Events
Greek Fringe is all about unveiling independent artists who are not afforded the attention they deserve. Our mission is to curate events that do just that! Keep an eye on our page for upcoming events in Melbourne, Sydney, New York, Nicosia, Athens and who knows where else?!
What's on
DIGITAL EVENTS
Evritiki Zygia and Katerina Douka have teamed up to bring the ancient sounds of Greece to the world. This performance is filmed in Evros on a river that borders Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria and is a place of great geo-cultural significance to the folklore of Thrace. Evritiki Zygia is made up of five friends who share a passion for Thracian music. It consists of ancient instruments deeply rooted in the tradition and mind of the Thracian locals with bagpipe, lyra, kaval and davul. Instruments that for thousands of years have been a mode of expression and an integral part in the life cycle of the Thracians - joy, sadness, marriage, death, work, migration.
The name “Evritiki,” comes from Evros, the North/ Eastern part of Greece, which belongs to the territory of Thrace - a place rich in historical and musical traditions. It is considered to be the homeland of Orpheus who, according to a Greek myth, was the most important representative of singing, arts and the Thracian lyra. The word “Zygia,” means a pair and usually suggests a traditional band or group of musicians performing together. Evritiki Zygia are collaborating with Katerina Douka who’s voice embodies Thracian traditions. She has a versatile repertoire from popular songs through to rebetika, but her Thracian roots and upbringing make her an authority on music from Northern Greece. She regularly performs in traditional and rebetiko music festivals throughout the globe and continues to teach traditional Greek songs in Greece and abroad.
SUPPORT THE ARTISTS
Though we intend on producing mind altering events in real life, due to COVID-19 we are kicking off with a series of digital events in an effort to protect the public and those involved. Despite being online, the same amount of love, sweat and tears go into producing these works, so we encourage people (if you have the means) to throw some coin at the artists we feature.
We have devised a tiered system of payment so you can pay what you feel to support the many people that have devoted their time and talent to this event. Click on the “SUPPORT THE ARTISTS” button below.
Featured Artists
Music - Visual - Performance - Words
The financial crisis in Europe has led Greece to emerge as a hub of creativity and innovative thinking. The Greek Fringe is a movement that seeks to expose Greece and its booming arts scene and thrust attention upon diasporic art throughout the Globe.
Kyvèli Zoi
About
VISUAL
Kyvèli Zoi (b.1993 in Athens, Greece) is a painter and multidisciplinary artist that currently lives and works in Athens, Greece. She completed her BFA at the School of Visual Arts (New York, USA) in 2016, after attending the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts de Paris in 2014, and Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design, London in 2011-12. Her multi-faceted practice evolves around diverse audiences within a wide spectrum of mediums and forms. Her collaborations include the National Theatre of Greece, the Michael Cacoyannis’ Foundation, Blackbird Productions and Film Director George Panoussopoulos. She has held three independent solo shows and has participated in numerous group exhibitions both at independent and established art venues between New York City, and Athens, Greece. She was a resident of DNA Residency Program in Province Town, Cape Cod, Massachusetts USA, in 2018. She is the founder of an artist-run project space in Athens, Greece, that will start running as a platform for Visual and Performative Arts in 2021. Her work is part of private collections worldwide like the OCEANA and OUSIA Restaurants, in Manhattan NYC owned by Livanos Group NYC. Kyveli's work was recently included in the White Columns 14th Online Exhibition "El que Busca Encuentra, y Sigue Encontrando" curated by Daniel Baez of MECA Art Fair.
Tasos Stamou
About
MUSIC
London based Greek electroacoustic music composer, performer and sound technologist. His music combines a diverse blend between electronics and instrumental improvisations/arrangements where echoes of traditional tunes mix with reflections of a futuristic sonic universe.
Over a decade of sound performances and recordings, Stamou has developed a unique style of live electroacoustic music composition. His work explores the space between ancient and contemporary transcendental music, using both traditional and advanced media of sonic alchemy, from the Greek bouzouki to self-made synthesizers. His latest works are seriously focused in reinterpreting Greek folklore music.
Although mainly a solo performer and recording artist, he frequently collaborates with other sound artists, improvisers and experimentalists (such as Anna Homler, Adam Bohman, Steve Beresford, London Improvisers Orchestra, Mike Cooper, Andrea Parkins, Kuupuu & Lau Nau, Terry Day, Adachi Tomomi, Magda Mayas, Arma Agharta, etc.) at various venues and festivals for innovative music.
One of his latest collaborative projects is the acoustic experimental rebetiko duo AMAN!!!, formed by him (Greek bouzouki & lavta) and Thodoris Ziarkas (guitar and lyra). He has performed across Europe and U.S.A in festivals and venues for innovative sound (Incubate Festival, Cafe OTO in London, Supernormal Festival, BENT Festival New York, Cave 12 in Geneva, Sounds of the Underground Festival, Ausland in Berlin, Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, Fort Process UK and many more).
