The System of Objects

Inspired by Jean Baudrillard’s seminal 1968 book The System of Objects, architect and writer Andreas Angelidakis takes a look at the various collections Dakis Joannou has put together over the years, and enters the headquarters of the DESTE Foundation in Athens with the purpose of “reloading” them.

The DESTE building takes precedence in the show while being seen from a new perspective: The System of Objects looks at Joannou’s collections and the vessel within which they are held as a chaotic and misleading path challenging the audience’s perception of art at the same time that information is offered to them. Over the last decades white walls and white cubes have become the standard typology for art spaces: this exhibition is an investigation of alternative spatial experiences to be had within those white walls, behind them, or in spite of them; an attempt to reconfigure the Foundation as an exhibition device informed by the spirit of the collections it holds; a spatial experience attuned to the works in the Collection itself.

Dark, provocative, sexual, and uplifting, the spirit of the works guides the visitor through a complex journey across the spaces of DESTE.  Unsure, and perhaps even weary about what the next space will hold, the audience moves through dark and narrow corridors before arriving at sunlit empty spaces, moving through parts of the building that have not been seen before, with each transition initiating a shift in emotions.

Artists:  Achilleas Droungas / Adam Helms / Adele Röder / Alan McCollum / Alberto Rosselli / Aleksandra Waliszewska / Alessandro Guerriero / Alessandro Mendini / Alessandro Pessoli / Alexander McQueen / Allen Ruppersberg / American Apparel / André Courrèges / Andrea Bellossi / Andreas Embiricos / Andreas Vais / Andro Wekua / Angelo Mangiarotti / Angelos Papadimitriou / Annette Lemieux / Antonis Tsakiris / Apostolos Georgiou / Ara Peterson / Archizoom / Aristotle Solounias / Ashley Bickerton / Ashley Macomber / Athina Rachel Tsangari / Aurel Schmidt / Barnaby Furnas / Bernard Rancillac / Brian Degraw / Cameron Jamie / Cesare Casati / Cesare Leonardi / Charles Karubian / Charles Ray / Cheryl Donegan / Chris Johanson / Chris Ofili / Christian Holstad / Christiana Soulou / Christina Dimitriades / Christopher Garrett / Cindy Sherman / Cini Boeri / Craig Morrison / Dan Attoe / Dan Colen / Das Institut / Dash Snow / Dasha Shishkin / David Altmejd / David Robbins / David Salle / David Shrigley / Diane De Clercq / Dimitris Protopapas / Donato D'urbino / Dora Economou / Dorota Jurczak / Dorothy Faison / Eduardo Paolozzi / Eirene  Efstathiou / Elad Lassry / Emanuele Ponzio / Ettore Sottsass / Fernando & Humberto Campana / Folkert De Jong / Franca Stagi / Francis Alÿs / Francis Picabia / Francisco Sobrino / Franco Mello / Friedrich Kunath / Gae Aulenti / Gaetano Pesce / George Condo / George Lappas / George Sowden / Georgia Sagri / Giancarlo Mattioli / Gianni Ruffi / Giannis Skourletis / Gillian Wearing / Gino De Dominicis / Gino Marotta / Giorgio Ceretti / Grayson Perry / Gregor Schneider / Gregorio Vardanega / Guido Drocco / Guiseppe Raimondi / Haim Steinbach / Haris Epaminonda / Haris Solomou / Helmut Lang / Helmut Newton / Herb Ritts / Ingo Mauer / Ino Varvaritou / Jakub Julian Ziolkowski / Janine Antoni / Jean Baudrillard / Jean Nouvel / Jeff Koons / Jenny Holzer / Jim Drain / Jim Shaw / Joanna Myrka / John Bock / John Dogg / Jon Armleder / Jon Kessler / Jonathan De Pas / Jonathan Pylypchuk / José Lerma / Josh Smith / Juergen Teller / Kai Althoff / Karim Rashid / Kathryn Garcia / Kaws / Kelley Walker / Kerstin Brätsch / Kiki Smith / Kim Hiorthøy / Kim Jones / Kostas Paniaras / Leta Peer / Libidarch Group / Linder / Louis Durot / Louise Bourgeois / Lucio Del Pezzo / M/M (Paris) / Marcel DuChamp / Marcel Dzama / Margherita Manzelli / Maria Loizidou / Maria Papadimitriou / Mariko Mori / Mark Held / Mark Manders / Mark Stahl / Martha Boto / Martin Margiela / Matt Greene / Matt Leines / Matthew Monahan / Maurizio Cattelan / Meyer Vaisman / Mike Kelley / Miltos Manetas / Nanos Valaoritis / Nate Lowman / Nathalie Djurberg / Nedko Solakov / Nick Lowe / Nigel Cooke / Nikos  Baikas / Olafur Eliasson / Panos Koutrouboussis / Pantelis Pantelopoulos / Paolo Lomazzi / Patrizia Cavalli / Paul Chan / Paul Mc Carthy / Pawel Althamer / Peter Ghyczy / Peter Halley / Peter Nadin / Peter Nagy / Philippe Perrot / Piero Brombin / Pietro Derossi / Poka-yio / Ralf Ziervogel / Raqib Shaw / Renzo Rosso / Richard Strauss / Rita Ackermann / Robert Gober / Robert Lazzarini / Robert Mapplethorpe / Roberto Cuoghi / Rolf Weber / Sam Durant / Sean Landers / Seth Price / Shay Nowick / Simon Evans / Sophia Kosmaoglou / Studio 65 / Studio Tetrarch / Stylianos Kontomaris / Superstudio / Takeshi Murata / Tauba Auerbach / Thanassis Totsikas / Tilemahos Kanthos / Tim Lokiec / Tim Noble & Sue Webster / Todd Bourret / Toiletpaper / Tom Sachs / Triple Candie / Ugo La Pietra / Urs Fischer / Vanessa Beecroft / Verne Dawson / Verner Panton / Viktor & Rolf / Wallace & Donahue / Wolfgang Tillmans.

Curated By: / Andreas Angelidakis, Maria Cristina Didero