Rebecca Camhi Gallery

History

The gallery was founded in 1995, in Athens, Greece and was initially located on Sophokleous street, on the top floor of a pre-war building overlooking the Parthenon. Due to the area's lack of familiarity with the international contemporary art and the actual location, in a neighborhood right next to the central meat market, the gallery became a landmark in the Athenian art scene and set a trend for the downtown area. At that time, there were no other galleries in the area, whereas just a few years later eleven new art spaces sprung up within walking distance from each other. The gallery was considered a radical place in Athens, since it was more than an exhibition space, offering additional rooms serving both as artist studios and event hubs for various purposes, such as talks, workshops, screenings, performances and more.

Since 2008, Rebecca Camhi Gallery has located to a new space in a neoclassical building in Metaxourgeio, Athens downtown. The gallery shows works of all media, including painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, drawing and printmaking. Beyond its regular program, it continues to host various activities, such as lectures, workshops, book receptions and special events to benefit miscellaneous organizations.

Artists

For almost 20 years, the gallery's artistic agenda has been focusing on contemporary art by promoting and collaborating with international art figures including Nan Goldin, Nobuyoshi Araki, Julian Opie, Ross Bleckner, Sean Landers, Rita Ackermann, Guy Limone, Tracey Moffatt, Bill Owens, Philip Taaffe, Sylvie Fleury, Karen Kilimnik, Lily Ludlow as well as representing well-known Greek artists in the international arena such as Konstantin Kakanias, Deanna Maganias, Takis, Angelo Plessas, Mantalina Psoma and Nikos Alexiou.

Opening hours

Following an idea originated by Italian-based curator Pier-Luigi Tazzi called "Spread in Prato" Rebecca Camhi Gallery and Pier Luigi Tazzi organized in 2007 a show in a neighbourhood in the centre of Athens, called Metaxourgeio. The exhibition was focused on photographic works, including pieces by internationally renown artists such as: Nobuyoshi Araki, Merve Berkman, Christina Dimitriadis, Nan Goldin, Zheng Guogu, Panos Kokkinias, Mark Lewis, Armando Lulaj, Gabriel Orozco, Ahlam Shibli and Wolfgang Tillmans.

The peculiarity of this project is that the works were not exhibited in art venues but in everyday places like super markets, bakeries, restaurants, Chinese shops etc. The show was entitled "Opening Hours" and it was open to the public during the opening hours of each venue. The visitors were given a map of the area of Metaxourgeio. While walking around they could get acquainted with an upcoming area of the city and look at art in a different environment than the usual art spaces. "Whoever took this walk, saw Tilman’s works behind the peanuts that were bought in the super market in order to be sold again at the Arabic mini market" wrote Rebecca Camhi in the catalogue that was published at the end of the show including installation shots as well as texts from the curator and Athenian writers who described the area and the way it is changing together with an appreciation of the works in the context.