2022 has just started and Kooness Team is excited about all the new upcoming projects. Let's start by introducing one of our newest gallery partners: Govedarou Art Gallery.
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Dear Natasa, Kooness is thrilled to welcome Govedarou Art Gallery on board, a Greek gallery representing great international and national artists. Could you please tell us more about your artists and the mission behind your roster?
Greece has historically been the “cross junction” where all civilizations from Europe and the rest of the world met to exchange one way or another their ideas, cultural habits creating among other things links and dialogue between the arts, the environment and people.
Govedarou Art Gallery wants to revive, in its small scale of cultural intermediate, this exchange by embracing the different kinds of forms, trends, and techniques of Art. Quality of artwork that excludes all these incoherent, totally minimal, and deliberately strange artworks with no basic artistic background to support it, is what we as a gallery promote through all of our artists from wherever they come from. If one of our artists wants to escape their artwork into minimal forms, abstract concepts or any other means of expressing their inner world, they must have the necessary knowledge to support it. They must be able to combine in the right way forms, color and in general have a well-balanced composition to convey to the canvas their ideas by filtering through one-self and sharing with the world the new things that nobody has seen before. Do what your heart and inspiration tells you to do but materialize it in the right way. By keeping in mind that important detail, we embrace as a gallery all artists with a serious artistic background from all over the world.
The gallery’s owner and director Natasa Govedarou being herself a painter who graduated from the Russian Academy of Art in Florence, Italy set the above fundamental criteria as mentioned for the creation of the gallery’s artist roster. Of course the fact that the International character needs to be supported as well apart from the quality standard it is somehow by itself through the process achieved as one can basically see the origins of the artist through his/her work. The mood, the color, the inspiration conveyed to the artwork reveal not only the moment of its creation but also most of the time its geographical position as strange as it may seems.
Once all these artists come together the mission is easy. The cultural exchange is achieved through art-projects, exhibitions, workshops and other events we organize in our premises in Thessaloniki, Greece.
You have recently participated in the 5th edition of Art Thessaloniki Art Fair, was it your first fair after Covid19 restrictions? How is the Contemporary Art scene in Greece these days?
The Contemporary Art scene in Greece these days is constantly growing and evolving. It was obvious in the 4th Art Thessaloniki Art Fair where at the time many collectors and art dealers from abroad visited the Art Fair for the first time and remained astonished for the quality and quantity of the participating artworks. Well at least Govedarou’s Art Gallery booth was much appreciated and visited by collectors and art dealers showing interest for further future collaboration and investment in artworks and artists presented at the time. So for us at the 4th Art Thessaloniki Art Fair the goal was achieved!
The 5th Art Thessaloniki Art Fair was our first fair after Covid19 restrictions. In our opinion as a gallery Covid19 didn’t help the cause of the fair. As in all aspects in life Art Fairs were and still are inflicted by the restrictions and the whole mood in the field.
2021 is about to end, marking the second year of the pandemic. How has your approach to the online art market changed in these past two years?
The pandemic has inflicted all aspects of life from the very beginning. Not only health has taken a hit worldwide but also the economy. Art is a luxury for many has been pushed in the background. But it is also a good opportunity for collectors who know and art lovers to find good quality artworks in the art market to invest in since the prices have been significantly decreased in many galleries.
The online art market has surely changed the scenery by giving both galleries and collectors the opportunity to meet halfway. Being approached recently by Kooness group who with their experience in quality distinguished us from other galleries in Greece to be a part of their gallery list, Govedarou Art Gallery is happy to “climb on board” their platform and see the results. I am sure that with their guidance and connections we will be successful in making the Greek painters we represent and also those from abroad known to their public. And Greece as a market in Art has a lot to give!
Of course, it will never be the same as seeing up close an artwork you wish to purchase, to feel its dynamic life in the room and have the chance to talk to the artist in an exhibition to understand better his/her concept. Things will change again at some point but we think that by then the online art market will be well established in the habits of those who are connected to Art one way or another. That remains to see…
What's your next project? We are curious to know about it...
Govedarou Art Gallery has many solo and group exhibitions to come in its schedule. But as soon as the pandemic ends and things go back to normal we are planning on letting you know of a project we are preparing for some time now which will be a combination of Greece’s beauties and art workshops for artists worldwide. Established foreign art teachers will provide their knowledge in their field in a location only few have the chance to visit. A new type of relationship among the artist community will come forth and new horizons will open. But we will keep that info for later….
We are looking forward to receiving new info about it! Thank you very much, Natasa, and once again welcome on board!