cultural Society of Entrepreneurs of Northern Greece hosted MATAROA Awards, through an open call for submission of portfolios by young artists aged up to 33 years old. The open call was met with high-quality submissions by a total of 74 participants, evaluated by a five-member jury, assigned with the hard task of selecting 10 candidates, who will be given the chance to showcase their works in individual pavilions within the framework of the 6th Art-Thessaloniki Fair

The top prize in this year’s MATAROA Awards was bestowed to Dimitris Kapetanou, for his work, braille. According to the award-winner visual artist, society, state, and art are interrelated concepts. In his work, the interweaving of these elements achieves a reversal in the concept of viewing, since those who know the code are able to understand the texts of the labels and captions, whereas the rest of the viewers stand awkwardly before the work. The senses of sight and touch are therefore activated in a distinct way. The content of the paintings consists of interviews of blind and visually impaired people, expressing through their different levels of vision how they see, how they remember, or how they imagine colors. Here’s what the recipient of the top prize has to say on MATAROA Awards: “MATAROA Awards have already left their own distinct mark as an institution. They are hosted on a yearly basis to promote the work of visual artists in the framework of Art Thessaloniki, giving the opportunity to all selected young artists to present their work, communicate the idea behind it, and in this way to create an osmosis with the entire spectrum and the professionals of the art field, who co-exhibit their works in a grand art party,” he concludes.

In addition, two special mentions were granted, to Theano Giannezi and Sofia Pechlivanidou. The main body of Theano Giannezi’s work as an artist focuses on the three-dimensional depiction of natural landscape elements and their integration to human psychology. The artificial environment created by paper is unfolded within the dim boundaries that express a need for escape and the dismissal of strictly defined limitations: a symbolic spatial freedom, an exploration, and a process of delving into the notion of fragility both in a real and an imaginary context. “MATAROA Awards offer visibility and support to young artists. As a relatively new institution, it brings forth fresh and original ideas, providing them the chance to be presented to a wider artistic audience. By participating in the MATAROA Awards, I will have the opportunity to introduce my work to the artistic audience of the city and showcase it in acclaimed galleries”, she stresses out.

As for Sofia Pechivanidou’s work, here’s what she has to say: “My research as a visual artist revolves around empathy and the dissection of the phrase ‘In somebody else’s shoes’. In 8 steps and 8 separate works, I lay out my personal concerns on everything that one may come up with while attempting to get acquainted with the faces and the facts of the past, the present, and the future,” she explains, before commenting on the MATAROA Awards institution. “Ten up-and-coming artists, each with a unique glance, pave, through MATAROA Awards, a different path of openness and channeling our concerns towards the audience. I am happy and proud to be a part of this team. I consider this institution an important springboard for bringing forth young artists who are given the chance to showcase their research. In my stories, shoes take the center stage. If you ask me why I focus on shoes, I have no specific answer to give you. Maybe, it’s because I do not like putting an end to stories, so my sculptures take on the task of continuing the journey to new destinations,” she points out.

The list of the MATAROA Awards finalists also includes the following names: Alexandros Kapetanou, Vassiliki Konstantopoulou, Angelos Merges, Zisis Bliatkas, Despina Shekine Naidi, Isidora Retzika.