7th THESSALONIKI BIENNALE OF CONTEMPORARY ART
October 12, 2019 – February 16, 2020
“STASIS / Taking a stance”
Opening: Saturday, October 12, 2019, 20:00, MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art-Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and State Museum of Contemporary Art Collections (TIF-HELEXPO premises), Thessaloniki

STASIS is a term with multiple connotations in Greek: depending on the context, it can refer to stillness, to a person’s standpoint or stance, or simply to making a stop. In this case, the audience is invited to make a stop at the 7th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art; a stop at the first Biennale organized by the Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki-MOMus; a stop at the artworks contributed by more than 50 international and Greek artists; a stop at the perspective proposed by Biennale’s 11 curators; finally, a stop at the seven different locations hosting the exhibition, six in Thessaloniki and one in Athens.
STASIS is the core theme of this year’s edition of the Biennale, which celebrates twelve years of active involvement in the Greek and international art scene. The Biennale is ready to welcome everyone interested in its proposition, which is summarized by its curators thus: “a historical overview of the self, the world and life through art stances and artworks. With their questioning or enthusiasm, resistance or subversion, poeticness or realism, imagination or critical approach of reality, their probing or inventiveness, artists seek alternative viewpoints of the past, present and future world, reconstructing it in the process”.
True to its long-established international character with artists originating from Brazil to Australia, and to its extrovert philosophy and belief in the value of joining forces, “engrafting” its own team with outside curators, determined to expand its geographical horizons by going beyond Thessaloniki with one section travelling to Athens and the MOMus- Museum Alex Mylona, the 7th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art proves it does not fear experimentation and has not been dispirited by obstacles, boldly undertaking new paths, always ready to face novel challenges.
The 7th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, titled “Stasis / Taking a Stance”, is organized by MOMus and implemented by MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art-Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and State Museum of Contemporary Art Collections. It will be held from 12 October 2019 until 16 February 2020.
The Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art is financed by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund).
Opening: Saturday, October 12, 2019, 20:00, MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art – Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and State Museum of Contemporary Art Collections (TIF-HELEXPO premises), Thessaloniki
On October 12, 2019 the main exhibition venues will remain open to the audience free of charge.

Andreas Takis, chairman of the MOMus Board of Administration, noted at the press conference presenting the seventh edition of the Biennale: “The 7th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art is the first edition of the event organised by MOMus, a unique museum organisation in Greece. The establishment of MOMus testifies to the significance of synergies and collaborations among cultural organisations, while its existence and activity reaffirm Thessaloniki’s prominent position in the cultural map not only of Greece, but of Europe as a whole”.
Maria Tsantsanoglou, acting general director of MOMus & director of MOMUS-Contemporary Art Museum-Costakis Collections said: “The Biennale is not an impersonal institution, one “born” out of a machine. It is the outcome of teamwork involving a number of people, who – armed with resilience, patience and love for contemporary art – fight against adversities and problems to maintain sometimes neglected contemporary Culture at its rightful place. It is truly an important moment for all of us, who have been here since the first Biennale 12 years ago, to see this institution grow and come under the umbrella of MOMus, this new, dynamic and robust museum organization. We believe that this development will help the Biennale stay on course, spread its wings and embark on even more ambitious flights and explorations”.
Syrago Tsiara, acting director of MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art-Collections of Macedonian Contemporary Art & State Museum Collection of Contemporary & director & member of the curatorial team of the 7th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, focused on the thematic axis of the Biennale: “Stasis is a term with multiple meanings, that encapsulates many of the concerns of the curatorial team of the 7th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art. We opted for the concept of stasis that means having time to calmly reexamine contemporary art, breaking with the dominant form of market-oriented spectacles and sensationalism. We propose a Stasis, with our eyes fixed on the present, but without ignoring the continuities, ruptures and reversals of History, which collectively shape our present experience”.

Director: Syrago Tsiara
Curatorial Team: Louisa Avgita, Domna Gounari, Panagis Koutsokostas, Areti Leopoulou, Theodore Markoglou, Thouli Misirloglou, Hercules Papaioannou, Eirini Papakonstantinou, Katerina Syroglou, Maria Tsantsanoglou, Syrago Tsiara

Program
For the whole length of the exhibition (12.10.2019-16.02.2020), the 7th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art will be comprised of a main exhibition, the Thessaloniki Performance Festival, complemented by a rich parallel program that includes lectures, conferences and seminars, as well as projects, masterclasses, guided tours for the audience and educational programs for children.
The full program will be announced at the Biennale’s website: www.thessalonikibiennale.gr.

