In 2021, Anna-Maria Loudaou launched AMA House to turn her love of art into a profession. By creating opportunities for the public to participate in and engage with art, AMA House also hosts a residency program—taking place during winter on Spetses Island in Greece—that enables locals to engage with the production process.
“Greek islands heavily rely on summer tourism, and most of them resemble to ghost towns during winter—empty, lifeless. Our aim is not only to bring a ‘buzz’ to this emptiness but also to educate and encourage participation through local presence, assistance, and contribution,” said Loudaou. “AMA’s purpose is not art for the art-related, but art for all, to introduce more people into the world of arts. Art as a universal language, a visual language, that anyone can understand.”
While contemporary art has always been a passion of Loudaou’s, her field of studies revolved around political sciences. “I possess a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Relations from the University of Reading, and a Master of Arts in European Studies from King’s College London,” she explained, “After the completion of my Master’s Degree, and up until the launch of AMA House in 2021, I experimented with various jobs of different fields including a think tank/educational institute devoted to the study of international migration in NYC. None of which felt “right”.
Having reached a turning point in June 2020, Loudaou decided to direct her attention to the world of art. After one year, AMA House was realized in the summer of 2021. “I couldn’t be more happy with the results we have produced thus far and the direction we have taken,” she added.
Whitewall spoke with Loudaou about AMA House, and what its current exhibition, “History of Absence” showcases.
“History of
Absence,” courtesy of AMA House.
WHITEWALL: What is the ethos of AMA House today?
ANNA-MARIA LOUDAROU: AMA House creates opportunities for the public to participate in and engage with art. Through its residency program, which takes place during winter, AMA House enables locals to engage with the production process. Greek islands heavily rely on summer tourism, and most of them resemble to ghost towns during winter—empty, lifeless. Our aim is not only to bring a “buzz” to this emptiness but also to educate and encourage participation through local presence, assistance and contribution. AMA’s purpose is not art for the art-related, but art for all, to introduce more people into the world of arts. Art as a universal language, a visual language, that anyone can understand.
WW: How did your relationship with the School of Spetses Foundation begin (last year with a year-long residency program and the exhibition “Tactile Ghost”)?
AL: We were in search of a different venue for our second annual summer exhibition. Our first show, “Tactile Ghost” took place in Antiparos, in the Cycladic complex of islands in Greece. I believe in the importance of spaces; you see a space before you get to see what is actually in it. My first personal visit at the Spetses Foundation was in July 2021, where I felt an instant connection and decided that this would certainly be our next “home.” The Spetses Foundation hosted our winter residency program, which fluctuated between Athens and the island. Artists undertook their research prior to production by engaging with locals to a large extent, the history of Anargyrion & Korgialenion and the island per see. From the 9th July until the 16th September, the Spetses Foundation hosted our second exhibition “History of Absence” in three of its classrooms of the main building, and a part of its garden.
“History of
Absence,” courtesy of AMA House.
WW: This year, AMA House is presenting “History of Absence.” What does the show communicate about local narratives—like musical compositions, marine life, and human and animal remains?
AL: History of Absence is the outcome of three distinct residencies which took place between the island of Spetses and Athens. Given that the artworks were site-specific, the location was taken into account by all three, while planning and creating their pieces. The works are driven by investigations of local histories.
They were inspired by musical compositions by Iannis Xenakis, who attended the former boarding school as a child; English novelist John Fowles, who wrote the “Magus” which was based partly on his experiences on the Greek island of Spetses, where he taught English for two years at the Anargyrios School; the work of the local taxidermist, who hunted in the surrounding pine forest for animals to stuff; and finally the mythological figure of Medusa and other sea creatures from local marine life.
WW: The show features three exhibitions by Agata Ingarden, Malvina Panagiotidi, and Chloe Royer. Why did you want to feature the work of these three female creators?
