John Mavroudis is the artist behind the powerful new TIME Magazine cover

John Mavroudis’ cover for the latest issue of TIME magazine pays tribute to all 200,000 Americans who have lost their lives to COVID-19 this year.

Mavroudis’ concluding ellipses serve as a stark reminder of what will only continue during the pandemic in the absence of true leadership at the highest levels.

“I really hope this cover awakens the consciences of those who stand apathetically in the face of this catastrophe. Science and common sense are the answer to this crisis,” the Greek artist told local Greek media.

The Favourite lives up to its name at European cinema's night of nights, wins 8 awards

The Favourite certainly lived up to its name at this year’s European Film Awards.

It was the clear winner at the Berlin ceremony, picking up a total of eight awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Yorgos Lanthimos.

Its Oscar-winning star Olivia Colman was unable to attend because of filming commitments, but co-producer Andrew Lowe addressed the audience on behalf of the crew.

Lowe paid a heartfelt tribute to the director, who beat some of cinema’s great masters to scoop the award.

Roman Polanski and Marco Bellocchio, two other favourites, came home empty-handed.

"I'd like to say a special thank you to Yorgos Lanthimos, our friend and leader on this great and epic voyage we have all shared,” Lowe told the Berlin crowd. “It's been a great honour for us tonight to be included among so many great nominees in this show."

Athens, Rising

It was Saturday night in Athens, and I was surrounded by dozens of young Greeks on the packed veranda of Six d.o.g.s., a cafe-bar and arts space that runs the length of an alleyway in the Monastiraki neighborhood. It was the 10-year anniversary party for Laternative, a local radio show launched in the wake of the country’s debt crisis, and people spilled into the gallery space, gathered under light-strung trees in the back garden and in the club area where the first of several bands was about to play.

Most of the partygoers looked to be in their early and mid 20s, just like I was the first time I came to this exact spot nearly 12 years ago, back when it was a tiny indie rock bar called Kinky. Standing here now, I could almost see myself as I was then: a 24-year-old backpacker sitting alone in the corner, smoking cheap Greek cigarettes and nursing a raki, unaware that my life had come to a crossroads.

There are places we live and places we visit, and then there are the other places. Places we return to, where we put down roots, but not strong enough roots to hold us — places that change us, that we haunt and are haunted by. Nowhere embodies this for me more than Athens, a city I’ve watched shift and evolve, endure crisis and chaos and economic collapse, and yet emerge from the wreckage as one of the continent’s most vibrant and significant cultural capitals, more popular than ever as a tourist destination. (Last year Athens welcomed a record 5 million visitors, double the 2012 figure.)

MoMA's Katerina Stathopoulou is Life Framer's judge for August

Life Framer is a photography award that sources and showcases outstanding work from amateur to established artists. The award is made up of 12 monthly calls for entries – each judged by an industry leader with a wealth of experience and expertise. You can use your entry to submit to one or more of the open themes.

Each month winning photographers receive online exposure, $2000 in cash prizes, and at the end of the year the winners are exhibited in shows in New York, Paris, Rome and Tokyo. This is the third month Life Framer is running and for this edition there's no clear lead as yet.

Participants are free to investigate everything, and to capture anything: landscapes, portraits, reportage, conceptual, personal documentary, travel; from spontaneous street moments to meticulous studio set-ups and everything in between.

August's judge was Katerina Stathopoulou, a curator at the Musuem of Modern Art (MoMA), having previously worked for the International Center of Photography.

With a focus on contemporary photography, she curates MoMA's challenging and varied collection of renowned artwork, as well as sitting on award panels, and running portfolio reviews.

Stratos Papafilippou: The wonderful "Eric" of Thassos (full documentary)

"Eric" is the short documentary by Faidon Gkretsikos and Panos Tragos that tells the story of Stratos Papafilippou, the doppelgänger of football legend Eric Cantona, from the Greek island of Thassos.

In the mid-90s two English tourists told Stratos Papafilippou, the owner of a small bar in Potamia, Thassos, that he bore a striking resemblance to the legendary French footballer Eric Cantona. 

Stratos did not know who Cantona was but he figured it could be a good business opportunity. So he cut his hair, put on a Manchester United jersey, and began appearing in public as "Eric Cantona in the flesh," determined to one day meet the real Cantona in person.

Vaggelis Chatzis: The Incredible Story of the Only One-Armed Boxer in the World (videos)

The ultimate underdog story of a Greek who lost his right arm and went on to become the only one-armed boxer in the world, titled “The Greek”, will be premiering at this year’s LA Greek Film Festival on Thursday June 8.

Created by Anastasios Papapostolou, the 26 minute-long documentary follows the life of Greek boxer Vaggelis “Cobra” Chatzis. The Greek professional fighter struggled through a tough upbringing and the physical challenge of only having one arm to pursue a path in the world of boxing. Today, Chatzis is recognized as the only one-armed competing boxer in the world.