Main exhibition ǀ ‘STASIS / Taking a stance’
October 12, 2019-February 16, 2020

Artists (in alphabetical order): Αljoscha, Jonathas de Andrade, Art Workers’ Coalition, Helene Black, micha cárdenas, Pantelis Chandris, Maria Choulaki, Tacita Dean, Thomas Demand, Yiorgos Depollas, Diohandi, Ioannis (Yannis) Faitakis, Harun Farocki, Joan Fontcuberta, Thalia Gatzouli, Jakob Gautel & Jason Karaϊndros, Julian Germain – Ashington District Star editorial team, Julian Germain – Patricia Azevedo – Murilo Godoy – street dwellers of Belo Horizonte, Johan Grimonprez, Minna Henriksson, Hypercomf, Athina Ioannou, Kalos&Klio, Aris Katsilakis, Gustav Klutsis, Jannis Kounellis, Nicolas Kozakis & Raoul Vaneigem, Maria Loizidou, Zois Loumakis, Christien Meindertsma, Petros Moris, Paola Palavidi, Apostolos Palavrakis, Yiannis Pantelidis, Irene Pȁtzug – Valentin Hertweck, Claudio Pérez, Vangelis Pliarides, Vassilis Salpistis, Kyrillos Sarris, Jonas Staal, Stelarc, SUPERFLEX, A. Tassos, Tania Tsiridou, Vangelis Vlahos, Dimitris Zouroudis

Venues
MOMus-Museum of Modern Art-Costakis collection (Moni Lazariston)
MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art-Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and State Museum of Contemporary Art collections (TIF-HELEXPO premises)
MOMus-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography (Warehouse A’, port)
MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts (Warehouse B1, port)
MOMus-Museum Alex Mylona (Agion Asomaton Square, Thissio, Athens)
Alatza Imaret (Thessaloniki)
Thessaloniki Concert Hall (Thessaloniki)
**On October 12, 2019, all venues are open to the public with free entrance

Artists’ Talks
October 13, 2019, 11:00-14:00
Participating artists in the main exhibition of the 7th Thessaloniki Biennale discuss their work in a series of back2back presentations.
Vangelis Vlahos, Thalia Gatzouli, Minna Henriksson, Athina Ioannou, Jakob Gautel & Jason Karaϊndros, Maria Loizidou, Petros Moris, Vangelis Pliarides, Vassilis Salpistis, Tania Tsiridou, Maria Choulaki
Amphitheater “Xanthippe Heupel”, MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art-Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and State Museum of Contemporary Art collections (TIF-HELEXPO premises)

Thessaloniki Performance Festival
October 17-24, 2019
Thessaloniki Performance Festival of the 7th Thessaloniki Biennale once again highlights the way in which we experience art through our own experience and interaction. The body in its purest, honest, selfless and extrovert way of expression explores territories where aesthetics and its varied manifestations, contemporary sociopolitical issues, human ethics, collective and personal conflicts, and the urgent need of artists for a direct and interventional dialogue find common ground.

This year’s performance festival pays tribute to Stelarc, an artist who has dedicated his research to the expansion of the capabilities of the human body. A series of works by the artist will be presented at MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts (Warehouse B1-port) throughout the duration of the Biennale. On Thursday, October 17, 2019, the artist will talk about his work in an open session titled “Meat, metal, code: The cadaver, the comatose and the chimera” at MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art (TIF-HELEXPO premises), at 20:00. The speech will be delivered in English; no interpretation will be available. Supported by 54th Dimitria Festival / City of Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki Performance Festival artists (in alphabetical order): Andrigo & Aliprandi, micha cárdenas, Sam Hultin, Natasha Papadopoulou, Marcel Sparman. Honored artist: Stelarc

October 17, Stelarc, ‘Meat, metal, code: The cavader, the comatose and the chimera, MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art-Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and State Museum of Contemporary Art collections, Egnatia str 154 (TIF-HELEXPO premises), 20:00-21:30. The speech will be held in English, no interpretation. Supported by 54th Dimitria Festival / City of Thessaloniki
October 18, Natasha Papadopoulou, The Anastasia Method, MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts (Warehouse B1, port), 18:30-19:30
October 19, Marcel Sparmann, We will always have Rome, MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts (Warehouse B1, port), 21:00-22:30
October 20, micha cárdenas, Sin Sol, Breathe, ΜΟMus-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography (Warehouse A’, port), 20:00-20:30
October 22, Andrigo & Aliprandi, Versus, MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts (Warehouse B1, port), 21:00-22:00
October 23, Sam Hultin, Before we were, MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts (Warehouse B1, port), 20:00-20:20
October 24, Andrigo & Aliprandi, Silence, AND SILENCE, MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts (Warehouse B1, port), 21:00-22:00

October 17 & 18, 2019
Participation in the “Night of Art” event, organized by the Thessaloniki Municipal Art Gallery, as part of the 54th Dimitria Festival / City of Thessaloniki

November 15, 2019
Masterclass with photographer Yiorgos Depollas
MOMus-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography (Warehouse Α’, port)

November 30, 2019
Discussion ǀ FIRST STOP: Art and labor
MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art-Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and State Museum of Contemporary Art Collections (TIF-HELEXPO premises)
**Topics and program to be announced

November 2-December 1, 2019
‘Overview Effect’ exhibition. A production by the 60th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts (Warehouse Β1, port)

December 7, 2019-February 16, 2020
Project ‘Just a bowl of cherries’ / curator: Nikolas Vamvouklis
MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts (Warehouse Β1, port)

December 14, 2019
Discussion ǀ SECOND STOP: Contemporary art in historical terms
MOMus-MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art-Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and State Museum of Contemporary Art Collections (TIF-HELEXPO premises) **Topics and program to be announced