Pussy Riot sentenced to two years in jail

Appalled and saddened by the conviction of the three members of Pussy Riot to two years in jail, and mystified by the judge's statement that feminism creates religious hatred:

'The court does find a religious hatred motive in the actions of the defendants by way of them being feminists who consider men and women to be equal',

I decided to post some of the statements that the three members of the group have made in the last few days.

'Our anonymity and visual look aren't common for female bands. Even though we wear dresses we make 'unfeminine' movements. It's a multi level way of breaking with traditional feminine behaviour'. (Tyurya)

Pussy Riot 'is dissident art or political action that engages art forms'.

'We are representatives of our generation. It's important for me to understand whether the Church is growing along with society or whether it remains a conservative institution. In the search for an answer, I did not expect a repressive and inquisition-like reaction'. (Maria Alyokhina)

'Our imprisonment serves as a clear and unambiguous sign that freedom is being taken away from the entire country'. (Nadezhda Tolokonnikova)

'A lot of us couldn't sleep after this announcement (that Putin would return to the presidency). We felt such anger because of this rudeness, this arrogance towards citizens. So we decided, damn it, we need to do something'. (Tyurya)

'Art is politics. We could not imagine ourselves without one or the other. We don't understand how an artist can think about society but say he's apolitical'.

'Our goal was to bring attention to Father Kirill's public statements that the Orthodox must vote for Putin. I thought the Church loved its children. It turns out that the Church only loves those children who believe in Putin'. (Alyokhina)

Sources and photos: The Guardian
                                  BBC news

These racist attacks must stop now!

Brutal attacks and hate crimes which are racially motivated have intensified in recent months to such an extent that they have become a daily occurence. The victims are immigrants who, because of the colour of their skin, their religion or their country of origin are becoming targets of gangs on motorbikes. These attacks are systematic and organised, led by groups proclaiming that they guarantee public safery under the pretext of  'cleasing' the public space and are spearheaded by the fascist group that has seen a rise in recent months and which is leading the country to a dangerous polarisation.

'In the past six months knife-wielding fascists have attacked some 500 persons'  says Javied Aslam, chair of Greece's Migrant Workers' Association. 'The law does not apply to them'. Most of the attacks take place at night and are committed by groups in dark clothing, their faces obscured by ski masks or helmets.

'We are afraid to go out. It's Ramadan, we are invited for dinner and we don't go. If we go outside we will be caught either by the police or the fascist group' , a man who did not want to identify himself told Kathimerini.

On Sunday morning a 19 year old Iraqi man was attacked outside a makeshift mosque in central Athens by five individuals on motorbikes - he died several hours later in hospital. During the same time, several attacks occured in Herakleion in Crete.

Human Rights Watch reported that gangs are regularly attacking immigrants with impunity across the country and that the police are discouraging the victims from filing complaints and that some were even warned that they would be detained if they insisted on an investigation.

The Greek press is rife with reports of   'attacks carried out by the neo-fascist group' . However no prosecutor seems to be looking into any of the allegations and to date not one single perpetrator of a racist attack has been convicted.

All of this is taking place against the backdrop of the government's Xenios Zeus operation.


Motivated by fear, the Greek people voted this puppet government into office last June and in doing so they have accelerated the country's descent into chaos. This government is not only exacerbating the problem, it is incapable of implementing anything at all. The acceleration into chaos seems inevitable now unless the Greek people mobilise to stop this disgrace.

Sources: Racist Violence Recording Network, UNHCR - UN Refugee Agency
               Kathimerini

Photos:   Kathimerini, except for the first one which is one of mine, taken at the Anti-Racist Festival

Vouliagmeni bay

One of the most beautiful bays in the Attiki region

I wish I could get all of it in one photograph but I don't have that kind of camera

parts of it are packed with people but it is possible to find quiet spots

across from where we are sitting you can see the outline of the collapsed cavern roof of the lake .

There is always someone doing water ski

We had company.

They are very tame and came very close to us

when they were not busy following each other.

Shame!

