locus athens

Locus Αthens, a nomadic non-profit arts organization, was originally formed in 2004 by Maria-Thalia Carras and Sophia Tournikiotis, with the aim of exploring the juncture between public space in Αthens and contemporary art. Commissioning artists to produce new works based on in situ research, Locus Αthens curated exhibitions, talks and screenings in various locations of the city as well as organizing educational prοgrams and publishing a series of award winning children’s art books.

In 2012 the team was joined by Olga Hatzidaki, starting with a first collaboration which continued into a long-term partnership. Gradually also Sofia withdrew from active involvement from Locus Αthens. Olga and Maria-Thalia developed projects in and about the public spaces of Αthens, building on former experience and injecting Locus Αthens’ program with new energy. They explored different curatorial models with projects that shifted in scale and size, collaborating with a wide range of institutions, reaching out to different cοmmunities and thinking further about the necessity of tackling contested issues.

In 2019, Maria-Thalia and Olga decided on a more radical shift in their approach, thinking of the ‘public’ less as architectural space but more as content and cοmmunities. They envisioned TAVROS, a mid-sized space in the eponymous area of Αthens, as a new home for their arts projects, with a varied program of exhibitions, talks and community projects geared to responding to the social and political circumstances around us, giving voices to marginalized cοmmunities, and exploring notions of democracy, equality and ecology through dialogue listening and learning.