Contemporary Art
The G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation has created a valuable collection of contemporary art over the years, containing seminal works by leading Greek & International artists. In 2023, three artworks were created at Minos Palace hotel & suites with the artists taking the location and the essence of the space into account during the planning and creation process.
The Artworks
Alexandros Laios, Day (2023)
In Day, Alexandros Laios captures the different hours of the day using theatre filters, in a colourful rendering of the melancholic contemplation of the fleeting moment.
From the twilight blue of dawn to the deep sunset red, from the first morning light to the last colour that the human eye can detect, from sunrise to sunset, nine pairs of colours capture the tireless, daily struggle between darkness and light. The sculptural installation Day by Alexandros Laios captures successive colourings from different stages of the day using a large colour palette of theatrical filters. 19 different filters, each wrapped and placed diagonally at different heights, render a 50-meter-long corridor into a huge kaleidoscope, where lights and shadows deliver fleeting moments and memories of the day just passed, creating a horizontal narrative which bears testament to the variety and complexity of human activity.
Ami Yamasaki, Whispers travel and whisper to you again (2023)
Ami Yamasaki’s installation, Whispers travel and whisper to you again, made entirely of paper, is a sculptural symphony of whispers that weaves together experiences and sounds from Japan and Crete.
Yamasaki’s sculptural installations, such as Whispers travel and whisper to you again, are part of a long ongoing research process of the last fifteen years. In her work, she explores the threads that connect people to their environment and, by extension, to the universe. She familiarizes herself with a new space by listening intently and using a personal vocal technique – similar to the echolocation technique used by various animals, such as dolphins, to locate objects using reflected sound. Therefore, with the use of ‘acoustic shadows’, the artist captures the unique sound identity of each space, which she then ‘translates’ into a sculptural installation. Each section of the installation consists of several ‘wings’, made from hundreds of thousands of thin strips of paper glued one by one – the result of a physically demanding process that requires days to complete.
Maro Fasouli, Nomadic Murals (2023)
Maro Fasoulis’ Nomadic Murals redefines traditional practices and narratives. Juxtaposing thread, wood, and parts of textiles from the last century, the artist proposes a contemporary composition of woven ensembles, spread across a fifty-meter-long corridor.
Fasouli’s overall oeuvre concerns architecture and building structures, weaving and tradition, folklore, and storytelling. Places, techniques, and styles have always coexisted in her work, yet what most clearly defines her work is the deconstruction and redefinition of tradition. Her ‘murals’, her large-scale installations, purposefully seem unfinished. After completing her list of rules applied to traditional weaving, she has set forth to overturn them, one by one. She ignores perfect symmetry, preparatory sketches, and ‘self-punishing’ methods that do not allow room for mistakes. She is not afraid to explore beyond the strict and suffocating boundaries of traditional practices, by creating a very personal vocabulary, characterised by decomposition and transparency, a bold colour palette, asymmetries, and freedom of movement. Although she consciously moves away from traditional weaving, Fasouli’s method is still very physical, using her body as a measuring unit and tool.
About G&A Mamidakis Foundation
In the 1990s, Gina Mamidaki, CEO and owner of bluegr Hotels & Resorts, established the G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation in honour of her parents, aiming to support and promote contemporary art and culture as well as the rich cultural heritage of Crete.
Guided by her deep love for art and conviction that art and hospitality are inextricably connected, combined with a desire to support and promote the advancement of artistic creativity, the Art Prize came to life with the ultimate goal of highlighting excellence in the arts.
Since its establishment in 2019, the art prize has supported seven artists. In 2023, it introduced two important changes, extending the call to international artists and awarding three equal prizes instead of one. The three winners stood out for their originality, creativity, and connection to the theme of Care/Eudaimonia and the site-specific artworks they created are on permanent display at Minos Palace hotel & suites.
Discover the Sculpture Garden at Minos Beach art hotel
Discover more at gnamamidakisfoundation.org
