We Apologize by Adrian Paci

#weapologize_athens

From 20th October to 12th November 2021, Victoria Square, Athens will host “We Apologize” - a new, in situ art installation by visual artist Adrian Paci. The work is the product of many months of research in collaboration with old and new residents from the Victoria Square neighbourhood, following an invitation by the Counterpoints Arts and Victoria Square Project organizations, curated by Niovi Zarampouka-Chatzimanou, director of VSP and Almir Koldzic, director of Counterpoints Arts.

The opening of the installation will take place in Victoria Square, on 20th October 2021, at 20:00.

Victoria Square is one of the most contested and politically charged public spaces in Greece. It is a meeting point for many different communities that make up the neighborhood and is often associated with the debates around migration and refugees. “We apologize” does not take a specific stance on these debates, but instead it challenges us to rethink, look at each other, and find better ways to live together. It is addressed to all of us, regardless of our stance and our different needs, imposing no conclusions of its own on the public space, but rather acting as food for thought —as is generally the case with the works of Adrian Paci.

A public programme consisting of all-ages workshops, debates, tours and other activities on the issues posed by the work will take place alongside the installation. The program schedule is realized in collaboration with and the support of Goethe Institut Athen.

**Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience that may arise from the presence of the installation in Victoria Square. We understand that even a small shift from our everyday itinerary and routine may be annoying, and we acknowledge the difficulty in coexisting with what is “new,” “other,” or “unknown” — qualities that may indeed challenge the things we take as given in our everyday lives.

---

The installation “We Apologize” is part of the “Across Borders” European programme with the support of the Athens Culture Net of the City of Athens. It forms part of VSP’s long-standing presence in the broader Victoria district as well as of the research and curatorial question “Who is the contemporary Athenean?”. Major Donor of VSP and the research and curatorial question is Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). The program is implemented in cooperation with Kulturstiftung Allianz.

Find out more