Victoria Mindova
"One year before the end" is the name of the exhibition of Athenian graffiti artists PIGS, who brought the spirit of street art and culture to the walls of the art centre Stigma Lab. The exhibition was opened on December 1 and it will run until the end of 2011. It presents the works of 15 artists of different backgrounds and professions (business executives, tattoo artists, students, musicians, etc.) who share the same passion for street culture and graffiti. In their address to the young people, the artists said, "And now, we have no option. We can't say 'maybe', 'it's possible', 'it looks very probable...' .We have to accept this! It's a fact! It 's the end of our time. Judgment Day begins... "
On the opening day of the exhibition, a PIGS member said that everything seen here is backed by the idea that we all have no more time neither on earth, nor anywhere else. If the Mayans are right, what will you do before The nothing sweps you away. Under the shadow of the absolute end, the young artists revealed their perception of the world around them. How easy is it to break prejudices, when there is nothing to lose? Which religion will save you from yourself? Has Judgement Day come but I did not even know?
The exhibition is hosted by Stigma Exhibition Streetart Laboratory & Workshop, which is an experimental space where people can gather, socialize, communicate, work through their ideas, create. Stigma is, and will be, involved in festivals, exhibitions, free art classes - for those who want to learn how to express what they feel through painting. The idea for the project originated in the year 2000, when a circle was formed of people with common interests, who find creative expression of themselves through street art. Kids with skateboards and sprays in hand that do not make squiggles on school walls, but create works of art accessible to all those passing by on the opposite sidewalk.
"Stigma Lab is an idea that indulges Street Art and Graffiti in a collective perspective, gathering different kinds of people with different backgrounds and lifestyles into a same need of expression through art, art that derives directly from the streets where we live, art that comes directly through our experiences and not through sterilized and wannabe environments," said a member of Stigma Lab, who prefers to remain anonymous. He explains that behind the Stigma space is an idea that comes to life, eager to host the need of expression in this era of manipulation and disaster. "We want to bring out new talents that stay in the dark, being victims of the gallery "star system", Stigma strives also to pay respect to those that keep it breathing and real through this quest."
The member of the artistic graffiti movement identified the PIGS group as a part of the great legacy of the Athens underground, and stressed that they are honoured to present the works of these artists indoors. Finally, he finished jokingly: "We just like pigs!"
Address: Stigma Lab, 4, Andrea Metaxa St., Exarchia, Athens.
The exhibition is open until the end of 2011 from 12 noon to 9.00 pm.
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