Canadian artists in Greece: mounting their exhibitions
Mounting and transporting Canadian artworks to Greece for exhibitions has been a deeply committed part of my curatorial work. During the last exhibition at the Vorres Museum for Contemporary Art in Athens, titled “Date with Hermes: Journeying between Dreams and Reality,” we showed nineteen large paintings and prints, a testament to our dedication.
Over the years, to transport the artwork in Greece, we relied on large international logistics companies, which utilized a combination of trains, airplanes, and ferry boats. Additionally, we utilized courier companies for smaller pieces; sometimes, we checked some pieces on plane flights, and once, I even carried three folded paintings in a carry-on knapsack on one occasion.
Throughout these processes, we always had to ensure quick access to the works and had to manage necessary documents such as CARNET and other certificates while going through customs. We also encountered challenges such as airport customs workers’ strikes and delays in paying fees, which affected the timely delivery of the work. Every time, things fell in place, on time.
Allyson Glen is the most organized artist in general, but especially during the transportation of works to and from Greece in particular; she has elevated transportation into a science. We have worked on three exhibitions, always on time while making new friends for art with the volunteers who help bring an exhibition to life. The photos that follow show the steps we took for the “Date with Hermes” exhibit and for the other two.
Allyson and I decide the work to be shown through face-to-face meetings, Zoom sessions, e-mails, phone calls, etc. Then, with dimensions in hand, I visit a collaborating framer where the stretchers /frames for the works are built. They are being transported to the museum, waiting for the works to arrive with Allyson as oversized luggage. She transports them within industrial tubes, each painting separated from others with bedding or other clothing.
Once they are unpacked, they are left on the floor to get rid of their own jetlag for a day or two, depending on when the opening is. In the meantime, we, museum employees and volunteers, get to work mounting the paintings onto the stretchers. Once the works are mounted, they are taken to the exhibition hall for the final stage of hanging them on the walls. Once this is done, we are ready for the opening. At the end of the exhibition, the reverse steps are taken: the staples are removed, and the works lie on the floor till Allyson and an assistant or two wrap and fold the works, place them back in their tubes and off to the airport safely, if not easily to arrive back to Canada with Allyson. Till next time….
Katerina Pizania
Summer 2024