He is currently signed in Discrepant (UK), Moving furniture Records (NL), IKUISUUS (FL) and Akuphone (BE).
Artist Callout
What we’re looking for?
We’re after work that represents the experience of modern Hellenic diversity from emerging artists and creatives living and working in Sydney and Melbourne. We also wish to extend this callout to artists living abroad whose work can be included in a digital capacity.
Our curatorial ethos is broad and inclusive and we’re open to all types of media.
We give preference to work that:
Represents the experience of the modern Hellenic diversity
Is new, surprising, subversive, inventive and different
Uses traditional elements in unconventional ways
About
It is time for the celebration of Greece, its people, history and art to shift to a new level. The Greek Fringe will attract talent that represents the experience of the modern Hellenic diversity. The Greek Fringe will shift beyond the folkloric representation of migration to explore the contemporary Hellenic diaspora throughout the Globe and the dynamic arts scene of mother Greece.
The financial crisis in Europe has led Greece to emerge as a hub of creativity and innovative thinking. The Greek Fringe seeks to promote and celebrate contemporary culture, which can often be overshadowed by a glorified notion of the past.
The Greek Fringe is a movement that will expose Greece and its booming arts scene and promote diasporic art across various forms of media. Though the theme is Greek, the festival aims to attract people who appreciate contemporary art and culture, regardless of their heritage.
As humans evolve, so too does language, culture and influence. If we don’t engage with the evolving artscape of Greece and communities abroad, the risk is that Greek culture can become stagnant and obsolete. We are here to facilitate new and emerging interpretations of Greek culture. There is an appetite among younger generations of the diaspora to explore and connect with not only the Greece of their Grandparents but the Greece of now.
We are here and we are claiming the now.
Con Kalamaras
Co-founder & Director
Professional insomniac, Con spends every waking hour thinking about Greek Fringe and is constantly throwing ideas at Christina (his partner in crime) as they shape and mould the Festival into something exciting, fresh and evolving. Con is a first-generation Greek events producer/ curator/ practitioner based in Melbourne. His world circulates around art projects, concerts, and festivals including the Melbourne Rebetiko Festival. He lives and breathes music, producing radio and is seen to obsess over records and rare recordings. When not playing music, he juggles his life between the city and the country and is the proud owner of two chickens both called Greg and his cat, Minion Sassy Pants.
Christina Bacchiella
Co-founder & Director
Founder of Sydney Greek Jam, Christina is big on community engagement and providing a platform for underrepresented artists. This concept was the genesis for Greek Fringe and exposing hidden talents is what gives her a real buzz. She is an innovative coordinator of projects and people and has worked on a stack of indie events, including the Melbourne Rebetiko Festival. She plays percussion in a rebetiko band and strums the tzoura strictly in the confines of her loungeroom (much to her dog’s torment).
Michael Alexandratos
Content Producer | Words
Michael Alexandratos is a writer, researcher and publisher based in Sydney. Taking a lead on literature, he will shed light on burgeoning writers in the Greek scene and conduct interviews with our featured artists. Michael runs the blog Amnesiac Archive, which is dedicated to research into music and recorded sound, and Cycladic Press, which publishes books and zines on aspects of Modern Greek cultures. He can often be seen rummaging through dusty boxes of records in junk shops, swearing that he will not end up as a hoarder.
Vasilki Tsouka
Content Producer | Performance
Vasiliki Tsouka is an arts manager and a dramaturg based in Melbourne. We are thrilled to have her on board as she has her finger on the pulse of performance art throughout the world. Since she was a young girl growing up in Athens, Greece, she has always loved art, literature and theatre, passions that she carries into her professional career. Though having lived in Melbourne the past five years, she keeps her connection to Greece by listening to Rebetiko while cooking her Grandmother’s recipes.
Niko Plaskasovitis is an emerging artist and creative producer who lives and works on Gadigal Land. He’s responsible for the editing of all the slick videos you see on our site. You’ll occasionally find him mixing music in intimate settings or experimenting with sweet ingredients for a cake conspiracy. Niko is currently completing his Bachelor of Media Art at UNSW Art and Design.
Overdue Studio
Visual Design / Web Development
Overdue Studio is a visual design studio creating thoughtful design solutions digitally and physically. From concept and design to realisation, the studio offers a full creative service in photography, branding, print, digital, object and exhibition design. It is Overdue Studio’s honour to collaborate with Greek Fringe, together they promote music and culture with creativity and authenticity.
Contact Overdue Studio for design enquiries.
Support
We LURVE our sponsors! They are the force that enables us to shed light on the obscure, the underrepresented and the mega-talented. Its thanks to them that we can explore what contemporary Hellenic culture can bring to the table beyond cuisine.
If this strikes a chord with you, get on board and…
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