Waiting for the Barbarians
@Athens Biennale [Apr 2017]
Waiting for the Barbarians was the title of the 6th Athens Biennale, curated by the group Heart & Sword Division, consisting of Poka-Yio, Kostis Stafylakis, Nayia Yiakoumaki, and FYTA. Amongst that biennale’s curatorial focuses were: notions of othering, exoticisation, neo-colonial concepts, as well as the alt-right, the rise of fascism and overidentification. Unlike previous instalments of the Athens Biennale Waiting for the Barbarians was highly performative and events-based, addressing and thematising the artistic occupation of Athens by the mega-exhibition Documenta 14. In April 2018, FYTA resigned from the biennale due to irreconcilable differences with the artistic director (Poka-Yio). The ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’ team disbanded soon after, not with a bang but with a whimper.