AL: After our first exhibition “Tactile Ghost” we decided, along with my curator Elina Axioti, that our upcoming show would only entail female artists. The artists’ works and personality fitted perfectly with the space, and that is basically one of the most important reasons we based our decision on. Last but not least, the Anargyrion & Korgialenion Foundation of Spetses, is characterised by its history of functioning as an all-boys boarding school (1928-1983); personally, the challenge of organising and producing an exhibition showcasing just female artists in such an establishment, was very intriguing.
“History of
Absence,” courtesy of AMA House.
WW: What do you feel each artist’s work in the show represents?
AL: Interestingly enough, each artist’s research focused on different facets of the history of the Anargyrion & Korgialenion creating three individual narratives. Regarding the three narratives of artists, I think Elina Axioti conceptualized the narratives beautifully: “Agata Ingarden’s perception of the place, as Sleeping Beauty Corp. converses with John Fowles emblematic novel The Magus, and the Greek composer Iannis Xenakis, who spent his childhood in Spetses as a student at the Foundation of Spetses.
The general character of Ingarden’s work is well described by curator Attilia Fattori Franchini as “a journey into materialism, fiction and science fiction, and the domestic, unraveling the evocative power of places, objects, and interior design.” Sleeping Beauty Corp. seems to align with this description while entering a dialogue with Fowles’ The Magus. The school building and its mirrored history as the setting of the novel has a corresponding significance to the piece per se.
Panagiotidi noticed the presence of taxidermy specimens displayed on the wall of a local souvenir shop, the specimens belonging to the family of Dimitris Katsoris, who still holds a small private collection of the remaining stuffed animals: for the most part, a variety of local birds preserved by Katsoris. She instrumentalises his work with her installations, which explore humans’ complex relations to animals, nature, and form.
“Bearing foreigners” is the literal translation of Xenophora, the sea snails found in the Argosaronic Gulf and the sea of Spetses. With the example of Xenophora, Chloé Royer focuses on a species that creates “unorthodox” dependencies. Xenophora is a particular kind of sea snail that behaves as a carrier to a great variety of foreign objects: pieces of rocks, debris, bones, animal secretions and other shells become attached to the shell of the Xenophora.”
“History of
Absence,” courtesy of AMA House.
WW: How do these three presentations refer to “fantasmography”?
AL: Another concept we discussed with Elina Axioti was “fantasmography”, she saw the show as a vehicle to entangle the public with the history of the place and its people:
“Starting from AMA House’s exhibition Tactile Ghost last year, with works by Eva Papamargariti and Marios Stamatis, the History of Absence continues the investigation of visibility and context, once again referring to a certain “fantasmography”, as a means of collecting the uncollectable when the uncollectable can turn into the spectre of ghosts.
The works are driven by investigations of local histories, attempting an inversion, where the ghost-like is reinstated as a present element voiced by feminist practices. Absence becomes evident as the show prioritises impossible views. “
WW: Can you describe for us what Spetses, Greece is like?
AL: Spetses is the island where I spent all of the summers of my life, until now. It stands out for its architecture and elegance. This is mainly due to the Venetian mansions that lie in Spetses Town.
Known as Isola di Spezie under Venetian rule and Pityoussa (pine-clad) in ancient times, Spetses, at just 54 nautical miles from Athens, (the southernmost island of the Saronic Gulf) is a picturesque, car-free island with a unique architecture, naval history and culture. The island flourished during the early 18th century, developing into a significant naval power, dominating the major shipping routes of the Mediterranean.
The great advantage of visiting Spetses is that you can get there by ferry or car/bus through the Peloponnese, and easily visit neighbouring islands such as Hydra and Poros. The season usually lasts from April to October.
WW: Of what importance is storytelling to you and AMA House?
AL: Of utter importance! Without storytelling, our lives would be blunt. Storytelling inspires us to dream bigger; it educates, motivates, simplifies, brings facts to life, makes the abstract concrete..
