IN SESSION: Empowering artistic practice in uncertain times

• In what ways could Institutions support contemporary art practice during unforeseen conditions (pandemics, environmental crisis, wars)?
• Who has access to this support, and how is diversity included in these moves?
• What are the criteria of selection regarding who gets to be empowered and who doesn’t?
• What are the expected outcomes?

Speakers

Dr Despina Zacharopoulou

RCA Contemporary Art Summer School Short Course Leader, artist & academic, SNF ARTWORKS Fellow

Dr Despina Zacharopoulou is a performance artist & academic, born in Greece. She holds the position of the Short Course Leader of the Contemporary Art Summer School at the RCA. Coming from an intra-disciplinary background across the fields of architecture, fine arts & costume design, she recently completed her practice-led Ph.D. in Philosophy & Fine Art (Performance) at the RCA (Onassis scholar). Her practice investigates performance art as surface, philosophy as embodied practice & method towards a life which is radically other. Her work has been presented at events of global impact, e.g, AS ONE by NEON & the Marina Abramović Institute (Athens, 2016); London Frieze (2016, 2017); A Possible Island? by the Marina Abramović Institute & the 1st Bangkok Art Biennale (Bangkok, 2018-19); DataLoam (University of Applied Arts, Vienna, 2019). Publications include articles in: The NY Times, The Nation Thailand, Liberal newspaper Greece, The Art Newspaper. She is a Stavros Niarchos Foundation ARTWORKS Fellow (2021).

Marily Konstantinopoulou

ARTWORKS Co-Founder & SNF Artist Fellowship Program Co-Director

Marily Konstantinopoulou studied engineering and holds a master’s degree in Techno-Economic Systems, in Environment and Development and a diploma in Science, Technology and Society studies. Apart from her scientific background, she has also studied fine art photography at the École Supérieure Nationale de la Photographie d’Arles in France and documentary practice and visual journalism at the International Center of Photography in New York. Marily has work experience in cultural and environmental management. She worked at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Department of Research and Development --a position supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation--and has also served as MP consultant on cultural affairs at the Hellenic Parliament. She is the co-founder of ARTWORKS and also works as a business development associate for the social enterprise BLUECYCLE dedicated to the recycling and reuse of plastic waste generated from shipping and fishing activities.

Dimitra Nikolou

ARTWORKS Co-Founder & SNF Artist Fellowship Program Co-Director

Dimitra Nikolou studied Law at the University of Athens (member of Athens Bar Association), History of Art at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Art Market (MA) at the same university. She also holds a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the Athens University of Economics and Business and is a globally certified Project Manager (PMP) by the PMI, USA. Apart from her experience as a legal advisor and before co-founding ARTWORKS, Dimitra worked in several areas of the art world; at the Museum of Modern Art (ΜοΜΑ, Department of Architecture and Design, Curatorial Affairs)– a position supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation; at Christie’s and Drouot auction houses in Paris; and as advisor-scientific associate at the Bank of Greece (Centre for Culture, Research & Documentation), where she curated exhibitions, catalogues and worked on the digitization and the management of the art collection.