Tour 2 – Documenta 2017

Art Tour documenta 14 Athens (In English)

Documenta is one of the world’s most significant series of exhibitions for contemporary art and takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. For the very first time the Documenta opening reception will be held in two cities; Kassel, and in  a second location: Athens, Greece! Additionally, the Athens events will begin before the Kassel opening! What does that mean? And why Athens? This and many other questions will be the subject of this art tour of Athens.

In 2014, when the selection committee appointed Adam Szymczyk (former director of Kunsthalle Basel) as the director of Documenta 14, no one imagined Athens would play a prominent role. Titled Learning from Athens, Documenta 14 programs and events will not be about the study and analysis of the ancient past. The programs and exhibitions of Learning from Athens will be more about the contemporary socio-economic crisis, migration flows and the examination of European and global interrelations.
ART TOUR documenta 14 ATHENS is an extraordinary opportunity for participants to experience both the ancient and contemporary city of Athens on a much more in-depth level than the average tourist – and thereby embrace the significance of this city in the landscape of Western cultural history. We will visit Documenta 14 venues and other important art institutions, exchange ideas with local artists and curators and discover the many unique places of Athens.

Itinerary

Saturday, April 29, 2017 through Friday, May 5, 2017 

Day 1 (Saturday): Welcome to Athens 
Arrival in Athens and the Fresh Hotel (or any other hotel of your choice). 
*Early evening welcome drinks and briefing of the tour on the roof terrace of the Fresh Hotel. Joint dinner in the old city of Athens, just below the Acropolis of Athens (Plaka, 15 minute walk). The Athenian artist Manolis Anastasakos will join us and talk about his projects. 

Day 2 (Sunday): documenta 14 (Part 1) 
After breakfast we will take the Metro to one of the main venues of Documenta 14, The National Museum for Contemporary Art (EMST) housed in the former FIX beer brewery located at the edge of the old city. 
Following the Documenta 14 show at the EMST, lunch will be held in the nearby trendy neighborhood of  Koukaki. After lunch we will walk to the hotel through the Plaka via the picturesque Apostolou Pavlou Street (or by Metro). 
*Evening cocktails in the hip Romantso Bar (where art shows are presented regularly) and then dinner in the  vicinity. 

Day 3 (Monday): Acropolis Museum | Plaka  
After a short walk to Omonia Square we will take the Metro to the Acropolis Museum for a guided tour through the exhibition by a licensed guide. A few years ago Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi designed this spectacular building which now houses the Acropolis artifacts. After the museum we will walk through the Plaka (the old historical neighborhood on the slopes of the Acropolis) and have lunch in the Psirri area with a prominent street artist, Cacao Rocks. After lunch Cacao Rocks will guide us through the neighborhood and will show us why “Athens is the new Berlin”. Studio visit included. 
*Free Evening 

Day 4 (Tuesday): documenta 14 (Part 2) 
By Metro to the Documenta venue Parko Eleftherias (time permitting, we may visit another Documenta venue). Lunch in the nearby Kolonaki area.
*Evening starts with a visit to  the well-known TAF Metamatic + FLUX-LAB (including an introduction by the curator). Then drinks at the trendy TAF-Bar. Dinner in the Psirri area (on foot) with the curator of the TAF. 

Day 5 (Wednesday): Benaki | Cycladic | Art Project Piraeus 
Our tour starts with a bus ride to the Kolonaki area where we visit the Benaki Museum (main building) and the Museum of Cycladic Art which is presenting the anniversary exhibition of the well known DESTE Foundation. Lunch together in a classic restaurant typical of Kolonaki. After lunch, participants can choose between a trip to the top of the nearby Lycabettus hill (by cable car) that offers a stunning view over the whole city or an art gallery tour in the city center on foot (passing by the neo-classical buildings of the Academy/University/Library) and back to the hotel. 
*In the early evening we will travel by bus to Piraeus where we will visit the local art project co-presented by the  Berliner Weissensee Kunsthochschule and the Kunstakademie Athens directed by Prof. Hannes Brunner and Andreas Schlaegel. Dinner in Piraeus with the project managers. 

