Because of travel restrictions around the Corona virus the residency has not had many artists stay since late 2019. Bookings are very slow in 2021. Please if you would like to share the website with artists who you think would enjoy this lovely place. Please share the website. Mathew
Note. Things are looking much better for 2022. The residency has been booking out with some availability from September onwards. 29/10/2021.
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www.photosofcrete.com/post/ano-asites-cultural-cretan-village?fbclid=IwAR3o6IYSx1w6g98QMjjSS2XYoFnxuTgN7b4Gkn7LEeRvJTR5ptkZbDTgcJ0www.photosofcrete.com/post/ano-asites-cultural-cretan-village?fbclid=IwAR3o6IYSx1w6g98QMjjSS2XYoFnxuTgN7b4Gkn7LEeRvJTR5ptkZbDTgcJ0www.photosofcrete.com/post/ano-asites-cultural-cretan-village?fbclid=IwAR3o6IYSx1w6g98QMjjSS2XYoFnxuTgN7b4Gkn7LEeRvJTR5ptkZbDTgcJ0
Each summer in the village we repaint fading houses with traditional lime washes. Last week we had a full weekend of painting, and many new ones were coloured. The main project was to paint a narrow old passageway bright blue. As the paint is a lime wash, it lets the old stone walls breath, and will wash away with rain over time.
Recently an old house was perched in the village. Normally the old houses contain furniture from the past. This one did not, BUT inside there were two huge bags of unpainted gourds. (Sought of a pumpkin) As a project to liven up parts of the village that have been abandoned, we painted twelve with a fruit theme. They will hang on a street that needs some love. Yes its not 'art', but painting gourds in Greece has been done as decoration for many years. So we continue that tradition. The project has proven popular, so we will grow some fresh ones. It would be interesting to make some kind of conceptual project in the future.
https://greekherald.com.au/post/meet-mathew-halpin-the-australian-whose-art-breathes-new-life-into-abandoned-neighbourhoods-on-crete/?fbclid=IwAR3Wwr-3uIWjxdFwqdhIt3kuTLDBjrOWLXKQruWirc4CCPwZMZfIzcYFcw0
During the corona virus problem, the murals project in the village had to be put on hold. Many locals were sad to see nothing happening. So organiser of the project Mathew Halpin painted a new mural on the main street. The reaction was wonderful. We hope that in the near future the project can start back up as normal.
Getting the house ready to host artists has been a lot of work. Finally the interior will be finished before April 2020. The hardest room by far has been the one pictured. It was originally a room where sheep lived. Plus it had a huge bread oven, which sadly was not possible to save. Digging out a layer of cement, that was not letting the old stone walls breath, was lots of work. The cement mortar will be replaced with Hydraulic lime. A much more healthy option. In a couple of weeks that part of the house will get a new terracotta roof, and windows and doors. There will be a staircase going up the the bedroom.
Sarah has been an artist in residence twice at the Lakkos residency which is the sister to Ano Asites residency. She came to visit the village right at the start of the project. We hope she comes to stay again soon. Here is her article and link to more.
medium.com/artists-travel/6-things-to-consider-when-choosing-an-artist-residency-1242a4f57fb1 medium.com/@sarahthibault There are many lovely villages to visit around Ano Asites. This weekend we did not feel like cooking. On a locals advice we drove to Prinias which is the last village after Asites on the city bus route. There we tried the taverna which makes good village style food. It has a fireplace for winter, and a terrace with an amazing view in the warmer months. After lunch we went to peek at the village. Wow it is so lovely. Another surprise was the kafeneon. It is a total treasure, and makes great coffee! It is possible to catch a bus from Asites to Prinias and back again. At lunchtime this gives you 1 1/2 hours. The walk between the villages is wonderful, but not in mid summer.
One of the most important places in the village is the kafeneon. This is a place for locals, and visitors to get a coffee, or drink. (Drink really needs to be 'drinks', Giannis who runs the kafeneon loves visiting artists. Going for one drink is not possible, as he keeps bringing out the wine and raki without wanting any payment.... this can lead to wobbly walks home...). It serves small mezes to eat with beer, wine, or raki. It is located on the main street. Driving through the main street of the village, in the past did not inspire new comers to stop. Now with many of the old shops and houses painted in colourful tones. People do stop to discover the missed beauty of the village. Johns Palmer's large mural, is of cards blowing in the wind. Most afternoons, and evenings you can find the men of the village playing card games.
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AuthorMathew Halpin. Archives
November 2022
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