Awaiting the next steps from the team of Archivorum Ark towards the completion of the critical publication for Babs Haenen’s work, and having visited Art Basel in last June – as mentioned in my previous blog – I thought it would be nice to underline the significance and value of art exhibitions. Being held throughout the year, both smaller and larger in scale, across the globe, art exhibitions play a significant role in the contemporary art world and modern society in general.
Art fairs serve a multifaceted purpose. Visitors find themselves in a dynamic hive of creators and gallerists, each representing unique artistic visions. Beyond attracting devoted art enthusiasts, these exhibitions are also essential for those seeking to understand the deeper beauty and essence of art.
In my view, the role of art exhibitions extends beyond commerce and appreciation; they sustain the spark of artistic creation, ensuring that art remains an integral part of our lives. This is especially crucial in an era where technology often surpasses its intended utility for humanity. Art must continue to justify its presence—not only for specialists but for all individuals—by maintaining its undeniable contribution to human experience. Art persists stubbornly, despite those who overlook or undervalue it, carving out its rightful space in our daily lives.
As for me, every time I visit an international art exhibition, both in Greece (Art Athina) and abroad, I seek to explore it in my own way, guided by personal perception and sensitivity to the space and artworks as they unfold before me. As an artist myself, I choose not to mechanically follow the numbers and names of booths. Instead, I wander through the cultural labyrinth in which I enter, with impatience and anticipation, discovering works of diverse techniques and styles, and allowing myself to be immersed in their magic and aura they radiate.
While wandering through Art Basel as mentioned above, there was something that left a particularly good impression on me. At a gallery booth, I encountered two families of friends, as I assumed by seeing them talking and exchanging views. Of course, they didn’t fail to explain to their five children, all in elementary school age, what they were observing, and then encouraged them to express their own impressions. The children listened attentively and observed the artist’s work they were standing in front of, which involved a composition of paintings with dried flowers.
The whole scene reminded me of a similar beautiful artistic incident, a sweet and beautiful image that I still have in my mind, even though five months have passed since my visit to Art Geneva last January.
After several hours of admiring various artworks, and just before leaving that art wonderland, I came across a real heartwarming scene. The most beautiful touch, the final brushstroke on an imaginary canvas capturing ArtGeneva in my mind, was a group of very young children—perhaps from a kindergarten—chirping like a flock of birds as they made their way through the exhibition. Accompanied by their teachers, they moved quickly yet attentively through the aisles, receiving their first introduction to the enchanting world of art. What moved me most were their sparkling eyes, wide with curiosity, absorbing the artistic images surrounding them—so different from trees, birds, lake, rivers and mountains they were used to seeing outdoors.
As I concluded my visit, a thought crossed my mind: “Who knows? Perhaps one of these little ones will grow up to become an artist, a researcher, an art critic or even a curator or gallerist. There is quite a possibility, isn’t there; for Art’s sake!”