April 24, 2020

Voices: Marina Vranopoulou, Dio Horia, Mykonos & Athens, Greece

An interview with Marina Vranopoulou, the owner of Dio Horia, based in Mykonos and Athens, Greece.

Dio Horia in Mykonos, Greece.

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Marina Vranopoulou
Marina Vranopoulou

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What are some common themes in your program?

Paintings that explore the formal concerns of paint, tools and surfaces, women artists and artists from small cultural counties.
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Who is the artist in your program that you have worked with the longest? How did that relationship begin?‍

Maja Djordjevic since the beginning. Discovered her by accident in a scouting trip in Belgrade.

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Name a person in the art industry that you admire or look up to and why.‍

Dakis Joannou. His passion, ethos and strong connections with his art world friends are admirable.

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What is the most important quality you look for in a patron of the gallery and your artists?

To support the new artists that are just beginning and do not have a collector base.

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Dio Horia in Mykonos, Greece.
Dio Horia in Mykonos, Greece.

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Tell us about one show you are excited to present in your gallery this spring.

Chris Akordalitis who is a young artist from Cyprus and Jason REVOK in his first exhibition in Greece.

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What is a piece of advice you give to artists?

Be patient and generous.

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Tell us about one artwork you love living with and why.‍

One of the first beaded canvases by Raul de Nieves that has a golden clock and reads Patience.

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Tell us about an artwork you recently acquired and why.‍

Just collected the latest canvas of Hulda Guzman that embraces pointillism while celebrating Mother Nature in a very authentic and environmentally respectable way.

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Tell us about why you decided to open a gallery.

I didn't actually. After I had my first kid I spent 3 months in Mykonos where my family owned a house. Spending so much time there for the firs time since my childhood I realized how much the island has changed thought the decades and decided to do one research exhibition about it. This exhibition became a commercial show and then a gallery.

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DIOHORIAATHENS_EXTERIORVIEW2.jpg
Dio Horia in Athens, Greece.

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What is your personal or professional motto?‍

Do What You Love. At your free time and ideally, at work too.

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Why are you passionate about art?

I keep learning beyond the barriers that words provide.

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How have you grown as a dealer over the years?

Started in 2015 with one group show and one residency show a year in Mykonos and now we do 13 exhibitions per year in two locations (Athens and Mykonos) as well as 4 international art fairs.

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What are you busy working on right now?

Next group exhibition called Friends that combines Greek artists with international artists of their generation.

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What is your favorite thing about your gallery space?

Mykonos location has the unique Cycladic light and the most traditional Aegean architecture.

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Dio Horia on Future Fair Online

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