NEON’s exhibition ‘Flying over the Abyss’, previously presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete (02/05/2015 – 14/10/2015) and at the Contemporary Art Centre of Thessaloniki (07/11/2015 – 29/02/2016), will tour this autumn at the Athens Conservatoire.

The new cultural venue of the Athens Conservatoire, which remained closed for four decades in the first basement of the Conservatoire building, was uncovered by ΝΕΟΝ which also funded its refurbishment.

The selection of the participating artists both international and Greek, is influenced by ‘Ascesis: The Saviors of Gods’ (Ασκητική), the spiritual exercises written by the renowned Cretan thinker, Nikos Kazantzakis. The exhibition will establish a creative dialogue among the artists’ works and the essay, tracing the enlightenment of a human life’s pathway, from the time of birth ‘till death.  The original manuscript of Ascesis will be on display – a courtesy of The Nikos Kazantzakis Museum.

Artists | Marina Abramović, Alexis Akrithakis, Matthew Barney, Hans Bellmer, Lynda Benglis, John Bock, Louise Bourgeois, Heidi Bucher, Paul Chan, Savvas Christodoulides, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Gilbert & George, Robert Gober, Asta Gröting, Jenny Holzer, Kostas Ioannidis, Vlassis Caniaris, Mike Kelley, Martin Kippenberger, Sophia Kosmaoglou, Sherrie Levine, Stathis Logothetis, Ana Mendieta, Maro Michalakakos, Bruce Nauman, Aliki Palaska, Ioanna Pantazopoulou, Doris Salcedo, Kiki Smith, Paul Thek, Costas Tsoclis, Mark Wallinger, Gary Webb

Our warmest thanks to the D.Daskalopoulos Collection and Nikos Kazantzakis Museum for their generous loans to the exhibition.