Architectural Exhibition GRE►NYC

5 – 20 February 2015, Consulate General of Greece in New York

The Greek Institute of Architects in New York [GIANY] organized the architectural exhibition GRE►NYC, under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in New York. The exhibition was hosted in the events hall of the Consulate between 5-20 February, 2015.

The GRE►NYC exhibition featured a selection of projects by young Greek architects who are practicing in New York.  The exhibition aimed to promote the work of young Greek architects, as well as to raise the interest of the general public to contemporary architecture.  This polyphony of built and unrealized work, academic projects and research proposals,  competition entries and utopian speculations created a platform that enabled us to examine the notion of global thinking in the architecture of our generation.

The exhibition dealt with the notion of "place" in a contemporary context.  Topos {(ελλ.)τόπος, (lat.)locus} the Greek word for place, is defined today as a global collective of experiences, ideas and professional activities. In the networked world that moves away from locality, the architect needs to adjust in this new spatial condition of the non-place.  Ideas, cultures and people travel, physically or virtually. In this condition, we become a generation of nomads that come from one place, work in another and design for different locations around the world.  This new condition has reshaped the way we interact, we think and we design.  Is the new generation adapting to the new global conditions?  Is the profession of the Architect changing?  One thing is sure: we are in search of a new identity. 

The exhibition opening on February 5th was attended, among others, by the internationally renowned architect Steven Holl and the architectural curator of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Barry Bergdoll. Besides  GIANY members, various architects, academics and other professionals embraced this endeavor, with enthusiastic comments.

Participating architects:

Eirini Anthouli, Constantine Bouras, Ivi Diamantopoulou, Evita Fanou, Dora Felekou, Filippos Filippidis, Dimitra Gavrilaki, Palmyra Stefania Geraki, Jason Iplixian, Natalia Renia Kagkou, Achilleas Kakkavas, Nefeli Kalantzi, Iannis Kandiliaris, Elena Kapompasopoulou , Anna Maria Kasimati, Aikaterini Olga Kefalogianni, Michail Karolos Keranis, Konstantina Koligliati , Minas Konstantinou, George Kontaroudis, Electra Kontoroupi, Nicole Kotsis, Christian Kotzamanis, Emily Koustae, Maro Mavri, Ioannis Oikonomou, Dimitra Papageorgiou, Panagiotis Prousalis, Natalia Roumelioti, Foteinos Soulos, Dimitris Spyropoulos, Dimitra Tsachrelia, Eirini Tsachrelia, Loukia Tsafoulia, Parina Vasilopoulou, Nikolaos Vlavianos , Christina Yessios

Curated by:

Constantine Bouras, Evita Fanou, Electra Kontoroupi, Ioannis Oikonomou, Foteinos Soulos, Dimitra Tsachrelia

Photographs by:

Achilleas Kakkavas

GIANY [Greek Institute of Architects in New York] was founded in 2013 and has since been aiming to bring together the Greek architects who live and practice in New York.  Through its actions, GIANY plays a central role within the Greek architectural community in New York, as a platform for sharing architectural ideas, strengthening its members’ professional voices, advocating for the work of Greek architects of New York, and acting as a social initiative.