Shame on the new coalition government in Greece and its 'Xenios Zeus' operation aimed at arresting and detaining immigrants of Asian and African origin. Over a thousand illegal immigrants have been arrested and detained in the last two days. Busloads are transported to makeshift detention centres and kept there in appalling conditions.

Of the 4,900 people that were arrested on Saturday, 1,300 were detained and the rest released, presumably because they had legal papers. There are rumours that even tourists have been arrested (and subsequently released) as the initial criterion for arrests seems to be the colour of one's skin.

Public Order and Citizen's Protection Minister Nikos Dendias defended the campaign by claiming that: 'Our social fabric is in danger of unraveling. The immigration problem is perhaps bigger than the financial one'.

The irony is that Xenios Zeus was the ancient god who was patron of hospitality and guests! What kind of a sick mind came up with this name for such an operation?

Cheap, clandestine labour, provided by the country's immigrant labour partly fuelled the economic growth of the previous years.  Many of the projects for the 2004 Olympic games were ready in time largely to migrant labour.

Who looks after the ageing parents that the social security system is unable to care for? Who has been boosting the country's demographics as Greeks are leaving the country in droves escaping the economic situation?  Who has been bringing new life to dying villages? All questions conveniently forgotten.

All this is happening in the context of the other big shame that occured last Wednesday in the biggest square of the city, outside the Greek Parliament, where the fascist party (I will not soil my blog by mentioning them by name) handed out free food to passers-by as long as they could prove they were Greek. Those who wanted to receive this 'generosity' were asked to produce their I.D. cards (a document that Greek citizens are legally bound to show only to representatives of the state) and the details were then recorded by the members of the fascist group.

The fact that we have reached the situation where Greek people are willing to give up their rights and to lose all dignity in order to receive a bag of potatoes shows how bad, how desperate things have become - it does not bode well for the future.

The two main political parties (what is the Democratic Left doing in this coalition? Do they need to change their name?)  must start realising the part they have played in creating this mess and must start taking responsibility for the chaos the country is in.

It's a disgrace.


(Sources and the first 4 photographs: Kathimerini)

Nude - Ugo Rondinone

Nude by Ugo Rondinone at the Cycladic Museum of Art

This is a site specific installation. Rondinone intervened and changed everything about the space: the floor, the light, the colours of the walls and ceiling, creating an otherworld, dreamlike environment. A special sculpture wall was installed at the entrance of the first room thus separating the world he created from the rest of the museum.

This is the first view after entering the space, past the sculpture wall. It is a real shame about the tape on the floor: while I was in the gallery I was able to ignore it, but this is not possible with photographs.

Figure I.

The installation consists of seven life-sized figures, in peaceful repose on the floor.

a different view.

a closer look.

Figure II

The figures are cast in wax directly from the bodies of young dancers. They are jointed like store-window manequins and are exquisitely detailed. The sections of each figure are different earth colours, a mixture of wax and earth pigments.

a diffferent view



The way these resting figures have been positioned  is as moving as the figures themselves.

Figure III

looking closer

Naked and vulnerable, they seem to be resting after a performance

a slightly different view

These first three figures were exhibited in three separate rooms

the last four figures, occupy the large end room of the gallery

Figure IV

Rondinone's work spans a diverse range of mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, video, installation and sculpture.

Figure V

He tends to work in series,  selecting a medium and subject that he then explores in multiple variations.

His work has included: installations of ghostly casts of  olive trees, oversized versions of Chinese scholar rocks and suspended large wax pigment light bulbs.

detail

more detail

Figure VI

so vulnerable

He has also produced photographic self-portraits, titled 'I Don't Live Here Anymore'

Figure VII

His characteristic large rainbow signs are mounted on buildings all over the world

detail

slightly different view

detail

Still Figure VII, with Clockwork Without Arms, 1911, (stained slass window, steel frame)

looking closer.

a last look.

I went to the museum very early and I was lucky to be the only visitor (lots arrived later but I had finished photographing by then).  I would like to mention how helpful the guard was who would constantly move behind doorways so that he would not be in the photographs. The Cycladic Museum is fantastic about allowing photography and I would like to acknowledge this as it is so unusual in galleries and museums.