Papapostolou opened up about his inspiration for filming the documentary “The Greek”, saying “I felt it was the most inspiring underdog story I had stumbled upon during my 15 years in journalism.”

June 8-11: Hydra island pays homage to Leonard Cohen

The Municipality of Hydra will name a street after Leonard Cohen, the famous Canadian singer, who used to have a house on the Greek islands in the Saronic Gulf.

Organizing a two-day event to commemorate the poet who loved the island,  the municipality will also reveal a stone bench that has been donated by the International Forum of the Friends of Leonard Cohen.

The street where Cohen had his house will receive his name.

A music concert by a local group dedicated to the works is scheduled for Saturday, June 10th 2017, at the port of the island.

On the same weekend, June 8/9-11 2017, there is Meetup scheduled on Hydra with Cohenites from all over the world.

Leonard Cohen bought the 19th century village house in summer 1960 for 1,500 US Dollar using some money inherited by his grand mother. He said once, “this was the smartest decision of my life.”

Holiday home in Finikounda puts Peloponnese on the map of modern, captivating architecture (photos)

Fingers of earth branch over this mound-shaped holiday home by architecture studio LASSA, allowing its owners to climb up onto the roof to admire Greece's Peloponnese peninsula.

The 150-square-metre Villa Ypsilon was designed by London- and Brussels-based firm LASSA, which is headed up by architects Theo Sarantoglou Lalis and Dora Sweijd.

The domed form of the summer house responds to the client's desires for a vantage point from which to survey the agricultural land, as well as the nearby mountains and coastline.

Refugees Got Talent (video)

"In Idomeni, there were so many talented people," says Mahmoud Abdalrhim, a 25-year-old former law student from Aleppo, Syria. "We wanted to show the Europeans that refugees are talented and educated, not ignorant. [Europeans] were seeing us through a certain lens - describing us as numbers, while politicians were using us as bargaining chips. Through our videos, we wanted to show people that we are just like them."

Mahmoud fled Syria after the army tried to force him to join the fighting. He took a boat from Turkey to Lesbos, hoping to make his way to Germany, where his fiancee lives. But Mahmoud got stranded in Idomeni, a town on the Greek-FYROM border which, until May 2016, was the site of Europe's largest informal refugee camp, holding about 8,000 refugees when Greek police started clearing the camp on May 24, 2016.

Mahmoud was moved to a new camp in Oraiokastro, together with his three friends - Basil, Sameer and Mustafa, the cofounders of the satirical online television channel refugees.tv. After initial hopes of a speedy relocation to other European countries, the mood among the camp's residents soured as time passed and the authorities were unable to offer any clarity about how long they would remain in Oraiokastro.

That's when Mahmoud, Basil, Sameer and Mustafa decided to organise a talent show.
"We wanted the residents of the camp to forget their worries," says Mahmoud.

How Ancient Greek Sandals Defied its Country's Crisis

Impressively, despite starting up in the middle of Greece’s economic crisis, a time of violent protests against austerity cuts and mass trade union strikes across the country, footwear brand Ancient Greek Sandals has achieved an average rate of growth of 51.69 percent since its launch in 2012.

“It wasn’t devastating, but it was difficult,” says Nikolas Minoglou, co-founder and chief executive. “Thank god that we are self-financed and we did not need a loan, because it would have been impossible. The general environment is simply not business friendly. The VAT that we collect is not easily returned to us, bureaucracy is long and difficult and taxes are high.”

In 2013, unemployment in Greece reached 26.8 percent — the highest in the EU. The same year, Ancient Greek Sandals grew 73 percent and leapt in production from 26,000 to 45,000 pairs of shoes. “Our main factory was able to handle our growth — the Greek crisis was an ally in that. If it were not for the Greek crisis the factory would have been busy with other projects,” Minoglou continues.

Acropolis Museum and Benaki among 41 to visit 'before you die'

The Telegraph recently published its list of 41 incredible museums to visit before you die and included two of Greece's finest museums in its list!

New Acropolis Museum 

Inaugurated in June 2009, this light, airy glass-and-concrete building was designed by Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi. Archaic and classical finds from the Acropolis site are displayed here – proud statues of the ancients and life-like stone carvings of animals. The top floor is devoted to the marble frieze that once ran around the top of the Parthenon.

Greek filmmakers Matziaraki, Filippou and Lanthimos headed to the 2017 Oscars! (videos)

Yorgos Lanthimos’ dystopian drama “The Lobster,” co-written with Efthymis Filippou, was nominated on Tuesday in the Best Original Screenplay category of the 89th Oscars, making it the second time the 43-year-old filmmaker looks forward to bringing home one of the coveted gold statuettes.

The award-winning filmmaker is joined in the ranks of Oscar hopefuls by another Greek, Daphne Matziaraki, whose “4.1 Miles” was selected for the Best Short Documentary category.

“The Lobster” stars Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz as two people looking for love in a world where you are turned into an animal if you fail to make a romantic attachment.

