Bringing together conspiracy theories about the greek language, pseudo-scientific analyses, neonationalist rhetoric and institutional critique, this was intended to be FYTA’s most vicious performance, attacking the greek art establishment itself, while taking place at the foyer of the Onassis Cultural Centre. Built in the style of a public-lecture-meets-indoctrination-ritual, the presentation mixed various types of unreasonable and reasonable rhetorics resulting in a psychotic overidentification spectacle about greekness and artistic purity.

In this showcase, FYTA encountered the limits of grand institutions more than any other spaces they have performed in. The overidentification effect melted with reality somewhere on the way, as during the performance FYTA realised that a large part of the exhibition’s audience actually rejoiced in the smart-arse neonationalist rhetoric. In the end, this was FYTA’s most tragic attempt at being relevant in a hopeless place. The limitations of such an extravagantly grotesque institution (Onassis Stegi) and such irrelevant exhibition (the Hypnos project) were felt on their skin. In that sense, The Hellenic Awakening can be considered either their biggest flop or most successful work to date, depending on one’s perspective.