Day 6 (Thursday): Benaki Pireos Museum | Niarchos
The tour bus will pick us up at the hotel to visit the Benaki Museum (Pireos Street Annex) in the morning. The Benaki is one of the most acknowledged art and cultural institutions in Greece and is housed in several buildings – the new Pireos Street Annex building is symbolic of the development of the whole Gazi area (the new  hip place to be in Athens, full of restaurants, cafes, music, and art). We will follow the old Ermou Street, pass by the Keramikos excavations and arrive at the Thission. The archaeologist O.S. will accompany us on this stroll and  discuss why these ancient ruins have great significance to the Athenians. Lunch. 
*Early evening bus ride to the brand new Opera of Athens (The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, donated by Stavros Niarchos and designed by Renzo Piano): 90 minute guided tour through the complex including the new opera, new National Library, exhibition spaces and park area). Return by bus to the city center to see a performance of the Documenta 14 (details not yet available). The evening ends with late night drinks nearby the hotel – if  weather permits on one of the many rooftop bars with a view of the Acropolis. 

Day 7 (Friday): Athens | Departure | Extension 
Farewell and unguided tours of the city before departure. 


In case you want to prolong your stay in Greece you may continue your journey to the island of Syros. Swiss artist Judit Villiger is based there and will show us the island (separate tour program).

Services included

Tour guide Jordanis Theodoridis in English 
Guided tour through the Acropolis Museum 
Guided tour through the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center 
All entry fees to the respective museums and venues 
All transfers by bus Metro-Tickets 
Welcome cocktail reception 

Price: CHF 650 / USD $650 per person 
Minimum number of participants: 12 (maximum 20) 
As soon as the minimum number is reached I will notify the participants so that they can proceed with their individual flight and hotel booking – the sooner the better. 
A cancellation of the 'Art Tour documenta 14 Athens' after confirmation and payment is not possible. 

Registration: jordan@0010.ch 

Not included: 
All meals and beverages Accommodation in Athens 
Flight to Athens 

Travel recommendations: 
Hotel: Fresh Hotel, Sofokleous 26, 10552 Athens, Greece, www.freshhotel.gr (douple room approx. CHF 130 / USD $130 including breakfast). 
The hotel is located in the city center, close to the food hall. 
Metro: Omonia or Monastiraki. 

Flight: Swiss and Aegean have several flights per day from Zurich to Athens. Flights from New York to Athens are approx. CHF 800 / USD $800.  
There is a Metro that runs from the airport Eleft. Venizelos to the city center. 

Note: 
The booking of the flight and the hotel is carried out independently by the participants. 

The Fresh Hotel has reserved a number of rooms for “widmertheodoridis Zurich”. You may book any other hotel or apartment though (see links). 

The tours begin every morning at 9.30 am in the Fresh Hotel with a little introduction by Jordanis Theodoridis. 

Lunch is scheduled as a smaller meal, whereas dinner is the main meal. All selected restaurants are medium-priced and serve urban-Greek food. Feel free to join (the price for a dinner meal, including beverages, is about USD $40/person). 

Single parts of the tour may be omitted. However, the 'Art Tour documenta 14 Athens' can be booked only as a whole. 

The tour will be in English. Artists/curators speak Greek or English. 

You may want to participate in the Documenta 14 installation 'The Parthenon of Books':http://www.documenta14.de/en/news/1601/call-for-book-donations 

Additional tour dates to Documenta 14 Athens (TBC) 
Please check our website www.0010.ch (Athens) or contact Jordanis Theodoridis directly 
May 20–26, 2017 (including Art Athina Fair) 
June 5–10, 2017 (just before Basel Art Week, you may join us at the photo-basel fair after Athens) 
July 9–15, 2017 (last week of documenta 14 Athens; including Athens&Epidaurus Festival) 

Tour guide: Jordanis Theodoridis 
In the last ten years as managing director of the Swiss gallery widmertheodoridis, I have developed extensive professional networks in the gallery business. By presenting more than sixty exhibitions and more than twenty national and international art fairs I have gained a sound knowledge of the contemporary art market. On behalf of widmertheodoridis I have developed art tours, presentations and art education workshops. I travel to Greece four to six times a year to visit my family and friends – I am a native Greek speaker. Since 2015 widmertheodoridis has been doing business in Greece and can rely on a extensive network of contacts with local artists, galleries, museums and curators.

Links
 
http://www.0010.ch  
http://freshhotel.gr  
http://www.boutiqueathens.com  
http://www.documenta14.de/en/  
http://www.emst.gr  
http://www.benaki.gr  
http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en  
http://theartfoundation.metamatic.gr/EN/About_TAF/  
https://www.cycladic.gr/en  
http://deste.gr  
http://www.snf.org  
http://www.nationalopera.gr/en/  
http://www.art-athina.gr

copyright images:  
SNFCC – oikos.gr  
EMST – George Messaritakis  
Plaka travel book – Iraklis Milas
Acropolis Museum – villalikehome.com