George Stathopoulos: Introducing Greek artists to an international audience

In a recent trip to Athens, I had the pleasure to meet with George Stathopoulos, a leading tax and corporate attorney whose true passion is collecting and curating art. George Stathopoulos has spent over 30 years organizing exhibitions globally as a way of promoting Greek art and introducing Greek artists to an international audience. His curatorial work includes exhibitions at The Musée d’Art NaÏf Max Fourny (Paris, France), Princeton University, The National Arts Club (New York, NY), the Bank of America (Athens, Greece), and seven exhibitions at Belgravia Gallery (London, UK). A totally different project and one of his major achievements is the 2014 installation of the George Zongolopoulos sculpture “Poseidon” on the George Washington University campus. His passion and commitment in promoting Greek art was palpable throughout our conversation.

Greek conductor Teodor Currentzis is classical music breaking the four-minute mile (videos)

Eighteen months ago, I discovered someone who changed my life forever.

His name is Teodor Currentzis. He’s a conductor who has recorded three operas for Sony music that are the single greatest albums that I have ever heard. And I don’t say that lightly.

The problem is, they’re opera. I know. The art form that’s apparently been dying for decades and that has a reputation for snobbishness, inaccessibility and general wankiness. Truth be told, I have always loathed it – but stay with me. These three are by Mozart, which helps. Opera’s biggest deterrent for me is Wagner. Chubby women shrieking at you in German for six hours simply cannot be described as entertainment – unless you like being bound, gagged and whipped in basement flats in Mayfair.

But Mozart is a different kettle of musical fish altogether. The guy, dead at 35, composed music that came straight from God’s mouth. And his three greatest operas are The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Così fan Tutte and Don Giovanni. Operas with ridiculous plots and even more intricate and ludicrous subplots. But underneath the farcical stories are important, powerful messages about the nature of love, humanity and our capacity for forgiveness. And Mozart sets these stories to the most profound music imaginable.

Leonard Cohen's Legacy: The Hydra Home That Inspired His Music (photos & videos)

Leonard Cohen passed away at the age of 82 on November 10, leaving behind not only his musical legacy but his beloved home on the Greek island of Hydra. Since his death, fans have been flocking to pay their respects to the house that inspired some of his most significant works.

The cosmopolitan writer and singer lived and traveled the world during his life. He kept a house in the Westmount suburb of Montreal, the city where he grew up, but it was his Hydra home that was closest to his heart.

Archaeological Museum show sheds light on WWII efforts to salvage priceless antiquities (photos)

The National Archaeological Museum of Athens is hosting a small exhibition – running beside a big show commemorating its 150th anniversary – to acquaint the public with the efforts of archaeologists, guards, technical staff and volunteers during World War II to hide and preserve its priceless collections from widespread looting by occupying forces. The exhibition runs through December 8 in the museum's courtyard cafe.

A month after Greece became embroiled in war with Italy – nixing Mussolini’s ultimatum issued on October 28, 1940 – every museum in the country received a letter from the government giving detailed instructions as to how they were to hide their treasures from the invaders. One of the proposals was to pack the exhibits in crates, hidden under sandbags. The other, which was more widely applied, involved burying the artifacts under museum floors, in courtyards and stowing them in the basements of any state institution.

The exhibition, which has just opened, consists of 24 photographs from the museum’s archive showing scenes from those fraught days.

Violinist Leonidas Kavakos wins Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2017

Violinist Leonidas Kavakos has been named the winner of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2017, worth €100,000.

The award is Denmark’s highest musical honour and has been given annually to an internationally recognised composer, instrumentalist, conductor or singer since 1959.

The prize will be awarded to Kavakos at a special concert on 12 January 2017 – part of a mini-festival in Copenhagen during which the violinist will give a number of performances and masterclasses.

Niarchos Foundation sponsoring 12 month internships for Greek nationals at MoMA‏ in New York

As a sponsor of the J-1 visa program, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is committed to providing opportunities for international students and emerging professionals to learn about the practices and organizational systems of an American museum. To this end, with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, MoMA is accepting applications for three 12-month internships for Greek nationals.

Greeks and the Oscars!

The Academy Awards often had Greek color. Greeks and people of Greek origin have always represented the Greek spirit in cinema’s biggest celebration.

This year alone, Greek Australian George Miller is nominated for the furious Mad Max: Fury Road.

Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center starts to take shape

Dressed in a hard hat, rain boots and a fluorescent yellow vest for a group tour of the under-construction Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), including the new homes of the National Opera and Library, as well as a 170,000-square meter park on the shore of Faliro Bay in southern Athens, I spotted a small detail that made me smile: In the building site’s staff cloakroom, where SNFCC supervisors and architects have lockers with their names on them, I was standing next to the one belonging to Renzo Piano. The celebrated Italian architect, in charge of designing the buildings, other structures and surrounding green spaces of the new complex, is closely following each stage of the colossal project’s development during his regular visits to Athens.